Torah Portion
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Meaningful Considerations
On What To Eat
Our consumption, our intake of nour-
ishing bits of the world into our bodies
should not mock nature.
So, the next time you decide to eat
veal (acceptable in the Torah even if
problematic in our day) you may want
to consider whether to order it
Parmesan, that is with cheese. Do not
\ RABBI ROBERT D. I.EVY
consider ordering the chicken Parmesan
Special to The Jewish News
either.
As any keeper of kashrut can tell you,
eviticus chapter 11 is con-
chicken
is meat. "Ridiculous," responds
cerned with the clean and
the
careful
reader of the text. Chickens
unclean of kashrut. It begins
neither
chew
or don't chew cud, nor do
with a description of accept-
they
have
feet
which lend or do not
able forms of meat or rather with a list
lend
themselves
to clovenness. They are
of animals from which acceptable meat
birds
and
have
their
own rules of
is taken.
kashrut.
\
Animals must pass two
Sometimes rules matter less
well-known tests in order to
than
appearances. Would we
be permissable for Jewish
want
non-Jews to think that
consumption. First, they
we
were
breaking our own
must have cloven hooves.
laws?
We
certainly would not
Second, they must chew cud
want
to
become
accidentally
(that they must spit up their
confused
ourselves
over just
food for further chewing).
what
we
or
our
neighbors
Both tests must be met; one
served for dinner. Chicken and
is not enough.
fowl friends look like meat.
The Torah thoughtfully
Very
early in the rabbibnic
RABBI RO BERT
gives examples of these
process
of defining the full
D. LE VY
acceptable animals. Camels
blown
rules
of kashrut, fowl
and rabbits chew the cud,
Special to The
was
added
to
the meat category
but do not have correct feet
Jewish News
for
the
purposes
of milk and
and may not be eaten. Pigs
meat
separation.
This
is a fence
have the feet, but do not
of
protection
around
the
law.
chew the cud; and, of course, are the
So, next time consider the egg-
number one all time forbidden food. (A
plant.
❑
Midrash tells us that pigs stand with
h one foot forward as if to say, "Hey, I'm
really kosher.")
Notice that the description of meat
here refers only to the flesh of mam-
mals. Mammals are the only animals
Congregation B'nai Moshe will honor
which have the option of being footed
Ernest
and Dorothy
in a cloven or uncloven manner and
Curtis,
the congre-
have the option of chewing their cud.
gation's
1998 JTS
Indeed, the Torah will deal separately
award
recipients,
with birds, insects and seafood.
) Now let's combine this description of during Shabbat ser-
vices on Saturday,
acceptable and unacceptable meats with
April 25.
another well-known law of kashrut.
Ernest Curtis is
Torah forbids the eating of a kid with its
the
president of
own mother's milk. The rabbis noticed
Manchester
Steel
the small probability of this actually
Corporation,
a com- The Curtises
happening and extended the law to
pany
which
he
include eating of all mammal meat with
founded in 1974.
any milk.
He is a past president of the B'nai B'rith
This law or its extension is never
Ivan S. Bloch Lodge and has served as a
-'explained, but the "poetic reasoning" of
member and officer on the board of
its message appeals strongly to me.
Congregation B'nai Moshe. He is a vice
Somehow eating the meat of a mammal
president
for the Israel Cancer
with milk which serves the function of •
Association,
Michigan branch. Ernest
sustaining infant mammal life stands
and
Dorothy
Curtis were honored by
against the natural flow of the universe.
the Israel Cancer Association in 1993.
Robert D. Levy is rabbi of Temple
Dorothy Curtis worked in a
Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor.
Michigan insurance company for 20
Shabbat Shemini:
Leviticus 9:1-11:47; I
Samuel 20:18-42.
L
JTS Honors
Mr. and Mrs. Curtis
Joe SUMMER TRAVEL
JEWISH SPAIN
June 3-18,1998
*Informational Meeting
Monday, April 27 • 7:00 p.m. • D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
ALASKAN ADVENTURE
July 20-ZZ 1998
(cruise Only) or
July 10-19,1998
(With a two day Vancouver Extension)
*Informational Meeting
Monday, May 4 • 7:00 p.m. • D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
For additional Travel information,
please call Marilyn Wolfe at (248) 661-7649.
CC
/244.,,,I
r■•■.■ .f
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
I
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building • 6600 West Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI 48322
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4/24
1998
71