LEVITICUS 9:1-11:47
A few years ago I overheard an amusing conversation
at a social event. It went more or less like this:
A: “Eat the salad, it's not fattening, it's only lettuce.”
B: “Yes, but it is from [here a politically controversial area was mentioned].”
C. “Right, this lettuce is ideologically wrong.”
A: “Why? I always try to buy lettuce from [the controversial area].”
D: “Oh, forget politics. The important thing is that no bugs are ever found in this lettuce.”
B: “I prefer the bugs to all the chemicals used to kill them.”
C: “Not only that, it’s also much more expensive.”
This casual conversation is informative. It teaches that considerations about what and how we should eat are complex and sometimes contradictory, and that ideological, economical, aesthetic, health-related, and many other issues have to be taken into account. We Jews call this kashrut.
In Parashat Sh’mini, Chapter 11, we find the first full formulation of the laws of kashrut. First the laws regarding “land animals” are specified, then laws governing “all that are in the waters.” Regarding poultry, the Torah then provides a list of non-kosher birds and prohibits the consumption of “every swarming thing.” These laws of kashrut have remained more or less the same today, though they have expanded greatly through the ages.
In the State of Israel in recent years, we are witnessing an ever-growing stringency in the application of the laws of kashrut regarding its ritualistic, technical aspects. But it seems in many circles, there is less and less interest in the profound sense of kashrut. Many friends and relatives can no longer dine together, not because of questions about kashrut but because questions regarding hechsherim (kashrut certificates).
Continue reading.
A: “Eat the salad, it's not fattening, it's only lettuce.”
B: “Yes, but it is from [here a politically controversial area was mentioned].”
C. “Right, this lettuce is ideologically wrong.”
A: “Why? I always try to buy lettuce from [the controversial area].”
D: “Oh, forget politics. The important thing is that no bugs are ever found in this lettuce.”
B: “I prefer the bugs to all the chemicals used to kill them.”
C: “Not only that, it’s also much more expensive.”
This casual conversation is informative. It teaches that considerations about what and how we should eat are complex and sometimes contradictory, and that ideological, economical, aesthetic, health-related, and many other issues have to be taken into account. We Jews call this kashrut.
In Parashat Sh’mini, Chapter 11, we find the first full formulation of the laws of kashrut. First the laws regarding “land animals” are specified, then laws governing “all that are in the waters.” Regarding poultry, the Torah then provides a list of non-kosher birds and prohibits the consumption of “every swarming thing.” These laws of kashrut have remained more or less the same today, though they have expanded greatly through the ages.
In the State of Israel in recent years, we are witnessing an ever-growing stringency in the application of the laws of kashrut regarding its ritualistic, technical aspects. But it seems in many circles, there is less and less interest in the profound sense of kashrut. Many friends and relatives can no longer dine together, not because of questions about kashrut but because questions regarding hechsherim (kashrut certificates).
Continue reading.
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