Ancient Jewish Food: An Incredible 4,000-Year Timeline
Food tells the story of a people. In the Holy Land, every olive, fig, and flatbread echoes generations of faith, exile, return, and ritual. From the post-Flood permission to eat meat to the rich cultural fusion on today’s Shabbat tables, ancient Jewish food is more than sustenance—it’s a timeline of survival and identity. This article follows 18 distinct eras that shaped what Jewish communities ate, how they prepared it, and why it still matters today.
Jump to Sections
1. Post-Flood Beginnings (ca. 2300–2000 BCE)
The story of ancient Jewish food begins not in a marketplace or kitchen, but on a mountain—after a flood. In Genesis 9, Noah receives divine permission to eat meat for the first time: “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you… only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” This moment marks the earliest recorded food law in biblical history and the spiritual roots of dietary boundaries.
At this stage, ancient Jewish food wasn’t governed by a codified system, but by reverence. Clean and unclean animals were already recognized—suggesting an intuitive form of kashrut existed even before Sinai. Noah and his descendants likely ate roasted goat, sheep, or wild game, with grains like emmer wheat or barley, plus foraged staples like lentils, dried figs, and legumes. Fermented date honey and oil from wild olives may have flavored meals prepared over open fires.
What defined ancient Jewish food in this era wasn’t its complexity, but its intentionality. The act of eating carried spiritual weight: blood was sacred, and life belonged to God. Even without written law, this generation introduced a theology of food that would echo through every future Jewish table. From Noah’s altar to Abraham’s hospitality, food began shaping a holy identity.
2. Patriarchal Diet (2000–1700 BCE)
During the era of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—ancient Jewish food took shape through a lifestyle of herding, hospitality, and divine encounter. These early Hebrew families were semi-nomadic and relied on flocks for both diet and economy. Goat and sheep provided meat, milk, yogurt, and cheese. Bread, often baked on heated stones, was a daily staple and a symbol of welcome.
Food in this period carried sacred meaning. When three strangers visited Abraham under the terebinth trees of Mamre, he rushed to serve “a calf, tender and good,” along with cakes, curds, and milk. This moment set the tone for ancient Jewish food as not just nourishment but covenantal hospitality. Feeding guests was an extension of faith, a pattern later reinforced by Torah.
Wild herbs and lentils appear in biblical scenes as well. Esau famously gave up his birthright for Jacob’s “red stew,” likely a lentil dish with bread—humble food now etched into theological memory. Olive oil and dates may have been used depending on region. Even without formal dietary laws, this era laid the foundation of ancient Jewish food culture: simple ingredients offered in sacred intent.
3. Life in Egypt (1700–1300 BCE)
In Egypt, ancient Jewish food adapted to a new environment. As the Israelites settled in the fertile Nile region, their diet shifted from pastoral simplicity to the agricultural abundance of empire. They remembered fondly “the fish… cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic” (Numbers 11:5), foods that became part of their cultural longing even after slavery. These ingredients became more than memories—they were markers of a lost rhythm of daily life.
Ancient Jewish food in Egypt was influenced by access and restriction. Wheat and barley were plentiful, and fish from the Nile—likely tilapia or catfish—was a staple. Garlic, legumes, lentils, and cucumbers featured prominently. Though embedded in Egyptian society, the Israelites likely avoided foods tied to idol worship or ritual impurity. This duality—adaptation without assimilation—characterized how food maintained cultural identity in captivity.
These years formed a nutritional memory the Israelites carried into the wilderness. Though there were no formal kosher laws yet, patterns of sacred eating were taking shape. Ancient Jewish food during this time reflected resilience: drawing from what was available, resisting what was forbidden, and remembering what had been shared at family tables in Goshen. That tension would define the journey to come.
4. Exodus & Wilderness (1300–1200 BCE)
During the Exodus, ancient Jewish food was reshaped by divine provision and national identity. As the Israelites fled Egypt, they carried unleavened bread—matzah—baked in haste and remembered forever as a symbol of deliverance. In the desert, food came directly from heaven. Manna appeared with the dew each morning, described as “like coriander seed, white, and tasting like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31).
