Kosher, Part II: Beyond the “No’s” or Why Should I Care if My Grasshopper is Sustainably Farmed?

So, what does Judaism bring to food and eating beyond the “no’s” – no shellfish, no pork, no cheeseburgers . . . ?  It brings a level of ethics that I personally feel is missing in today’s industrialized food production.  Judaism values not just what you eat and how it was killed, but how it … Continue reading →

shhhh . . . I’m religious . . .

What’s that now?  You say Reform Jews are not Orthodox?  That’s true . . . I didn’t say Orthodox.  I said “religious“. Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.[1] Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories … Continue reading →

“Halfsies”

Cross posted with slight modifications at Out of the Ortho Box – thanks for the opportunity Ruchi! My Rebbetzin-comrade-in-arms Ruchi wrote this post last week.  In it she describes some Jews who say, ” Why do I need to worry about all these commandments?  I’ll just be a good person and not bother others.  I … Continue reading →

How We Eat: Sh’mini, Leviticus 9:1−11:47

Rachel Adler begins her d’var Torah on this week’s parasha with this: Just now, American society is reexamining the way it eats. Michael Pollan, in his best-selling book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manefesto , advises distinguishing between food and some of the poor imitations for food that we currently ingest (New York: Penguin … Continue reading →