Ever wonder why it is nearly impossible to find kosher filet mignon? The answer is in this week’s Torah portion:
“Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him (Genesis 32:25-26).”
Jacob injured the area around his sciatic nerve (gid ha-nasheh) when this “man” wrestled him. Those of you who have issues with your sciatica know how painful it can be. Our tradition shaped this story into the practice of what parts of the animal we eat. To honor Jacob, we abstain from eating the sciatic nerve which is nestled in filet mignon. It can be difficult to extract the sciatic nerve and the area around it from the hindquarters. Ashkenazi butchers avoid it all together and only a few Sephardic butchers produce this rare cut of meat.
At first glance, it might seem strange to connect how we eat steak with the story of Jacob wrestling an angel, but Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook explained the link in such a beautiful way: “The prohibition of eating the gid ha-nasheh demonstrates that, while we may need to slaughter animals for our physical needs, we do not seek to subjugate others, whether man or beast. For this reason, we make great efforts to avoid eating the sciatic nerve - a nerve that allows the body to stand upright.[1]
Rabbi Kook offers that we may choose to eat meat, but that does not give us cart blanche to take away the dignity of the animal. There are limits to what we can demand, even when attending to our own needs. This practice asks us: How have we taken beyond what is necessary? Have we overextended ourselves? Have we taken too much from those around us?
In the story of Jacob, he is by himself. He sent his wives and children ahead of him to a brother that may be angry enough to kill him. It is as if the wrenching of his hip is to tell him that he has taken too much from others, including Esav, and impeded their ability to stand upright. May each of us be mindful of how we fill our needs. May we occasionally ask if we have gone too far and do something to correct it before there is permanent damage to the relationship, to the self, or to the other.
For more information on this cut of meat, check out this article.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Bernstein
[1] Kook, Abraham Isaac Kook. Otzerot HaRe’iyah, vol. 2. p. 507.
Are you the Bees Knees? The Cats Pajamas? Would you make a good mobster or his moll? Come find out as we turn the Merrick Campus into a rockin' Gin Joint for New Years Eve December 31, 8:30 PM Dinner and Dancing.
Our Alix Rubinger Kosher Food Pantry needs Increased membership contributions as well as ideas for other sources of income. We are now serving 15 to 20 families per week. While a lot of food is contributed to our pantry from supermarkets and other synagogues, it is still necessary to purchase needed food items.
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