Ancient Jewish food in this period was minimal yet miraculous. God sent quail to satisfy the people’s craving for meat, water flowed from rocks, and sweetened springs sustained the camps. Survival required faith, not farming. Gathering too much manna led to spoilage; gathering none meant hunger. Even preparation became sacred. The Sabbath restricted food collection and encouraged rest, anchoring diet in devotion.
This formative era codified the idea that eating was more than biological—it was theological. Passover became the first festival of food and memory, with roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and matzah eaten as a commandment. Ancient Jewish food took on new meaning: it was a sign of freedom, obedience, and faith. What had been daily routine became a ritual of remembrance.
5. Entering the Land (1200–1000 BCE)
After forty years in the wilderness, the Israelites entered a land described as “flowing with milk and honey.” This new agricultural chapter became a foundational era for ancient Jewish food. The land’s bounty—wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey—formed a sacred list known as the Seven Species. These ingredients shaped festivals, offerings, and daily meals, grounding food in covenant and calendar.
Ancient Jewish food in this period centered around field and family. Barley marked the spring harvest and was waved as a firstfruits offering in the Temple. Bread, whether from wheat or barley, was now homemade and holy. Figs and dates were dried into cakes, olives were pressed for oil, and wine became both celebration and symbolism. Laws required farmers to leave gleanings for the poor—food as justice, not just survival.
This era established ancient Jewish food as a system of rhythm and reverence. Eating was no longer a matter of availability, but of obedience. Seasonal harvests, Temple tithes, and agricultural blessings rooted food in faith. As the people grew their first crops in a promised land, they were also cultivating an enduring culinary identity—one still visible today on every Shabbat table.
6. United Monarchy (1000–930 BCE)
Under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, ancient Jewish food expanded alongside national prosperity. The Bible describes feasting at royal courts, where meat, wine, and oil were served in abundance. Solomon’s daily provisions included thirty oxen, a hundred sheep, and “deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl” (1 Kings 4:23). These lavish spreads were reserved for royalty, but they illustrate how food reflected status, covenant, and culture.
For everyday Israelites, ancient Jewish food remained rooted in staples like barley bread, lentils, dried fruits, and olive oil. Ceramic cooking pots allowed for slow-cooked stews, and communal ovens baked loaves that nourished both body and community. Salt from the Dead Sea preserved fish and meat, while wild herbs and spices enriched flavor. What emerged was a clear distinction between common meals and sacred feasts.
Archaeological finds at Tel Rehov and Khirbet Qeiyafa reveal large-scale storage of grain, oil, and wine—evidence that ancient Jewish food systems were becoming organized and institutional. These discoveries reflect a thriving society where agriculture, trade, and religious offerings all intersected. For more, see the Biblical Archaeology Society’s article on Iron Age food systems. Food wasn’t just nourishment—it was national infrastructure.
7. Divided Kingdom (930–722 BCE)
After Solomon’s reign, the kingdom split into Israel (north) and Judah (south), and ancient Jewish food began to reflect political and spiritual fragmentation. The northern kingdom often adopted foreign religious practices, including food rituals tied to Baal worship. Meanwhile, prophets like Elijah and Elisha performed miracles involving food—multiplying oil and grain or purifying stew—demonstrating divine provision in times of drought and crisis.
In Judah, efforts to preserve covenantal identity included a return to food laws and temple offerings. Bread, wine, olive oil, and animal sacrifices were part of ritual observance. Grains like spelt and barley remained staples, while dried dates and pressed figs provided portable energy for travel or war. Clay ovens, stone grinders, and communal wine presses uncovered in archaeological sites suggest that households played an active role in food production and storage.
Ancient Jewish food during this era became a boundary marker. Eating was no longer just agricultural—it was political and theological. Prophets condemned luxury in Samaria while calling for justice and righteousness, even in what was served at the table. As the kingdoms drifted apart, the food they shared remained one of the few unifying threads in a divided spiritual landscape.
8. Assyrian & Babylonian Exile (722–538 BCE)
The exile to Assyria and later Babylon disrupted daily life, worship, and diet. Displacement meant adapting to foreign markets, unfamiliar ingredients, and pagan food customs. Ancient Jewish food was now shaped by absence—absence of homeland, of Temple sacrifice, and of ritual purity. Maintaining dietary identity became both a challenge and a form of quiet resistance.
