Halakha (Hebrew: the way) is a set of religious commandments in Judaism, covering all aspects of human life, from something as basic as food to complex theological issues.
Halakha distinguishes between permissible and forbidden (treif, impure) foods. According to biblical injunctions, only the meat of ruminant and hoofed animals (even-toed ungulates), fish with scales and fins, certain species of birds and locusts, as well as milk and eggs from animals whose meat is kosher, are permitted for consumption. Products such as honey, nuts, cereals, fruit from trees at least three years old, etc. are also permissible for consumption. (A. Unterman, Żydzi. Wiara i życie, Lodz 1989, pp. 243–250).
There is a strict ban on blood consumption. Before cooking the meat dish, to get rid of any remaining blood, it is soaked for half an hour, then salted, and rinsed in cold water after an hour. Another way to prepare meat is by roasting it over a fire. Certain parts of the animal must not be eaten, for example the sciatic nerve and veins. Beef should only come from the front part of the animal (https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/slownik/koszer, access: 16 March 2021).
According to the rules of Judaism, dairy and meat products are not allowed to be eaten at the same time, and their preparation requires two separate sets of dishes. The break between dairy and meat meals should be at least a few hours.
Products released for consumption must be certified as kosher. One way of legalising the circulation of such products was to attach seals to the goods on offer.
In the Judaica collection of the District Museum in Leszno, there is a lead meter seal with the Hebrew inscription "Kaszer" (kosher). It has an oval, irregular shape and on its reverse are the initials "J. H." in the surround. There is a hole in the cross-section of the seal, through which a thin wire was threaded, which was then squeezed with a sealing tool.
The object was accidentally found in a field near the village of Tworzanki near Rydzyna. It was donated to the Leszno museum in 2012 by archaeologist Damian Kucza from Rydzyna.
Dariusz Czwojdrak
