Shabbat Blast

From Cantor Joshua Kowitz

Dear CBO Families,

This week we read Parshat Shemini, and if you are a fan of barbeques, this Torah portion is for you! The Torah potion begins by describing what “took place after the seven days of Priestly ordination of Aaron and his sons.” (Etz Hayim 630). Rather than describing the ritual which deals with a lot of blood and animal body parts, I want to focus on what I find to be a much more fascinating topic in our parsha: Kashrut. Chapter 11 of the book of Vayikra (Leviticus)is one of the two parts of the Torah that deals with dietary laws; the other is found in Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 14.

Why does the Torah spend two chapters on what we can and cannot eat? Why is Kashrut so important? Why were the ancient Israelites so concerned with whether an animal had split hooves and chewed its cud? According to the article, 'Making Sense of Kosher Laws' by the Biblical Archeology Society staff, “One possible reason may be that the Israelites wanted some way to distinguish themselves from their non-Hebrew neighbors. Archaeological excavations of Iron Age I sites in Israel have shown that while pigs were a popular part of the Philistine diet, they were entirely absent from the herd-based economy of the Israelites. According to Ronald Hendel, such culinary distinctions soon became codified markers of cultural identity, whereby “the Philistine treat became an Israelite taboo.”* Perhaps similar efforts to affirm Israel’s uniqueness lay at the heart of other animal prohibitions.”

For most of my life I have always struggled to find meaning in Kashrut. As I have gotten older and during my time in cantorial school, I gained a new approach to it that helped me find greater meaning in the laws of keeping kosher. Kashrut for me is about slowing down and interacting with a higher power. Instead of just going to get fast food or order whatever I want at a restaurant, I am forced to think about what I can eat that fits with the dietary laws of Kashrut. This process of slowing down makes me think more of where my food came from, how it got there, and allows me to be grateful to G-d for it. By saying a blessing before and after I eat, I am transforming a mundane activity into a holy ritual that brings me closer to G-d. 
Whether you find meaning in keeping kosher or not, I urge you to explore and learn more about the ritual to see why there is so much stress and meaning put on it. All of these rituals are there to bring us closer together with G-d and our Jewish community.
 
Wishing you all a lovely Shabbat,
 
Cantor Kowitz 

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