Temple Bat Yam
Newsletter April 2010
Rabbi Susan Warshaw
KEEPING KOSHER
Dietary laws loom large in traditional Jewish life. What we put into our mouths and how we do it has been important to Jews for thousands of years. The body of Jewish law which deals with what foods we eat and cannot eat and how these foods are prepared is called kashrut. The word kashrut comes from the Hebrew root which means “fit, proper, or correct.” We derive the word “kosher” from this same root; kosher foods are those which, according to Jewish law, are fit and proper for us to eat. In English the word kosher has entered our common vocabulary, meaning something that is proper, legitimate, genuine, fair or acceptable.
You may be asking yourself, where do the laws of kashrut come from, and why would Jews observe them? Many of the basic laws of kashrut derive from the Torah, and are elaborated in the Talmud and other treatises. The Torah does not explicitly state the reason for kashrut laws, and there has been much speculation as to the reason for these laws. Many modern Jews think that the laws of kashrut are simply primitive health regulations that have become obsolete with modern methods of food preparation. However, although eating kosher can be healthy, these laws most probably originally had nothing to do with health. Others believe that the laws of kashrut were developed to separate the Israelites from surrounding cultures. After all, one way of keeping a daughter from marrying outside of the group was to make it impossible for her to eat together with young men from other cultures.
Perhaps the most compelling reason for the laws of kashrut is that they are connected with holiness. In his book To Be a Jew Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin suggests that dietary laws are designed as a call to holiness. The ability to distinguish right from wrong, good and evil, the sacred and the profane, is very important in Judaism. Imposing rules on what you can and cannot eat, Rabbi Donin suggests, ingrains a kind of self-control that helps us learn to control even our most basic, primal instincts. Rabbi Donin also points out that when we observe the rules of kashrut, every bite of food we put into our mouths reminds us that we are Jews.
Although the details of keeping kosher are extensive, the laws all derive from a few straightforward rules: certain animals may not be eaten at all; the animals that may be eaten (mammals that both chew their cud and have cloven hooves are kosher—hence not pig because pigs do not chew their cud) are to be killed in accordance with Jewish law. Fruits and vegetables are kosher. Meat and dairy cannot be eaten together (this law derives from a passage in the Torah which tells us not to “boil a kid in its mother’s milk”). Fish (which must have fins and scales to be kosher—hence no shellfish), eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy.
The Temple Bat Yam board has recently voted to institute a kosher policy at events within the Temple. At Temple Bat Yam our congregants come from different backgrounds and levels of observance. It is my belief that this is what makes us a strong and vibrant community. We come together as Jews to pray, to learn and, of course, to eat. Historically, kashrut was one way that Jews from many cultures connected to each other. In fact the word “companionship” comes from the Latin “com,” with, and “panis,” bread. Literally our companions, our community, are those with whom we share food.
When we eat together, when we share bread together as Jews, it is important that we do so in a Jewish manner. Just as we say the motzi together, and bless the wine, so should we, while we are at the Temple, eat food that can be shared by all Jews and that reminds us that we are all Jews. Therefore at Temple functions we will not mix meat and dairy together. Functions will be “advertised” as either milk or meat (and remember that according to laws of kashrut fish can be eaten with either dairy or meat—-so for example if we have a dairy meal you can still bring tuna fish or salmon). There will also be no pig or shellfish products at Temple functions.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns about this new Temple Bat Yam policy. Keeping or not keeping kosher can be a divisive question among Jews. But when we have policy for all Jews at our Temple, we open up the possibility of growing as a community, of celebrating and struggling together. When we figure out how to break bread together, we open up the possibility of true companionship, and we connect to Jews of all backgrounds and beliefs.