In Babylon, Jews encountered a rich culinary world: spiced stews, fermented grains, sesame oil, and abundant legumes. While some of these foods aligned with traditional staples, others posed conflicts—especially meat not slaughtered according to emerging kosher laws. The Book of Daniel offers a glimpse: Daniel and his companions refused the royal rations and ate only vegetables and water, choosing fidelity over flavor.
Ancient Jewish food in exile became a symbol of spiritual resilience. Without access to sacrificial systems, the home table became the new altar. Bread, beans, dates, and wine still connected families to memory and covenant. Even in foreign kitchens, food remained a language of faith—one that preserved identity across borders and generations. Exile refined the Jewish relationship with food into something portable, sacred, and deeply personal.
9. Persian Return (538–332 BCE)
The return from Babylonian exile under Persian rule marked a time of rebuilding—of the Temple, of Jerusalem, and of food culture. With religious freedoms restored, ancient Jewish food regained its sacred rhythm. Offerings resumed, harvest festivals were reestablished, and eating was once again tied to Torah observance rather than survival alone.
Ancient Jewish food during this era blended continuity with restoration. The rebuilt community focused on tithes, firstfruits, and the offerings outlined in Leviticus. Olive oil, wine, bread, and grain resumed their role in Temple life. Everyday meals reflected both agricultural simplicity and spiritual intention. Grains were ground fresh for daily baking, while figs and dates sweetened stews and flatbreads.
Nehemiah’s reforms extended into food ethics—ending exploitative grain taxes, mandating Sabbath rest, and urging purity in communal meals. Ancient Jewish food once again served as a covenant anchor. Eating in this period meant honoring the land, the law, and the long arc of return. Though Persian influences shaped regional cuisine, Jewish dietary life refocused around ancestral practices that had endured even in exile.
10. Hellenistic Judea (332–63 BCE)
The arrival of Alexander the Great brought Greek culture to Judea, sparking a collision between Hellenism and Jewish tradition. Public gymnasiums, idol feasts, and pork offerings posed deep challenges to religious identity. Ancient Jewish food became a frontline of resistance. Choosing what to eat—or not eat—became a daily decision with spiritual and political consequences.
Greek cuisine emphasized pork, shellfish, and mixed meat-milk dishes, all of which violated emerging kosher boundaries. Some Jews assimilated, while others pushed back. The Book of Maccabees details Jewish martyrs who chose death over defiling their bodies with forbidden foods. Ancient Jewish food, in this era, was no longer just symbolic—it was a statement of defiance.
At the same time, Jewish households retained core staples: bread, lentils, olives, wine, figs, and grains. Cooking techniques and spices may have evolved under Greek influence, but kosher laws became sharper and more widely practiced. Ancient Jewish food remained rooted in Torah, even as outside pressures intensified. In resisting culinary assimilation, the Jewish people preserved their covenant with every meal served.
11. Roman Judea (63 BCE–70 CE)
Roman occupation introduced new tensions and textures to ancient Jewish food culture. On one hand, access to Roman trade expanded the variety of available ingredients: imported spices, dried fish, garum (fermented fish sauce), and wines from across the empire. On the other, Jewish dietary laws clashed with Roman customs, especially in cities like Caesarea and Jerusalem, where non-kosher public banquets were common.
For observant Jews, ancient Jewish food during this period had to be both cautious and creative. Home kitchens emphasized kosher preparation—slaughtered meat, separate dairy, and no unclean animals. Ritual purity extended to utensils and vessels, which archaeologists have found in abundance at sites like Qumran and Jerusalem. Pottery shards and stone vessels suggest intense care in food handling as a way of staying ritually clean.
Daily fare included lentils, barley loaves, figs, pomegranates, olives, and wild herbs. Fish from the Sea of Galilee and salted meats were common, especially near the coast. The Gospels, though Christian in origin, reference real Jewish food customs of the time: breaking bread, sharing wine, preparing unleavened loaves, and honoring the Passover meal. Ancient Jewish food was deeply embedded in rhythm and ritual—even as Rome loomed in the background.
The destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE marked the end of this era—and the beginning of a new culinary identity shaped without sacrifices. Food would no longer be part of priestly rites; it would become central to the home, the table, and the survival of a dispersed people.
