Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
May 17, 2004 - Number 5764-28
Shavuot - The Forgotten Holiday
There are three pilgrimage festivals on the Hebrew Calendar. Three times we are commanded to celebrate in Jerusalem, at the great Temple there, these three holidays. One is Sukkot, the holiday that is associated with great joy. The second is Pesach, the great holiday of Jewish Liberation. The third is Shavuot, a small Festival when compared to Pesach and Sukkot, but one that is important. The sad truth is that most people don’t know about Shavuot and don’t know why it ranks with Pesach and Sukkot as one of the three top Festivals of the Jewish year.
Sukkot is a seven day festival that has an eighth day attached to the end. Sukkot ends with Hoshana Rabba, but is immediately followed by Shemini Atzeret (and the second day of Shemini Atzeret which is now a virtual second holiday called Simchat Torah). The Sages say that Sukkot is an international holiday, and Shemini Atzeret is a special day, added to the end that is strictly for Jews. Six months later, once again at the full moon, is Pesach, another seven day holiday (with the last day doubled for calendar reasons making it eight days) Pesach too, the Sages say, has a concluding festival. It does not come, as Shemini Atzeret, immediately after Pesach, we first count 49 days from the beginning of Pesach until this additional festival arrives, called Shavuot.
As with Pesach and Sukkot, Shavuot has both a agricultural root as well as an historical root. Pesach begins the harvest of the new grain. Shavuot marks the beginning of the fruit harvest. Special ceremonies were held as each community brought decorated baskets of fruit to be dedicated at the Temple. The Torah does not directly give Shavuot a historical focus, but the Sages of the Talmud, through their calculations, declared that Shavuot was the day that Moses received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. One would think that this would be the basis of one of the most important days on the Jewish Calendar. But because there were Jews who believed that the Ten Commandments were the only thing revealed at Sinai, the importance of the day was lessened.
It was this connection to Torah that eventually gave Shavuot its most unique feature. The Kabbalists noted that the people of Israel had to get up early on the day of the revelation. Even so, they awoke to a mountain that was full of lightning and smoke. G-d, it seems was up even earlier and caught the People of Israel sleeping. To correct this conception that we were sleeping when G-d wanted to give us the Torah, we stay up all night, on Erev Shavuot, studying Torah and the commentaries of the Sages. G-d will not catch us sleeping again. This study session is called "Tikkun L’el Shavuot
The other custom associated with Shavuot is the eating of dairy foods, especially blintzes. The reason is really unknown (who knows why one food becomes associated with one holiday or another?) but we say that after the revelation, and the giving of the laws of Kashrut, the People of Israel were too exhausted to go out and ritually slaughter meat according to the new laws. They decided to eat only dairy and so we eat dairy on Shavuot to this very day.
Passover and Sukkot are seven day festivals. Shavuot is only two days long. We should also note that the Torah never gives us a date when Shavuot is to begin. It begins 50 days after the beginning of Pesach. Passover and Sukkot always fall on the new moon of the month, Shavuot does not. The Torah is not even clear when we are supposed to begin our count. The Torah seems to indicate that the count begins from the Shabbat of Pesach, which would give Shavuot a different day to begin every year. According to the Talmud, however, we begin the count on the second day of Pesach, so that Shavuot always falls on the sixth of Nisan.
Because of its agricultural background, the Book of Ruth is read on Shavuot and there is a special piyyut that is designated for Shavuot called "Akdumot" (from its opening word) that speaks of the glory of Torah. In some places, the synagogue is decorated with branches from trees and other large green plants to remember the fruits our ancestors brought to the Temple. Because of its dedication to Torah, when Judaism lifted the ceremony of Confirmation from the Christians, as a means of extending the education of children after Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Shavuot became an obvious day to celebrate this milestone.
Next week: The Tallit
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
HMS; 5764-27 Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut: When the Rules Are Not Clear
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
May 10, 2004 - Number 5764-27
Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut: When the Rules Are Not Clear
Chicken - The separation between milk and meat should not apply to chicken since one can not boil a chicken in its mother’s milk. The law, however, is that Chicken is considered meat since it is too easy to confuse it with the meat from large, four legged mammals. One can not mix chicken with milk
Fish - Fish is not considered meat since it is so different from meat that one will not confuse the two. For some reason there is a custom not to serve fish and meat on the same plate because of "danger". The Sages assume this danger is one of chocking on a bone. The Rabbinical Assembly’s Law and Standards Committee (LASC) has ruled that this "danger" is no longer an issue and one CAN serve fish and meat on the same plate.
Fish: Sturgeon and Swordfish - The issues with these fish is that while they are young they have both fins and scales. When they mature, the scales fall off. There is a stringent position that if there is a doubt about the status of a fish, we do not eat it. The LASC has ruled that these fish can be eaten and considered Kosher.
