Going Kosher in 30 Days

by Rabbi Zalman Goldstein

This book will teach you all the whys and hows of kosher. Learn what others have already discovered keeping kosher is an extraordinary experience with countless physical and spiritual rewards. Today, with more than 200,000 national food products being certified kosher and the average supermarket carrying nearly 40,000 kosher items, it s easier to keep kosher than many people think. Set your own pace, advancing through the 30 DAYS at your leisure. You ll learn everything you need to know about bringing kosher living into your life in a relaxed and joyous manner. Explore the KOSHER 30 today and live kosher with greater understanding and deeper satisfaction!

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine decided to go kosher and was given this book by a Chabad rabbi, so I decided to give it a read myself and see what it recommended. It is a very good introductory book, which explains a good deal without being totally overwhelming. It makes going kosher sound pretty easy, which is good, because if anyone had any idea of what they were getting into they would never agree to go kosher. But on the whole, it is only a BEGINNER book and does not stand on its own. This is not surprising from Chabad, but the rulings are generally the most stringent ones available to anyone living outside of an enclave in New York or Israel, with no discussion of more lenient (or even mainstream) opinions. It might make someone whose family and friends are not kosher unnecessarily difficult. Anyone considering going kosher should take the book to a rabbi they trust and who is more in line with their own halachic comfort zone.

Also, the book uses the verb "kosherize," which I've never heard before, even though it DOES introduce the word "kasher" very early on. Which is hilarious.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that eating Kosher is an opportunity to make the mundane holy. I will be taking that into my daily life going forward. However, some of the instructions and rules seemed like splitting hairs for its own sake. It’s so worried about the rules you loose the very holiness you’re striving to reach.

For example, I don’t like the idea that I should lease my chametz to a non-Jew for Passover and then get the food back afterwards. This has nothing to do with following HaShem and living holiness. This is something I’ve always disliked, so I shouldn’t blame the book.

Something I do blame the book for is how easily the author believes it is to find kosher butchers and restaurants. Maybe if I lived in Brooklyn or Miami. There are many times in the book where the intricacies of living kosher are glossed over or implied to be easier than it is in reality.

Overall, I applaud the author’s work. It definitely helped introduce me to kosher eating. I’m already making changes in my life.

[amichai]

the gmu going kosher in 30 days hive grows

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay intro, but doesn't really tackle some of the sticklers that bedevil the newly kosher.