12. Diaspora Adaptations (70–500 CE)
With the Temple destroyed and Judea under Roman rule, Jews scattered across the Mediterranean and beyond. In the diaspora, ancient Jewish food underwent one of its most transformative periods—adapting to new geographies while preserving ancestral laws. Without the Temple’s offerings and pilgrim feasts, food became the centerpiece of home-based Judaism. Kitchens replaced altars. Recipes became rituals.
Across Babylon, Egypt, North Africa, and southern Europe, Jews encountered new ingredients: eggplants, citrus, rice, and saffron. But despite regional differences, ancient Jewish food retained its identity through strict adherence to kosher laws and holiday customs. The Sabbath table became a symbol of continuity—freshly baked challah (or regional equivalents), stews like tbit or dafina, and preserved fish or pickled vegetables created a portable food culture that could thrive in exile.
Rabbinic literature from this era offers insight into dietary debates: how to separate milk and meat, which oils were permitted, and whether one could consume food prepared by non-Jews. These discussions helped codify ancient Jewish food traditions that are still followed today. Food became theology in practice—an edible archive of a people determined to stay distinct, even when scattered. Whether in Persia or Spain, every bite was an act of remembrance.
13. Islamic Golden Age (500–1000 CE)
During the Islamic Golden Age, Jewish communities flourished under Muslim rule from Spain to Persia. Trade routes opened, science and medicine advanced, and food culture blossomed. For Jews, this meant new spices, ingredients, and preparation techniques—but also the continued safeguarding of dietary identity. Ancient Jewish food evolved, but never vanished.
Jews living in Baghdad, Cairo, or Córdoba adapted ancient Jewish food customs to incorporate local staples like chickpeas, lemons, rice, tahini, and herbs such as cilantro and mint. Dishes like hamin (a slow-cooked Sabbath stew) absorbed regional influence while adhering to kosher principles. Olive oil replaced animal fat in many communities, and sweet-and-savory flavor profiles became more common.
Rabbinic scholarship during this era clarified halachic rulings related to food, ensuring that even as the cuisine of Jews became more diverse, it remained grounded in Torah. Ancient Jewish food was no longer limited to the Levant—it became a global diaspora cuisine with deep local roots. In Islamic lands, Jews could engage with their neighbors’ food innovations while maintaining ritual boundaries. It was a period of rich culinary exchange, not erasure.
Ancient Jewish food in this age demonstrated a unique blend of continuity and creativity. Whether preparing lentils in North Africa or baking flatbreads in Andalusia, Jewish families passed down recipes seasoned with memory and law. In a multicultural world, food became a way to remain distinct and deeply connected—at the same time.
14. Medieval Europe & Ashkenazi Roots (1000–1500 CE)
As Jewish communities moved deeper into Europe, ancient Jewish food adapted to colder climates, limited ingredients, and increasing persecution. In regions like France, Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, access to fresh produce was seasonal, and dietary options narrowed. Yet Jewish culinary identity persisted, shaped by halachah and memory more than by abundance.
Ancient Jewish food in medieval Europe emphasized practicality and preservation. Pickled vegetables, fermented cabbage, salted fish, dried legumes, and hearty breads became staples. Sabbath stews like cholent emerged—cooked overnight to honor restrictions on fire while warming homes and souls during long winters. Eggs, onions, and goose fat often flavored these dishes, and recipes varied by region but remained tethered to ritual needs.
Anti-Jewish laws often restricted where Jews could live, what they could sell, or how they could buy kosher meat. In response, ancient Jewish food became deeply home-centered, with women as guardians of both recipes and religious observance. Holiday dishes—latkes, kreplach, kugels—evolved as creative adaptations of limited ingredients, often made to stretch leftovers or honor symbolic meanings.
Despite hardship, medieval Jewish kitchens preserved the essence of ancient Jewish food: sanctifying the ordinary, obeying dietary laws, and remembering the past through every bite. Even far from Jerusalem, each Friday’s bread and each holiday’s dish connected Ashkenazi Jews to their sacred origins.