Wine - Of all the beverages, wine is in a class by itself. Since wine was used extensively by pagans in their rituals, it became the rule that wine could not be handled by non-Jews lest they pour out a libation to their pagan gods. By extension, it also applies to vinegar. Kosher wine is either certified that it has not been handled by non-Jews or that it is "Mevushal" or "cooked". Wine that is "mevushal" is forbidden to be offered to a pagan god so it is always considered Kosher. Until recently, it was impossible to get Kosher wine that was not "mevushal". Wine experts have long insisted that this cooking took all the flavor out of Kosher wines. It is now possible, however, to get Kosher wine that is NOT "mevushal" and such wine can not be poured by non-Jews. The question is can Jews drink wine that is not certified Kosher. The LASC has ruled that while wine that is not certified can be consumed by Jews, one SHOULD use a Kosher wine if it will be used when a blessing is to be recited. Please note that wine shows up in lots of places, including many liquors. The blessing for wine involves grapes so the blessing should only be recited over Kosher grape wines.
Cheese - While the cheese itself is almost always Kosher, the process of making it becomes an issue. Rennet, a chemical that is not part of the cheese but part of the processing that makes the cheese, is usually derived from animals and these animals are assumed to be not Kosher. Kosher cheese does not use rennet or uses an acceptable form of rennet (the study of Kashrut often will make a person a vegetarian). The LASC has ruled that rennet, no matter where it comes from, is now a chemical that is distinct from what it came from. Thus all cheeses can be eaten. This is a very controversial ruling and there are many Conservative Jews who do NOT hold by it.
Turkey - Birds must appear on the list in the book of Leviticus to be considered Kosher. The turkey can not appear on this list since it only exists in N. America and was unknown in Europe and the middle East. By the usual rules, it should not be Kosher but it is, in all cases, Kosher when slaughtered by a shochet. Pheasant is also not on the list and there are authorities that permit it (when slaughtered by a shochet) and those who do not accept it as a Kosher bird. In any event, it can not be hunted for food.
Eco-Kosher - There are some who maintain that since one of the reasons for Kashrut is to teach us ethical behavior, we should withhold Kosher certification from products that are grown and harvested using mistreated farm workers or not eating meat that has been "abused" by the farmers and slaughterers. My feeling is that Kashrut is complicated enough without the addition of these ethical issues. If I don’t agree with the way workers are treated or that animals are mistreated before they are killed, I should not buy such products. But it would not be accurate to declare such things "treif". Kashrut is not about ethical behavior, it is about doing the will of our Creator. Refusing to eat veal or non-Union lettuce may be an important statement to corporate America, but it should not be attached to the laws of Kashrut.
Please remember: Just because there are some controversies over Kashrut, it does not mean that the whole issue has been overturned. These are only some issues that, when we bring Kashrut into our lives, we have to confront eventually and we have to know what the rules are.
Next week: Shavuot: The Forgotten Holiday
May 10, 2004 - Number 5764-27
Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut: When the Rules Are Not Clear
Chicken - The separation between milk and meat should not apply to chicken since one can not boil a chicken in its mother’s milk. The law, however, is that Chicken is considered meat since it is too easy to confuse it with the meat from large, four legged mammals. One can not mix chicken with milk
Fish - Fish is not considered meat since it is so different from meat that one will not confuse the two. For some reason there is a custom not to serve fish and meat on the same plate because of "danger". The Sages assume this danger is one of chocking on a bone. The Rabbinical Assembly’s Law and Standards Committee (LASC) has ruled that this "danger" is no longer an issue and one CAN serve fish and meat on the same plate.
Fish: Sturgeon and Swordfish - The issues with these fish is that while they are young they have both fins and scales. When they mature, the scales fall off. There is a stringent position that if there is a doubt about the status of a fish, we do not eat it. The LASC has ruled that these fish can be eaten and considered Kosher.
Wine - Of all the beverages, wine is in a class by itself. Since wine was used extensively by pagans in their rituals, it became the rule that wine could not be handled by non-Jews lest they pour out a libation to their pagan gods. By extension, it also applies to vinegar. Kosher wine is either certified that it has not been handled by non-Jews or that it is "Mevushal" or "cooked". Wine that is "mevushal" is forbidden to be offered to a pagan god so it is always considered Kosher. Until recently, it was impossible to get Kosher wine that was not "mevushal". Wine experts have long insisted that this cooking took all the flavor out of Kosher wines. It is now possible, however, to get Kosher wine that is NOT "mevushal" and such wine can not be poured by non-Jews. The question is can Jews drink wine that is not certified Kosher. The LASC has ruled that while wine that is not certified can be consumed by Jews, one SHOULD use a Kosher wine if it will be used when a blessing is to be recited. Please note that wine shows up in lots of places, including many liquors. The blessing for wine involves grapes so the blessing should only be recited over Kosher grape wines.
Cheese - While the cheese itself is almost always Kosher, the process of making it becomes an issue. Rennet, a chemical that is not part of the cheese but part of the processing that makes the cheese, is usually derived from animals and these animals are assumed to be not Kosher. Kosher cheese does not use rennet or uses an acceptable form of rennet (the study of Kashrut often will make a person a vegetarian). The LASC has ruled that rennet, no matter where it comes from, is now a chemical that is distinct from what it came from. Thus all cheeses can be eaten. This is a very controversial ruling and there are many Conservative Jews who do NOT hold by it.
