PunkTorah

Independent Jewish Spirituality Online

Parsha Shemini – A Kosher Life

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In this week’s parsha we learn about the kosher laws or kashrut.  Keeping kosher is a way of making the everyday actions of eating into a holy act.  Actually, it is quite easy to be kosher.  For example, I have never eaten a chameleon, mole, ostrich or flying insect that has four legs.  All of these are forbidden by this parsha and, if you wish to keep kosher, you will not eat them either.  Nonetheless, as with many things in Jewish life, keeping kosher is much more detailed than just a few easy-to-avoid foods.

As modern Jews, we recognize that kashrut has meaning for many Jews but is a somewhat extreme understanding of bringing holiness to everyday life.  Judaism evolves and the thoughts of rabbis long ago is not as applicable in today’s world of modernity and medical science.  The concept of holiness, however, is one that we should never lose.  Kadosh is the word for ‘holy’ in Hebrew and it is not a scientific term – it is beyond science.  Stopping to consider an act to be holy before doing it, a pause in time to reflect on the act, helps to bring holiness into your life.

A kosher life is one that recognizes what is pure and impure about life.  We are often told to not make judgments, but the Torah tells us that judgments are an important part of a holy life.  How else can we tell what is pure or impure?  Being honest rather than deceitful is a step toward purity versus impurity in life. Respecting all people rather than just your group should be a step toward holiness.  Striving for personal improvement rather than just getting by each day can bring something holy to each day.  For some it may be the food they eat, but for others bringing holiness to everyday existence is based on a different style of bringing the sacred to life.

Choose life – a kosher life – for every day.

Passover – A Celebration of Life and Freedom

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As Jews, we suspend Torah reading for the eight days of Passover to reflect on our freedom and the story of Exodus.  Modern Jews, of course, have never been slaves nor do we have any real understanding of how horrific it would be.  We also know that our people’s narrative of Exodus is something that may or may not have happened.  Nonetheless,  Passover (Pesach) is a wonderful celebration for all Jews and others who cherish life and freedom.

Passover and the traditional seder can be as detailed as you want.  There are sites on the web that will tell you how every tiny part of the seder should be done – including extensive preparations even before the holiday.  Modern Jews will nod in respect to tradition, but make the seder into something more meaningful in today’s world.  The world has changed and so too must the seder.  Rather than celebrating only Jewish freedom, we celebrate the freedom of all human beings and pray for the end, once and for all, of human bondage around the world.  We also have incorporated celebrating equality of respect for all, including many of those who have been marginalized by society, and even some in our Jewish tribe.

As Jews, we value life and freedom.  Judaism is not ascetic – we are told to enjoy life to the fullest.  We are also instructed that the destruction of a single human life is equivalent to the loss of a universe.  Life is to be defended because it is so valuable.  The real power of Passover, however, is the celebration of freedom.  Exodus is not only about freedom from the tyranny of the Egyptian government (or any government), but freedom of thought and religion as well.  As Jews, we celebrate our freedom from slavery, but also work and pray for the freedom of all people around the world who are not able to enjoy the freedoms of thought and religion.  To express ourselves and to think freely is to be truly human and Jewish.

May you and your family have a wonderful Passover!

Parsha Tzav – Is Anyone Born Better?

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This week’s parsha of Tzav describes the Jewish priestly class of kohanim.  Being a kohanim was passed down by the father, not the mother, patrilineally not matrilineally.  Other human cultures had royal families where power was passed down to successive generations simply by accident of birth.  Even today, we have the leader of North Korea who took power from his father and claimed it based only on his lineage, not his competency.  Are people really born to be better than other people?  Does our lineage define us as Jews and human beings?

The fact is that all human beings deserve equality of respect for being human.  No human is better than another, no  human is worse – there are no super-humans and no sub-humans.  Everyone falls on the same horizontal line of respect simply for being human.

The Mishna states that we were “created as individuals” so that one could not declare, “My father is better than yours.”  In reality, our lineage does not make us a better or worse individual.  Human history has clearly shown that some people born into royal families have been terrible leaders with severe problems.  There is no ‘royal’ gene that makes every descendent of royalty an inspiring leader.  As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, we should be judged by the “content of our character” not by the traits of our birth.  Character is created by our individual thoughts and actions, it is not genetic.  Character is an individual trait, not a group trait.