15. Sephardic Resilience & Iberian Expulsion (1492–1700 CE)
The expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 triggered one of the most significant diasporas in Jewish history—and ancient Jewish food bore the weight of exile once again. Before the expulsion, Sephardic Jews had developed a refined cuisine that blended biblical traditions with Mediterranean abundance: eggplants, chickpeas, rice, lamb, citrus, cinnamon, and olive oil defined their Sabbath and holiday tables.
After 1492, ancient Jewish food traveled with refugees across the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, the Balkans, and beyond. Sephardic communities brought their recipes and rituals with them, adapting dishes to local ingredients while fiercely maintaining kosher practices. Stuffed vegetables, slow-cooked meats, and pastries like bourekas and pan de España remained staples. Even under duress, food remained a language of continuity.
In countries where Jews were forced to hide their identity—such as Portugal and parts of Italy—ancient Jewish food became covert. Some conversos cooked traditional Sabbath meals on Friday but kept them warm in hidden ovens to avoid suspicion. Others used specific spice blends or shapes to subtly mark their meals as Jewish. In every case, food became both an act of resilience and remembrance.
Despite persecution, Sephardic Jews preserved ancient Jewish food traditions through oral transmission, matrilineal teaching, and joyful celebration. Their recipes became passports of belonging—flavored with exile, faith, and unbroken memory.
16. Eastern Europe & the Shtetl Table (1700–1900 CE)
Life in the shtetl—small Jewish villages scattered across Eastern Europe—was marked by hardship, community, and deep-rooted traditions. While the environment was harsh and resources scarce, ancient Jewish food remained a source of dignity and spiritual sustenance. Meals were humble, but they carried centuries of memory and law in every spoonful.
The typical shtetl diet included black bread, potatoes, onions, buckwheat (kasha), and fermented cabbage. Pickling and preserving were essential skills, and wood-fired stoves were used to prepare slow-cooked dishes like cholent and kugel for Shabbat. Chicken soup with matzah balls became iconic not just for its taste, but for its symbolism: nourishment, comfort, and care.
Despite limited means, families made room for holiday delicacies—honey cake, gefilte fish, or stuffed cabbage—rooted in ancient Jewish food customs but adapted to the region’s climate and constraints. Torah study and prayer shaped daily rhythms, and food followed suit. Recipes passed down by grandmothers helped preserve a sense of holiness at the table, even in the face of oppression.
17. Modern Israel & Culinary Revival (1900–2000 CE)
With the birth of the modern Zionist movement and the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, ancient Jewish food experienced a dynamic revival. Immigrants from Yemen, Iraq, Poland, Morocco, Ethiopia, and dozens of other countries brought their culinary traditions to a shared homeland—creating a vibrant fusion grounded in ancient practice. Street food like falafel, shakshuka, and bourekas became symbols of unity and survival.
In the early decades, Israeli kitchens emphasized simplicity and necessity. Rationing (the tzena) shaped meals, but holidays and Shabbat still featured recipes rooted in ancient Jewish food. From Sephardic rice-stuffed vegetables to Ashkenazi noodle kugel, the Shabbat table became a mosaic of global Jewish identity, yet still grounded in biblical flavors: olives, figs, dates, grains, and wine.
Institutions like kibbutzim revived agricultural traditions described in the Torah—growing wheat, barley, and pomegranates in the same valleys once worked by prophets. Cookbooks and culinary schools began to archive family recipes, elevating ancient Jewish food to both national treasure and cultural inheritance. By the end of the century, Jewish cuisine was no longer bound by exile—it had come home and begun to flourish anew.
18. Global Jewish Cuisine Today (2000 CE–present)
In today’s kitchens, ancient Jewish food is more alive than ever—reimagined through global fusion, sustainability, and a renewed interest in ancestral roots. From Brooklyn to Tel Aviv, chefs and home cooks alike are reviving lost recipes, restoring forgotten grains, and exploring the deeper meanings behind what’s served at the table. Food festivals, YouTube channels, and kosher pop-ups bring together centuries of flavor in modern form.
Ancient Jewish food now appears on menus with a contemporary twist: matzah-crusted schnitzel, Yemenite hilbeh alongside roasted cauliflower, and Passover charoset truffles dusted with pistachio. Yet despite innovation, core values persist—honoring kashrut, preserving tradition, and linking meals to sacred memory. The Shabbat table, still anchored by challah and wine, continues to nourish not just bodies but identities.
