Re’eh
Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17
Précis: Moses begins by quoting God, saying “Behold (re’eh) I set before you a blessing and a curse this day.” The outcome will depend on whether or not the people obey the commandments. A concern with idolatry permeates the ensuing verses. The parasha explains that there will be only one site for sacrifices. A test for a false prophet and the punishment of an idolatrous city are included. The parasha then shifts to other subjects: the prohibition against self-mutilation, the biblical basis of the laws of kashrut, tithing so that the Levite, the "stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” are taken care of. Remission of debts, freeing of Hebrew slaves, and the dedication of firstborn cattle are discussed, as are the commandments for the observance of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.
Deuteronomy 14:2-3 - “For you are a people consecrated to Adonai, your God; your God chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be a treasured people. You shall not eat anything abhorrent.”
This parasha deals extensively with laws of kashrut. (Interestingly, it is linked to the concept of the Chosen People....but that is a d'var for another week!)
In looking at the development of Jewish law and custom regarding kashrut, we know that for traditional Jews, “keeping kosher” is not a choice but a commandment from God. Others may observe kashrut from a sense of tradition or sense of obligation (to faith or family members), a desire to identify with the Jewish People, or even for health reasons (although this last has been pretty well discounted as scientifically inaccurate). Others observe kashrut because it promotes a sense of kedushah (holiness) in their lives.
Over time, it appears to be the case that details of kashrut have changed. It's unlikely that our current customs regarding separation of milk and meat, dishes, kashering, etc., have always been with us. After all, there is biblical evidence for the eating of milk and meat at the same meal. So it has been a development over time, and over regions (note, for example, differences between Sephardim and Ashkenazim about items permissible on Passover.)
Within the last few years, the Conservative Movement has initiated a program called “Hechsher Tzedek” – the "seal of righteousness." It is intended to bring to our eating choices consideration of how animals are treated during their raising and slaughter; whether the companies involved treat the animals humanely and their employees fairly and equitably; and whether these firms observe laws and regulations concerning health, safety, and environmental concerns.
The Hechsher Tzedek began even before the scandal of Agriprocessors, a Jewish slaughterhouse and meat packing company located in Iowa which became America’s largest source of kosher meat. The company and its management were found guilty of scores of violations of health, safety, environmental, wage and hour, and child labor laws, although these issues remain in litigation. The Orthodox Union (the "OU," which among its functions includes a kashrut certifying branch) threatened to revoke the “hashkacha” (certificate of kashrut) unless the management of the company changed. This happened, but the company, under the weight of civil and criminal charges, nevertheless was forced into reorganization.
This case brought focus to the question of whether kashrut certifying authorities should take into consideration violations of state and federal law in their determinations of whether or not the company merits their hashkacha. As Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, of Ohev Sholom in the District of Columbia (an Orthodox congregation) noted, how can we trust the kashrut of a company which lies to state and federal authorities?
The laws of kashrut were adopted to provide for sanctity (kedushah) in slaughtering requirements. Over the centuries, rabbinic decisions and explanations of kashrut changed with the time, place and circumstances of the Jewish people’s lives. Living as we do in a 21st century society where we have come to appreciate a wide range of regulations (many of which fit well within the Jewish concept of tikkun olam) it is certainly consistent with our tradition for us to consider expanding the concept of “kashrut” to make sure that the farms and slaughterhouses which supply our kosher products do so in a way consistent with all of our values.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Consequences of Covenant?
Ekev
Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25
Précis: Moses continues his recapitulation of the commandments to the people, reminding them to be obedient to God’s laws in their forthcoming struggle with the Canaanites. Moses describes in detail all of the blessings which God had already provided them, and reminds them to bless and thank God for the bounty they receive. On the other hand, they should learn the lesson of rebelliousness of their fathers, including the incident of the Golden Calf. Moses reminds the people that he brought down a second set of tablets, which require their continued obedience to God.
Deuteronomy 7:14 “You shall be blessed above all other peoples….”
This verse explains that if the people carefully obey God’s rules, He will faithfully maintain the covenant, and that the people will be blessed. The Hebrew phrase “baruch ti’hiyeh mikol ha-amim” which we translate here as “you shall be blessed above all other peoples” can also be read to mean “you will be blessed by all the other peoples.” Etz Hayim, citing Deut. Rabbah 3:6, notes that as a reward for Israel’s way of life, other nations will admire and praise Israel.
While the authors of this relatively late addition to Rabbinic Literature (some suggest that the commentary was written in the 9th century of the Common Era) often had incredibly prescient observations to draw from the texts they were explicating, I submit that in this particular midrash, they had it wrong: wrong when written, wrong explaining the past, and wrong predicting the future.
As we review the long and tortured history of the Jewish people, there have been only a few very rare times when we have been blessed either “above” or “by” other peoples. A traditional point of view is that the Jewish People have suffered because we have failed to live up to our part of the bargain. The rabbis write that the Temple was destroyed and the Great Diaspora began because of baseless hatred among Jews – an obvious failure to live the kind of life demanded by God’s law.
