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Milk, Symbol of Sivan

May 21, 2015 by Ketzirah

Milk 2 by Andrew Magill, used by CC-A permissions
Milk 2 by Andrew Magill, used by CC-A permissions

Cross-posted from www.peelapom.com

It’s traditional to eat dairy on Shavuot, which begins the first week of Sivan. Because of this, we’re going to explore dairy for the month of Sivan.

Let’s start with the separation of milk and meat in the Torah. What it actually says is “don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk” (לֹא-תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי, בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ). This prohibition is found tthree times in the Torah: Ex 23:19, Ex 34: 26 and Deut 14:21, which means — seriously, don’t freaking do this we’re not kidding around!!! Most likely this was a prohibition on mixing life and death; milk being the source of life and death being meat, very literally in this case the meat of the kid goat. It was also, according to the Encyclopeida of Jewish Symbols, a common ancient pagan practice to give an offering of [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Judaism & Belief, Random (Feelin' Lucky?) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, dairy, darshan yeshiva, food, kashrut, meat, milk, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, shavuot, sivan, traditions, wheel of the year

Parsha Shemini – A Kosher Life

April 9, 2015 by Russell McAlmond

kosher cup raspberries

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.

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, kashrut, kosher, online conversion, Parsha Shemini, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

I Can Has Cheeseburger? No, No You Can’t

January 24, 2013 by Patrick Beaulier

no Kosher Jaxon

One of the first big questions I had for my Rabbi was if I should keep kashrut. He told me yes, as I assumed he would. I mean, duh, WOULDN’T your Rabbi tell you that you SHOULD? Well dudes, can we talk as friends for a moment? I’m new to keeping Kosher, and like everything else I’ve done so far, I thought it would be easy.

I thought “Oh I actually hate eating pigs anyway, so whatever.” This was yet ANOTHER one of those things where it was like Jackie, do you even know who you are? You eat cheese with meat like every meal, and every snack. I dream of cheeseburgers and bologna and cheese sandwiches! And no, I’m not kidding. I love food. Fat kid USA over here, I’ll admit it.

Back to my Rabbi though, when I asked him if I should keep kosher, I followed my question with will [Read more…]

Filed Under: Rants Tagged With: children, convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, jewish parent, kashrut, kosher, kosher pregnant, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

Bad Jew: Kosher Virginia by Sarah Bas Avraham

October 30, 2012 by Patrick Beaulier

In this article, Sarah Bas Avraham talks bbq and the perils of keeping kosher in rural Virginia. Interested in kashrut and kosher recipes? Make sure to also check out our kosher recipe blog!

Bad Jew!

I’ve been moving into a new dwelling. This is hard work in all respects, physically, mentally, emotionally. I was lucky enough to have a good friend who recruited some of her friends who helped with the physical moving part-all for the price of a case of beer and some gas for their truck. Much more fun and much less expensive than hiring professional movers. We moved the morning after Yom Kippur. I hadn’t expected to move that day, but my friend called and said she had the truck and friends, so we did. I was still in shock after they left, as I looked around the boxes that filled the small space of my new apt and realized [Read more…]

Filed Under: NewKosher (Recipes) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, jewish bbq, kashrut, kosher, kosher bbq, kosher small town, kosher virginia, new kosher, newkosher.org, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

Parshah Shemini

March 24, 2011 by Patrick Beaulier

By Michael Sabani

A lot happens in this week’s Torah portion, Shemini, and there is a lot to try to understand. According to my understanding, the ONE thing that is easy to learn about the Torah is that you will always learn something new! No matter how many times you read the Torah you will always come across something new, something that you didn’t notice before, and this one little thing can change the focus of the whole portion for you. And just like life, it is often the smallest things that can make the biggest impression.

 

In Shemini we see Aaron and his sons officially take over as Kohanim, as priests. A fire bursts forth from G-d and consumes the offerings on the Altar, and the Shekhinah comes to dwell in the Sanctuary.

 

Now coming into this portion, I thought the big story was what happens next: Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu offer a “strange fire” and they die before G-d. They die. This is a big deal! The eldest sones of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, are consumed by Hashem at the time of their inauguration. There is much debate as to what actually happened, if they died because they offered an unauthorized sacrifice, or to put a positive spin on it, some interpretations are that they were so holy that G-d just snapped them up right there as a gift. Really, we don’t know why. Sometimes we don’t have a clear answer as to why things happen,. The Torah, like life, is sometimes mysterious.

So then we get to the laws of kashrus, the kosher laws. Surely, if the story of Nadav and Avihu doesn’t grab me, the laws telling us what we can and can’t eat will make a big impression. And it does, to a point. I mean, we learn in this portion about how even what we eat can be used to serve G-d, to create holiness that can sanctify our lives.

But the whole time I read this portion I kept thinking about what happens right at the beginning. Moses and Aaron are standing at the Altar, and Moses has to tell Aaron, “Come near to the Altar…”.

“Come near.”

You see, Aaron was afraid to come near to Hashem. He still felt guilty for his part in the debacle of the golden calf. He didn’t feel worthy enough to serves as the High Priest; he knew his weaknesses and recognized where he had gone wrong and felt ashamed of his mistake.

And it’s at this point Moses tells Aaron the thing that, for me, became the new focus of the portion.

“It is precisely because you possess the attribute of shame that you have been chosen” (Degel Machneh Efraim). I had never noticed this commentary before, but it makes sense to me. I can feel that shame, that sense of not measuring up to the task G-d has put before me. It is only when we know, deeply, in the root of our being, when we have done wrong, that we can truly move beyond it. This is Aaron being forgiven, and learning how to grow.  And this is what G-d wants, for us to be abel to forgive ourselves and to move forward.

How often do we feel confronted with something that we don’t think we are up to? And how often are our skills, which are not recognized by ourselves, pointed out by our brothers and sisters? Sometimes it takes another who is close to us to point out what we are truly capable of, in spite of what we may have done in the past.

I invite you to be a Moses for your brothers and sisters. Lift them up and point out to them the areas in which they are strong. They might be int he midst of a struggle you are not aware of.

On the flip side, I also invite you to be like Aaron. Listen to those who care about you, and trust that they are right when they tell you that with G-d’s help, you are strong enough for the tasks you are faced with, and learn how to grow, and move forward.

 

 

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud), Your Questions Answered Tagged With: abihu, convert to judaism, D'var Torah, darshan yeshiva, fire, kashrut, kosher, nadav, parshah, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, sacrifice, shemini, temple, Torah

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