Whether it’s Ethiopian dabo, Iraqi kubbeh, or a Sephardic fish chreime, ancient Jewish food remains a living thread in Jewish life. It transcends geography and denomination, reminding us that the act of eating is still a form of prayer, resistance, celebration, and connection. In every bite, past and present share the same plate.
To explore how food and faith continue to intertwine in daily life, don’t miss our deep dive into Powerful Food Blessings.
Reflection: More Than Meals—A Legacy Shared
Across time, kingdoms, and continents, ancient Jewish food has been more than sustenance. It has been memory made edible. In every lentil stew, Sabbath loaf, or holiday sweet, generations have passed down more than recipes—they’ve passed down resilience, belief, and belonging. Whether shaped by desert hardship, Roman rule, or modern revival, each era has flavored the next.
We don’t just inherit dishes—we inherit decisions. To keep kosher in exile, to bake in secret, to celebrate with joy despite scarcity—these choices define the soul of ancient Jewish food. It’s a tradition built not only from what was available, but from what was remembered and made sacred. It reminds us that eating can be an act of survival, identity, and holiness all at once.
Today, whether you’re lighting Shabbat candles in Jerusalem or simmering soup in Johannesburg, you’re part of a long, unbroken chain. Ancient Jewish food continues to nourish our present because it never stopped feeding our past.
Conclusion: A Timeless Table, Still Set
From Noah’s first vineyard to modern Israeli markets, the story of ancient Jewish food spans millennia—and still speaks to us today. It’s a legacy woven through soil and scripture, exile and return, scarcity and abundance. More than anything, it reminds us that food is never just food. It’s law, memory, celebration, and connection to God and community.
Ancient Jewish food is a story told in barley and olives, in Sabbath stews and holiday sweets. Each dish carries echoes of prophets and grandparents, of sacred altars and simple kitchens. What we eat shapes how we remember—and how we live. Even in the face of persecution, migration, and change, these foodways endured because they were never just cultural—they were covenantal.
Whether you’re learning to braid your first challah or reclaiming lost recipes from your family tree, you’re taking part in something ancient, beautiful, and alive. The table is still set. And the invitation, as always, is open.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ancient Jewish Food
1. What did ancient Jews eat on a daily basis?
Daily meals for ancient Jews typically included bread made from barley or wheat, olives, figs, dates, lentils, and occasionally fish or goat cheese. Meat was reserved for special occasions or sacrificial meals, while wine and water were common beverages. These ingredients formed the backbone of ancient Jewish food, reflecting the agricultural rhythms and religious values of life in the Holy Land.
2. What is considered the original ancient Jewish food?
The original ancient Jewish food likely consisted of ingredients native to the Levant, such as barley, grapes, olives, pomegranates, dates, figs, and lentils. These ingredients were the foundation of ancient Jewish food, as listed in the Torah among the seven species of the Promised Land. Bread and wine were central to daily life and worship, forming the core of both sustenance and sacrifice.
3. Did ancient Jews eat pork, and why was it forbidden?
Ancient Jews did not eat pork because it was explicitly forbidden in the Torah. According to Levitical law, pigs were considered unclean animals since they do not chew the cud, despite having split hooves. This dietary restriction became a key marker of identity, setting ancient Jewish food practices apart from neighboring cultures.
4. What did Jews eat during the Middle Ages?
In the Middle Ages, Jewish communities in Europe and the Middle East relied on local staples like black bread, beans, onions, pickled vegetables, and dried fish. Recipes adapted to regional climates but stayed rooted in kosher law and tradition. These medieval dishes were direct descendants of ancient Jewish food customs, preserved through oral tradition and ritual observance.
5. What two foods are never eaten together in ancient Jewish food laws?
According to kosher law, meat and dairy are never eaten together—a practice that originates in the Torah’s prohibition against boiling a kid goat in its mother’s milk. This separation is central to ancient Jewish food ethics and continues to shape Jewish culinary practices around the world.
6. Can Jews drink alcohol according to ancient tradition?
Alcohol, especially wine, was not only permitted but central to ancient Jewish food and ritual life. Wine was used in Temple offerings, Passover rituals, and Sabbath meals. While drunkenness was discouraged, moderate drinking in sacred contexts was both acceptable and meaningful.