Applying this standard of equality to the Jewish community there are not ‘better’ Jews or ‘worse’ Jews – there are Jews.  It is good that there is no longer a need for a Jewish priestly class and animal sacrifices.  Modern Jews are egalitarian and believe in the equality of all people including the members of our tribe.  It doesn’t matter who your parents were, what your skin color is, your gender type, or any other feature or trait determined by your birth – you are an individual.  We welcome all individual Jews to our tribe and will give them the same respect that all other members have.

We are all wonderful and unique individuals who deserve equal respect for being human.

 

Parsha Vayikra – Sacrifices and PETA

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Although People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is often over-the-top (they compared chickens to the Holocaust), most Jews are in favor of the ethical treatment of animals.  In this week’s parsha of Vayikra, much of the parsha is about animal sacrifices in the Temple.  How do we as Jews reconcile animal sacrifices with the ethical treatment of animals?  Why was this done and, if we ever rebuild a Temple in Jerusalem, would we restart the sacrifices in such a Temple?

To the 21st Century Jew, a lot of this parsha sounds ancient and archaic – and it is.  There are certain Jewish sects that believe if the Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, animal sacrifices should be reinstated.  Most modern Jews would utterly reject this – for good reasons.  The Torah was written by men at a time of agricultural societies and primitive superstitions.  Animal sacrifices, and even human sacrifices, were fairly common to other societies that existed at that time.  Maimonides argued that the reason for animal sacrifices was a concession to the primitive stage that humans were at when G-d gave them the 613 commandments.  It would have been too drastic of a step, he argued, to not have them as a form of worship.  This seems an unnecessary and convenient rationalization of the practice.

It may be better for modern Jews to recognize that our religion, like our civilization, evolves.  Temple worship was abandoned when the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.  In its place came rabbinic Judaism – a very different form of Judaism that was not based on the Temple, the priests or animal sacrifices.  In some ways, it was a new religion for a new time.  Judaism evolved because it needed to change to survive.  Even today Judaism continues to evolve, as all religions and worldviews should do to keep up with modernity.  Today’s Judaism would not even be recognizable to Jews who engaged in animal sacrifices or early rabbinic Judaism.  It is a different world – and Judaism has changed to accommodate it.

PETA and today’s Judaism do not have any problems.  As Jews, we respect the rights of animals to be treated in a humane manner.  We don’t place animal life on the same level as human life, but we know that we are prohibited from being cruel to animals or to cause them unnecessary pain.  Animals even share Shabbat with us.  According to the Torah, humankind is given dominion over animals to use for legitimate purposes.

Nonetheless, in our day, animal sacrifices are not kosher – nor should they ever be again.

Parsha Vayakhel – What Day Is Shabbat?

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In today’s world we tend to live a 24/7 week where the days often seem to run together.  The Monday through Friday workweek is not one that all of us have.  Yet, as Jews, we are told in this week’s parsha of Vayakhel that we must not work on Shabbat (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) or we may be put to “death.”  But what about those of us who have responsibilities that require us to work on Saturday?  How does the modern Jew try to observe Shabbat while recognizing our 24/7 interconnected world?

First, we know that no one is put to death in contemporary society for working on Saturday – nor would we assume anyone was in the past.  The Torah tries to emphasize certain acts by making the punishment severe.  But why even mention this?  Because Shabbat truly is the most important day of the week for any Jew.  If there is one act that draws most Jews together on a frequent basis it is the observance of Shabbat – a day of rest and peace.  Is this important in our modern world?  Absolutely!  In fact, it may be more consequential to us in our social media world than at any other time in history.  It is also critical for our spiritual health, and physical health, that we slow down and put things in perspective at least once a week.

If you have to work on the traditional day of Shabbat, then make another day of the week your day of peace, reflection and spiritual growth.  Go ahead and light the candles, say the blessings, and sit down to a lovely meal with challah bread on Tuesday night if you work on Saturday.  It is that important.  Even if you can’t do it every week, try every other week or as often as you can.  Set aside that time with your spouse, with your family, with your Torah studies or anything else that will make the day special for you.

What day is Shabbat?  Shabbat is whatever day that will work on your schedule.  G-d gave us Shabbat, in my humble opinion, not only to think of him, but because he knew that as sentient human beings we need a day a week to sit back and reflect.  We need a day that is not about making more money or getting ahead on our goals.  We need a  day to ponder ideas that are at a much higher level than the ordinary everyday existence of life.  We need the peace of Shabbat to bring a better quality to our lives and our families.

Make Shabbat a day of renewal and spiritual rejuvenation.   Whatever day you choose, as Nike says, “Just Do It!”  It will make a difference in your life.

 

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