I love food. I love to bake and like to cook. I like how food makes me feel. Each of us has particular foods tied to events or emotions. Pulp-free orange juice mixed 50/50 with Sprite I drink when I'm sick. Macaroni and cheese I'll eat when I'm feeling particularly lonely. Egg mcmuffins bring me back to my childhood. Etc, etc. We all have a list.
As a people, we have a list too. Holidays demonstrate this excessively. Challah for shabbat. Latkes and sufganyiot for Channukah. Matza for Pesach. Apples and honey for Rosh HaShannah. Hamantashen for Purim. Etc, etc. Even our jokes recognize this: "Every holiday can be summed up as: they tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat." Perhaps only our fasting days don't have food associated with them. Don't see too many items with "kosher for yom kippur" printed on them.
Modern Judaism has quite a challenge, how to live in a modern world and connect with an ancient one. We've been celebrating Pesach longer than the either of the two largest world religions have been around (Islam and Christian). And the matza tastes the same (just like the cardboard box it comes in).
There is something to be said for tradition, something big. But if all we have is tradition, then what do we contribute? How do we make it ours, how do we own it? Places like the liturgy or mitzvot are such volatile topics that they can be paralyzingly difficult to address or discuss. That's why I like food. I think the only fights erupted over food are food-fights.
Since it begins Monday night, Purim has been on my mind. And the representative food on Purim is Hamantashen. Confession time: I greatly dislike prune or poppy seed filling. They just don't aren't even palatable. I was making a few dozen today for the kids carnival at my synagogue tomorrow. My intent was to then make my cookies kid friendly (don't know too many kiddos who clamor for prunes). As might be obvious from previous postings, I love chocolate and therefore chose to use it. I made double-chocolate hamantashen. I used chocolate chips as the filling in some and then others got Hershey's caramel kisses. For slightly closer to traditional, I used regular dough and then grape jelly. Talk about kid-friendly. And darn tasty too. They are still served at Purim, they are still filled and folded three way to look like a hat, they are still recognizable as hamantashen, and yet...
Food is a good way to start bridging tradition with innovation.
And for those bakers interested, I also did a slightly more grown-up version. I took both the chocolate and regular doughs and kneaded them together. For the filling I used black cherry preserves and a few chocolate chips. Decadent and delicious.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
My personal kashrut struggle
My personal kashrut struggle.
My childhood was a mix of cultural kosher and not at all. Let me explain. My mom and sister did not ascribe to any religious ideas regarding food and would eat accordingly. My dad on the other hand, would not eat pork or shellfish or the like. I followed his example. I had no idea that kashrut included separating dairy and meat. I love beef enchiladas/cheeseburgers/chicken parmesan/lasagna/caesar salads/steak and mashed potatoes. A couple years ago I decided to adopt this level of kosher. And I've found very tasty substitutes for most of the aforementioned foods. I'll have veggie enchiladas and eggplant parmesan and veggie lasagna and a caesar salad with salmon. I use margarine and soy milk in my mashed potatoes so I can still eat them with my steaks. But cheeseburgers have no equal substitute. None. I have tried a veggie patty (or soy patty) with real cheese and it tastes fine, but no where near the same. Then I've tried a real meat patty with soy cheese and it's not so tasty--soy cheese doesn't melt. What I want is a big juicy cheeseburger with real meat AND real cheese.
Many questions have plagued me. The idea behind kashrut is to do so essentially without explanation. That is pretty hard to deal with. Also, the idea isn't that the traef food is bad, but rather that is good and it's a choice to not eat it. That's hard too. Finally, something else that will be expanded on at a later time, is that I don't know what happens when mitzvot are broken (or not followed). Where my theology lies there is a continual exploration.
So I step back and I look at other mitzvot. I ask myself how I behave with them. Assuming egalitarian and gender neutrality, there are many mitzvot I do not follow at all (like teffilin, tzitzit). And then others that I follow the best I can, such as davening three times a day or shomer shabbat. In these I do not achieve perfection, I do not come close, I do not strive for it. I have evaluated multiple facets and come to a decision on each and that gives my overall practice.
For example, I do not think that driving on shabbat should be prohibited because it is not feasible for me to get to shul otherwise. Or, writing I completely do because it is an essential piece to a day of ceasing for me.
Just now thinking about it, I guess I find the parallel between all of these. And that is thought, evaluation, decision. I don't follow shabbat "all the way" but I do follow it all the way for me and I comfortable with my choices. This includes kashrut. I have made the choice to eat at non-kosher restaurants and order only kosher-style. I separate meat and dairy in my kitchen and buy only hechshered products. I am comfortable with these interpretations for me.
So there it is I suppose. And that is why I am uncomfortable with cheeseburgers.
