Well Pesach is now finished. Pesach dishes have been packed and put back into the Pesach closet. Chameitz dishes have been returned to the cabinets. The pantry was restocked with chameitz. We have already had pasta. In my last trip down to our basement, I was bringing some of the chameitz from our basement refrigerator to our kitchen refrigerator. I happened to see one of the Costco egg cartons that hold 30 eggs. It turns out we still have about one dozen eggs left from Pesach. My wife thinks that she used approximately 250 eggs. 250 eggs is a lot of cholesterol. In fact, as I was putting all the Pesach stuff away and started eating chameitz, I realize that Pesach might not be the holiday with the healthiest traditional holiday foods. The vast amount of cholesterol that we consumed reminded me of some of the narishkeit that I learned in Hebrew School. Specifically, I vividly remember being no older than 8 years old and a grandmotherly looking Hebrew school instructor teaching us the biggest “meiser” about Kashrut. When we asked her why do Jews keep kosher, she explained that Bnai Yisroel were so smart and so advanced that they understood Kashrut was for health reasons; and that pork cause trichinosis and that shellfish caused other types of health problems. When I think about that answer, that teacher, and when I listen to people of my generation share their negative Jewish Educational experiences, I understand why so many of us are committed to giving our children positive and meaningful Jewish experiences based upon text and thought as opposed to narishkeit and meisers.
This week’s Parsha is Shemini. It is comprised of three chapters. The first chapter tells us how sacrificial offering are supposed to work. While receiving instructions from Moshe, Aharon, his brother and the High Priest, makes sacrificial offerings on behalf of the people. Following every instruction down to the smallest detail, and remaining in the highest state of spiritual purity, Aharon slaughters the animal, sprinkles the blood, and burns the animal. Once finished, Moshe and Aharon leave the Mishkan, and come out to bless the people. V’yeirah Kavod Adonai El Kol Ha’Am-“And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people” (Lev 9:23) Obviously we can see how sacrifices are supposed to work. We see how god’s pleasure is displayed and the people response to witness such glory. They bow their heads. This chapter essentially explains God’s response to the sacrifices. When everything is appropriate and in the proper spirit, God accepts our approach. The second chapter concentrates much more upon the priests and what happens when things are not appropriate or not conducted in the proper spirit. Aharon’s eldest sons die for their inappropriate approach toward God. Moshe reminds Aharon and his remaining sons that one must be physically and spiritually pure when offering sacrifices both on their own behalf and on B’nai Yisroel’s behalf. However what do either of these chapters half to do with Kashrut?
The discussion of Kashrut is confined to the last chapter of the Parshah, chapter 11. In it we read a list of animals that we are forbidden to eat. Some of which I probably would not eat even if it was kosher. However the answer to why we keep kosher is provided “For I am Adonai your God-you are to sanctify yourselves and you shall become holy; and you shall not contaminate yourselves…For I am Adonai who elevates you from the land of Egypt to be a God unto; you shall be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the animal, the bird, every living creature that swarms in the water, and for every creature that teems on the ground; to distinguish between the impure and the pure, and between the creature that may be eaten and the creature that may not be eaten.” Kashrut is merely a physical expression of our purity. God accepts offerings of all kinds. Priests purify themselves in order to make offerings acceptable to God. What about the rest of us? What everyday activity do we engage in which allows us to demonstrate our sense of purity and our own sense of holiness? We eat. The priest engages in a very physical process, slaughters animals, sprinkles blood, and burns the carcass. This is an extremely dirty, smelly endeavor, and when done accordingly it is received by God. The physical and the spiritual are inseparable. The priest approaches God through a very physical process.
We also have an opportunity to approach God in a very physical and daily process. We remind ourselves everyday of our own sense of holiness and our relationship to God through Kashrut. It is important that we remind ourselves of the premise. B’nai Yisroel yearns to have God dwell among it.
They built a Mishkan, they live according to laws which guide them in appropriate behavior with members of the community. The Mishkan and the laws of behavior take care of the community’s relationship to God and the community’s relationship to each other. However the laws of Kashrut permit the individual within the community to approach God on a strictly individual basis.
How wonderful! Parshah Shemini teaches that we all have a means to approach God. Priests make sacrifices, and the rest of us eat. By engaging in such physical activity in a manner that consists of limits to that physical activity, we remind ourselves of our relationship to God. In a way, I suppose my teacher was right. We do keep kosher for health reasons. However not the type of health reasons she was talking about. We keep kosher for our spiritual health. We keep kosher to remind us of our relationship with God. We keep kosher to remind us that just as God is holy, so too are we holy.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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