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Our Rabbi's Message
March 28th 2008
By Rabbi Aaron KriegelThis sedra is about Kasruth, which seems to be the holy grail of the Jewish religion. Most people who are not religious know what Shabbat is, even if they do not observe Shabbat. Many know what Yom Kippur is, even if they do not fast on Yom Kippur, but everyone Jewish is to some extent kosher.
There are Jews who eat pork and bacon and ham. There are Jews who cannot wait for a little calamari, and many go for their fix of Chinese food on Friday Night. Some have bread at their Seder meals and most never look for kosher wine.
However, every Jew that I know has a place in their heart for something that they call kosher food. It may be a hot dog from Nathans (not kosher). Perhaps it is a corn beef sandwich from the Tick Tock Diner (not kosher). Or maybe it is hammentashen on Purim or latkes on Chanukah. Perhaps it is a loaf of rye bread or taste of pickled herring. Every Jew has a food that reminds him of "kosher."
You may look at some of those foods as culturally Jewish. Sometimes the foods might only remind one of a home someplace lost in Europe. Often what people believe is kosher has no religious connection at all. However those kosher or pseudo kosher foods do tie many not only to tardyon, but also to other Jews and also to Israel.
There are many good reasons for one to be kosher, and I shall speak about them this week end, but any reason that keeps one a part of his or her people is a good reason in itself. So if a bagel or a bialy is your 'cup of tea', enjoy it and stay with the community.
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