"I've decided to start bringing my beliefs — onto my plate," someone who had recently begun to be more careful and observant about the kashrut of what she eats told me.
The Torah portion we read this past Shabbat presents a revolution: food affects us. Food doesn't only give physical strength to the body, but also influences the holiness of the soul. The parasha describes in detail the laws of kashrut — the prohibition against eating insects, for example — and the distinction between kosher and non-kosher birds and fish.
Moshe teaches the people the laws that still influence the Jewish kitchen to this day, our plate — but it's not just "forbidden" and "permitted." There is holiness and there is impurity, and we need to pay attention to what enters our body.
It affects our consciousness, who we are, and who we will become. Pay attention to the words the Torah uses:
”You shall not make yourselves impure through any swarming creature that creeps upon the earth.”
”For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God — and you shall be holy, for I am holy.”
"To distinguish between the impure and the pure, and between the creature that may be eaten and the creature that may not be eaten.”
In recent years, surveys have been published showing that more and more Jews are observing kashrut, and more and more restaurants are seeking kashrut certification. Every small decision like this adds holiness to the world. And it all begins — with these verses from the Torah portion.
Bon appétit!
