Re: Reasons for Kashruth (WAS Re: Bar Mitzvah Sins?)
- From: moshes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 07:18:05 +0000 (UTC)
"Dan Kimmel" <daniel.kimmel@xxxxxxx> writes:
> "Rafael" <jmalfatto@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>
>> Like I said, there are reasons to avoid (or cut down on) shrimp (or
>> shellfish, in general) consumption, such as those pertaining to health and
>> ecology, and those may apply to Jews as well as to anyone else.
>>
>> But the fact that there's a traditional taboo (or superstition) against
>> shellfish is not, IMO, a particularly compelling reason, and I don't blame
>> any Jew who passes on its observance.
>
> Well, I don't think it's merely a "taboo" and certainly not a
> "superstition." Personally I find some of the extreme stringencies some
> of the participants here practice to be silly beyond words, no matter how
> many sources they use to back it up, but let's talk about the overall
> philosophy rather than the particulars.
>
> By choosing not to eat shrimp and lobster and pork (admittedly a "de
> minimis" interpretation of kashruth) one is making a conscious decision to
> be Jewish, and to separate one's self from the rest of the population. It's
> not saying we're better or superior, but it is saying we are *different*.
> It's part of a mind set that ought to lead to other observances, whether
> it's keeping Shabbat or taking Jewish ethical standards seriously (or both),
> or other choices/opportunities we have to live Jewishly.
>
> Judaism is a way of life, and ought not to be just for Friday
> nights/Saturday mornings, or Rosh Hashonah/Yom Kippur, or going to the
> relatives for a seder. It's something that ought to be in the forefront of
> our minds, not an afterthought. Accommodating the dietary laws -- however
> much each individual is able or chooses to do -- is a way of doing that.
> You have to make choices as a Jew constantly, not just in the synagogue, and
> that includes when you sit down to eat.
Well said. I espescially like that line "Judaism is a way of life,".
I wonder what Giora thinks of that.
Moshe Schorr
It is a tremendous Mitzvah to always be happy! - Reb Nachman of Breslov
The home and family are the center of Judaism, *not* the synagogue.
Disclaimer: Nothing here necessarily reflects the opinion of Hebrew University
.
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