Here's the kicker. I'm human. I've had three car accidents and yet consider myself a good driver and continue to drive. I have had arguments with close friends and yet still consider myself a good friend. I have burnt cookies and yet still whip up a delicious batch. My conclusion--I'm not perfect. And I don't want to be perfect. I want to understand, really understand through doing. And if I mess up, it's ok, it doesn't mean I'm less of something or bad, it means I gain understanding from a new perspective.
Even though I ate a cheeseburger yesterday, I am not a bad Jew; all my kashrut ideas are not a waste; I am not a hypocrite--I am human and I struggle or mess up sometimes.
My childhood was a mix of cultural kosher and not at all. Let me explain. My mom and sister did not ascribe to any religious ideas regarding food and would eat accordingly. My dad on the other hand, would not eat pork or shellfish or the like. I followed his example. I had no idea that kashrut included separating dairy and meat. I love beef enchiladas/cheeseburgers/chicken parmesan/lasagna/caesar salads/steak and mashed potatoes. A couple years ago I decided to adopt this level of kosher. And I've found very tasty substitutes for most of the aforementioned foods. I'll have veggie enchiladas and eggplant parmesan and veggie lasagna and a caesar salad with salmon. I use margarine and soy milk in my mashed potatoes so I can still eat them with my steaks. But cheeseburgers have no equal substitute. None. I have tried a veggie patty (or soy patty) with real cheese and it tastes fine, but no where near the same. Then I've tried a real meat patty with soy cheese and it's not so tasty--soy cheese doesn't melt. What I want is a big juicy cheeseburger with real meat AND real cheese.
Many questions have plagued me. The idea behind kashrut is to do so essentially without explanation. That is pretty hard to deal with. Also, the idea isn't that the traef food is bad, but rather that is good and it's a choice to not eat it. That's hard too. Finally, something else that will be expanded on at a later time, is that I don't know what happens when mitzvot are broken (or not followed). Where my theology lies there is a continual exploration.
So I step back and I look at other mitzvot. I ask myself how I behave with them. Assuming egalitarian and gender neutrality, there are many mitzvot I do not follow at all (like teffilin, tzitzit). And then others that I follow the best I can, such as davening three times a day or shomer shabbat. In these I do not achieve perfection, I do not come close, I do not strive for it. I have evaluated multiple facets and come to a decision on each and that gives my overall practice.
For example, I do not think that driving on shabbat should be prohibited because it is not feasible for me to get to shul otherwise. Or, writing I completely do because it is an essential piece to a day of ceasing for me.
Just now thinking about it, I guess I find the parallel between all of these. And that is thought, evaluation, decision. I don't follow shabbat "all the way" but I do follow it all the way for me and I comfortable with my choices. This includes kashrut. I have made the choice to eat at non-kosher restaurants and order only kosher-style. I separate meat and dairy in my kitchen and buy only hechshered products. I am comfortable with these interpretations for me.
So there it is I suppose. And that is why I am uncomfortable with cheeseburgers.
Here's the kicker. I'm human. I've had three car accidents and yet consider myself a good driver and continue to drive. I have had arguments with close friends and yet still consider myself a good friend. I have burnt cookies and yet still whip up a delicious batch. My conclusion--I'm not perfect. And I don't want to be perfect. I want to understand, really understand through doing. And if I mess up, it's ok, it doesn't mean I'm less of something or bad, it means I gain understanding from a new perspective.
Even though I ate a cheeseburger yesterday, I am not a bad Jew; all my kashrut ideas are not a waste; I am not a hypocrite--I am human and I struggle or mess up sometimes.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
2008/2009 Israeli-Gaza Conflict
Also referred to as: "Operation Cast Lead" by the Israeli government and "Gaza Massacre" by the Arab world. I don't really even know what to say, I'm just driven to say something.
I am passionate about Judaism and I try to stay informed and connected. Plus I was when I was in Israel for the 2007 summer, I met some really great people and have stayed in contact with some.
This conflict feels personal, much more so than any before. And I find that people are asking my opinion and what I know or just starting conversation with me about this.
Honestly, I didn't know very much, I was feeling very unprepared to participate and started looking at lots of sites. Wikipedia, The Jerusalem Post, NY Times, Haaretz, have all been very helpful.
What I found most interesting was my own reaction though. Through these conversations, I realized just how passionate I was, and (no surprise here) what a pro-Israel stance I had. The topic of the conflict came up and I was not prepared to hear another Jew not be pro-Israel. I felt personally offended and hurt. How could they not support? Fervently I tried to throw out facts and make analogies. In quick succession I asked rhetorical question after rhetorical question emphatically.
