Shmini(Leviticus 9-11)

The Case for Kashrut

Arguments for keeping kosher are many. Some say that a kosher diet aids in self discipline. Others say it elevates the act of eating into something "holy." These reasons may be valid, but they don't adequately explain why we should or shouldn't eat specific foods. Wouldn't Kashrut be just as meaningful if pork was Kosher and chicken soup was non-Kosher?

The question of why chicken and lamb is Kosher - and pork is not - is difficult to answer. Why? Because to find Kashrut meaningful, one has to believe in a God Who "knows" this world and cares to reveal its secrets to us. Kashrut then becomes a real way to enhance the quality of our existence. Believing in a God who tells us which foods are spiritually best for us is like trusting the doctor who prescribes healthy foods or the proper medications.

So let's say you don't believe in God. Then from a pragmatic viewpoint, you have to measure Judaism's credibility just as you would look to a doctor's reputation to determine whether his advice should be followed.

Does the Torah have credibility? The Torah that commanded "Love your neighbor" "Justice for all", "All men are created equal" and "Peace - not war" - that's the same Torah that asks us to keep kosher. This Torah was far ahead of its time and has an amazing track record for revealing universal truths of human existence. It is surely consistent in telling us about Kashrut.

The Torah consistently explains meaningful steps in human development. And it does so without any kind of personal or political bias.It helps the poor and limits the king. It warns the judge and chastises the rich. It exhorts us not to exploit the orphan or embarrass the oppressed. Therefore, what motive would the Torah have in warning us about which foods are good for us? Why would it write of animals that it knows nothing about, just to forbid them for no real meaningful reason, when everything else it tells us to do is shown to have real depth and purpose?

It is particularly logical to follow the Torah's advice in the realm of spirituality. After all, it is this very area that the Torah is superior and we often admit ignorance! If a healthy soul is at least as important to you as a healthy body, then the case for Kashrut is at least as valid as the case for cutting down on salt, sugar and saturated fats.

If a certain food was physically harmful, we could easily agree that it should be forbidden. But the Torah is not a medical digest. If the Torah tells us not to eat certain foods, the reasons are primarily because these foods are spiritually unhealthy. Such a concept is difficult to explain because, in our time, spirituality is generally elusive.

However, there are some general concepts we can appreciate. The great Torah commentator, the Akeidah, explains that a national diet translates into certain observable characteristics. For example, in this week's Parsha, the Jewish People are enjoined to be holy. When we think of holiness, pictures of serenity often come to mind. But few people have any guidelines for actually achieving holiness. The Torah tells us that the Jewish people have a national character and that character is enhanced and developed through the food we eat.

Living a life in which the food we eat is prescribed by God and a Torah that proclaims this a diet of a holy people, is surely going to affect our psyche and change our physical sensitivities.

When one consistently eats healthily, often it is only late in life that one comes to appreciate the cumulative affects of a good diet. And perhaps one can never really appreciate how he or she would have turned out with a different, less healthy diet.

Kashrut is very similar. Can a person ever really appreciate how his sensitivities are affected through eating animals killed in the humane manner which Kashrut requires? Who knows how he would otherwise turn out to be?

It's no secret that we Jews have instinctively always placed tremendous importance on food. Could this be an unconscious understanding of the importance of Kashrut?

BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Question 1: What if you were going out to dinner and had the choice of two restaurants - one Kosher and the other not Kosher. Both have exactly the same food and atmosphere, except that the Kosher restaurant is more expensive. Which would you choose and why?

Question 2: If science declared that eating Kosher would significantly improve the longevity and quality of your life, how much evidence would you need to change your eating habits?