MARCH 24 • 2022 | 43
SPIRIT
Spiritual Eating
A WORD OF TORAH
K
eeping kosher is a vital
part of Jewish life. The
word “kosher” comes
from the Hebrew word kasher,
meaning “fit” or “proper.
” And,
indeed, the term
itself has even
entered the gen-
eral vernacular.
When some-
thing is kosher,
it is considered
“above board”
and meets certain
required standards. As we shall
see, kosher is an entire world-
view — a philosophy on food,
and on life in general.
Before delving into the ideas
and philosophy behind kosher,
it’s important to acknowledge
two things. Firstly, the basis for
all mitzvot is that God com-
manded us to perform them.
With loyalty and commitment,
we dedicate our lives to fulfill-
ing His will, whether or not we
understand the true meaning
and significance of the com-
mandments.
While acknowledging that we
cannot truly probe the ultimate
Divine wisdom and motivation
behind the mitzvot, neverthe-
less, we are called on to do our
best to understand them so the
mitzvot can have a maximum
impact on who we are and have
a maximum transformative
impact on making us into better
people. This follows the philos-
ophy of the Ramban when it
comes to mitzvot, which he says
is about how the mitzvot trans-
form and make us into better
people.
Secondly, kosher encompass-
es a wide range of halachic prin-
ciples and applications, each
immensely detailed. There are
the laws governing which ani-
mals are kosher and which are
not, documented in this week’s
parshah, Shemini. There are the
laws governing how animals
are slaughtered and prepared
for consumption. There are the
laws governing the separation
of milk and meat. Each of these
aspects of kosher comprises its
own world of details and ideas
and meanings, and we can’t
possibly do justice to them in a
short discussion.
But, we can make a start. Let
us embark on a journey of dis-
covery. And perhaps, the best
place to begin is with our per-
spective on non-kosher food.
Is there something intrinsically
wrong with non-kosher food?
Is it simply unhealthy? Rav
Yitzchak Don Abarbarnel, one
of our great sages, argues force-
fully that kashrut has nothing to
do with health. He explains that
the Torah is a book of Divine
wisdom, not a health manual.
Furthermore, he says, there is
no indication that non-Jews
who eat non-kosher foods are
any less healthy than Jews, and
also, that there are a number of
unhealthy foods and even toxic
substances not even mentioned
in the Torah as being unkosher.
According to the Abarbarnel,
and many other sources, keep-
ing kosher is about spiritual
health. The Maharal of Prague
has a particular perspective
and maintains that this doesn’t
mean there is anything bad
intrinsically, whether spiritually
or physically, with non-kosher
food. Rabbi Azriel Chaim
Goldfein cites the halachic rul-
ing that if you have three indis-
tinguishable pieces of meat, two
Rabbi
Warren
Goldstein
continued on page 44