This line of thought that our suffering results from a failure to follow the commandments has been carried to awful and hateful extremes. Indeed, some Jewish fundamentalists “explain” the horror of the Holocaust as resulting from the Jew’s failure to abide by God’s laws in general – and even for their adherence to Reform, Conservative or Progressive modes of Jewish expression!
There can be no doubt about the historical facts. While there have been periods of toleration by the various “host nations” in our history, our memories are chock full of pogroms, forced conversions, and expulsions. It has been said that when Albert Einstein was asked what the result would be if his theory of relativity was proven correct, he remarked that the Germans would call him a German, and the French would call him a citizen of the world. If his theory proved false, the French would call him a German, and the Germans would call him a Jew. The greatest mind of the past century fully understood how Jews were neither blessed by nor held above other peoples.
To me, as we look around the world today, it is a cause of continual amazement that Jews are still persecuted in much of the world, are blamed for the ills which all of humanity face, and are indeed the only people who must continually fights for a “right to exist.” No one seems to doubt that Lichtenstein, or Malta, or Monaco, or Palau has a “right to exist.” But questions continue to be raised regarding Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. There is no doubt that efforts to delegitimize Israel are just the newest and latest form of Anti-Semitism.
So whether we are to be blessed “above” all other peoples, or “by” all other peoples, the fact remains that there is much work to be done. All of us are obligated to rebut any and all attacks on the legitimacy of Israel, the Jewish State. We may (and perhaps at times should) disagree with some tactical decisions made by any particular Israeli Government, but that can never interfere with our defense of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State. “Am Yisrael Chai.”
Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25
Précis: Moses continues his recapitulation of the commandments to the people, reminding them to be obedient to God’s laws in their forthcoming struggle with the Canaanites. Moses describes in detail all of the blessings which God had already provided them, and reminds them to bless and thank God for the bounty they receive. On the other hand, they should learn the lesson of rebelliousness of their fathers, including the incident of the Golden Calf. Moses reminds the people that he brought down a second set of tablets, which require their continued obedience to God.
Deuteronomy 7:14 “You shall be blessed above all other peoples….”
This verse explains that if the people carefully obey God’s rules, He will faithfully maintain the covenant, and that the people will be blessed. The Hebrew phrase “baruch ti’hiyeh mikol ha-amim” which we translate here as “you shall be blessed above all other peoples” can also be read to mean “you will be blessed by all the other peoples.” Etz Hayim, citing Deut. Rabbah 3:6, notes that as a reward for Israel’s way of life, other nations will admire and praise Israel.
While the authors of this relatively late addition to Rabbinic Literature (some suggest that the commentary was written in the 9th century of the Common Era) often had incredibly prescient observations to draw from the texts they were explicating, I submit that in this particular midrash, they had it wrong: wrong when written, wrong explaining the past, and wrong predicting the future.
As we review the long and tortured history of the Jewish people, there have been only a few very rare times when we have been blessed either “above” or “by” other peoples. A traditional point of view is that the Jewish People have suffered because we have failed to live up to our part of the bargain. The rabbis write that the Temple was destroyed and the Great Diaspora began because of baseless hatred among Jews – an obvious failure to live the kind of life demanded by God’s law.
This line of thought that our suffering results from a failure to follow the commandments has been carried to awful and hateful extremes. Indeed, some Jewish fundamentalists “explain” the horror of the Holocaust as resulting from the Jew’s failure to abide by God’s laws in general – and even for their adherence to Reform, Conservative or Progressive modes of Jewish expression!
There can be no doubt about the historical facts. While there have been periods of toleration by the various “host nations” in our history, our memories are chock full of pogroms, forced conversions, and expulsions. It has been said that when Albert Einstein was asked what the result would be if his theory of relativity was proven correct, he remarked that the Germans would call him a German, and the French would call him a citizen of the world. If his theory proved false, the French would call him a German, and the Germans would call him a Jew. The greatest mind of the past century fully understood how Jews were neither blessed by nor held above other peoples.
To me, as we look around the world today, it is a cause of continual amazement that Jews are still persecuted in much of the world, are blamed for the ills which all of humanity face, and are indeed the only people who must continually fights for a “right to exist.” No one seems to doubt that Lichtenstein, or Malta, or Monaco, or Palau has a “right to exist.” But questions continue to be raised regarding Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. There is no doubt that efforts to delegitimize Israel are just the newest and latest form of Anti-Semitism.
So whether we are to be blessed “above” all other peoples, or “by” all other peoples, the fact remains that there is much work to be done. All of us are obligated to rebut any and all attacks on the legitimacy of Israel, the Jewish State. We may (and perhaps at times should) disagree with some tactical decisions made by any particular Israeli Government, but that can never interfere with our defense of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State. “Am Yisrael Chai.”
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