My pulse races and my hand gestures increase. I try to remember that everyone has the right to their opinions. I find my passion doesn't allow me to be as opened minded though. And I dislike that. This makes me then go back to the facts and really force myself to present them as best I can.
So, without reiterating the facts which can best be found in other sources, what I have found is this. Gaza is the one of the most densely populated places on earth (in the top 20, around 10,000 people/sqkm). The surrounding area of Israel is not as nearly heavily populated--few areas are. This doesn't lessen the attacks on those areas, doesn't diminish the threat. Three of the cities targeted (Sderot, Ashkelon, Netivot) have populations of around 25000; then there is Ashdod, which is the furthest away from Gaza and has over 200,000 inhabitants. When a bomb goes off in a crowded area, more people are hurt. If the opponent only has crowded areas then more people are going to be hurt.
One example which really bothers me is the latest school incident. Israeli forces bombed a school, run by the UN, in Gaza City because they said they were under attack from that point. Dozens of children were killed. Two known Hamas rocket-launchers were also killed at the school. I cannot even put into words the disgust and horror I feel. How many ways this story can be spun and how many of them where Israel looks like a monster. I want to scream that is it Hamas that is the monster. Knowing that the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) was targeting the militant cells, not just random civilian areas. Knowing they would retaliate if put under attack. They chose to enter a school and use it as the rocket-launching grounds. A School! Could there not have been an evacuation first (probably not because that would have alerted Israel where the next attack was to come from)? Was there no better location? And I think the answer is no, there wasn't. Because how heartless Israel looks, by killing innocent children in school, is part of this war.
And it is war. This is not a conflict. This is not some play ground or bar room fight about a difference of opinions. This is a fundamental battle of ideas.
My heart goes out to all involved, directly and indirectly. We are all affected by this. I pray for a swift end and for peace to begin.
[I realize this is a bit scattered and somewhat random. I just needed to put something down while my thoughts try to collect themselves into cohesiveness. I will post again when that happens and maybe even sooner.]
I am passionate about Judaism and I try to stay informed and connected. Plus I was when I was in Israel for the 2007 summer, I met some really great people and have stayed in contact with some.
This conflict feels personal, much more so than any before. And I find that people are asking my opinion and what I know or just starting conversation with me about this.
Honestly, I didn't know very much, I was feeling very unprepared to participate and started looking at lots of sites. Wikipedia, The Jerusalem Post, NY Times, Haaretz, have all been very helpful.
What I found most interesting was my own reaction though. Through these conversations, I realized just how passionate I was, and (no surprise here) what a pro-Israel stance I had. The topic of the conflict came up and I was not prepared to hear another Jew not be pro-Israel. I felt personally offended and hurt. How could they not support? Fervently I tried to throw out facts and make analogies. In quick succession I asked rhetorical question after rhetorical question emphatically.
My pulse races and my hand gestures increase. I try to remember that everyone has the right to their opinions. I find my passion doesn't allow me to be as opened minded though. And I dislike that. This makes me then go back to the facts and really force myself to present them as best I can.
So, without reiterating the facts which can best be found in other sources, what I have found is this. Gaza is the one of the most densely populated places on earth (in the top 20, around 10,000 people/sqkm). The surrounding area of Israel is not as nearly heavily populated--few areas are. This doesn't lessen the attacks on those areas, doesn't diminish the threat. Three of the cities targeted (Sderot, Ashkelon, Netivot) have populations of around 25000; then there is Ashdod, which is the furthest away from Gaza and has over 200,000 inhabitants. When a bomb goes off in a crowded area, more people are hurt. If the opponent only has crowded areas then more people are going to be hurt.
One example which really bothers me is the latest school incident. Israeli forces bombed a school, run by the UN, in Gaza City because they said they were under attack from that point. Dozens of children were killed. Two known Hamas rocket-launchers were also killed at the school. I cannot even put into words the disgust and horror I feel. How many ways this story can be spun and how many of them where Israel looks like a monster. I want to scream that is it Hamas that is the monster. Knowing that the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) was targeting the militant cells, not just random civilian areas. Knowing they would retaliate if put under attack. They chose to enter a school and use it as the rocket-launching grounds. A School! Could there not have been an evacuation first (probably not because that would have alerted Israel where the next attack was to come from)? Was there no better location? And I think the answer is no, there wasn't. Because how heartless Israel looks, by killing innocent children in school, is part of this war.
And it is war. This is not a conflict. This is not some play ground or bar room fight about a difference of opinions. This is a fundamental battle of ideas.
My heart goes out to all involved, directly and indirectly. We are all affected by this. I pray for a swift end and for peace to begin.
[I realize this is a bit scattered and somewhat random. I just needed to put something down while my thoughts try to collect themselves into cohesiveness. I will post again when that happens and maybe even sooner.]
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