Turkey - Birds must appear on the list in the book of Leviticus to be considered Kosher. The turkey can not appear on this list since it only exists in N. America and was unknown in Europe and the middle East. By the usual rules, it should not be Kosher but it is, in all cases, Kosher when slaughtered by a shochet. Pheasant is also not on the list and there are authorities that permit it (when slaughtered by a shochet) and those who do not accept it as a Kosher bird. In any event, it can not be hunted for food.
Eco-Kosher - There are some who maintain that since one of the reasons for Kashrut is to teach us ethical behavior, we should withhold Kosher certification from products that are grown and harvested using mistreated farm workers or not eating meat that has been "abused" by the farmers and slaughterers. My feeling is that Kashrut is complicated enough without the addition of these ethical issues. If I don’t agree with the way workers are treated or that animals are mistreated before they are killed, I should not buy such products. But it would not be accurate to declare such things "treif". Kashrut is not about ethical behavior, it is about doing the will of our Creator. Refusing to eat veal or non-Union lettuce may be an important statement to corporate America, but it should not be attached to the laws of Kashrut.
Please remember: Just because there are some controversies over Kashrut, it does not mean that the whole issue has been overturned. These are only some issues that, when we bring Kashrut into our lives, we have to confront eventually and we have to know what the rules are.
Next week: Shavuot: The Forgotten Holiday
Monday, May 3, 2004
HMS; 5764-26 Kashrut V: Setting up a Kosher Kitchen
Lessons in Memory of my brother Dale Alan Konigsburg
May 2, 2004 - Number 5764-26
Kashrut V: Setting up a Kosher Kitchen
Rule 1. Do not try and do everything all at once. The biggest mistake that people make when making their home kosher is to try and do everything all at once. Everyone learns about Kashrut slowly and develops their Kosher Kitchen over time. There will be all kinds of challenges and setbacks, learn from them and prepare to grow in your observance. Those who try too hard are often defeated by frustration.
Rule 2. Every mistake has a way of being fixed without having to start over again. Mistakes are part of being human. Kashrut is set up for human kitchens. You will not be the first Jew to mess up a Kosher kitchen, and you will not be the last. We have Rabbis to answer our questions when we err.
The first stage in setting up a Kosher kitchen is to start small. Try buying only kosher meat at first. Get used to shopping at a Kosher meat market. Next, take a look at your pantry. The probability is good that much of what you already own is Kosher. Look for Kosher symbols on the labels of all your food. Decide which stuff you will need to replace and as you use up the old stuff, try and replace it with Kosher alternatives. Find brands and foods you like. Once you are going on the food coming into the house, it is time to tackle meat and milk. Without changing dishes, begin preparing meals with milk and meat separated. Take a look at recipes and try making substitutions. Experiment with your favorite recipes to find the mixture that tastes the best. Decide how long your family will wait between meat and milk meals (the usual time is three hours - but see last week’s lesson) and begin to enforce it on yourself before subjecting your family to the wait. This process could take from a couple of months to almost a whole year. There is no rush. We know what our goal is, and we want to make sure that everyone in the family is on board and ready to assist in keeping the kitchen Kosher.
Since the rules for switching a kitchen to Kashrut are very similar to kashering a kitchen for Pesach, It may be worth your while to plan to do both at the same time. Kasher for Pesach, and then after the holiday, you can just add the Hametz. If you are buying new dishes, you can use the new ones first for Pesach and then just use them for the rest of the year. Pesach dishes can be switched to year ‘round use without any additional work. To switch them back is more difficult, and may be impossible so the NEXT time Pesach rolls around you may have to purchase new Passover Dishes and save them after the holiday for the next year.
When everyone in the family is ready to make the change, it is time to switch the kitchen. First, before you buy any new dishes, consult your Rabbi. He or she may actually come to your home and take a look at what you are using and determine if it needs to be given away or if it can be rekashered. Many items can be kashered and doing so may save lots of money on the transition. After the Rabbi has given his opinion. You might want to go and visit some families that already have a Kosher kitchen and see what they use in their kitchen. It is a good idea to have a friend who has a Kosher Kitchen already so you will have a friend to offer advice, support and to give you tips and tricks to keeping kosher. Now you are ready to go out and buy the dishes you will need.
Pick a day, invite the Rabbi to come and help, and figure that it will take most of the day to get the kitchen kashered. You will need a big pot of boiling water, some tongs to dip stuff in the water, soapy water and a sponge or damp cloth and a lot of patience. Empty the cabinets. Start dunking and drying the dishes that can be kashered. Empty to refrigerator of food (it should all be kosher food in their by now) make sure the dishes the food is in are kashered or switched to new dishes. Wash out the refrigerator and return the food to the shelves. Wash out all the cabinets and drawers, reline them and put the new dishes and the Kashered ones inside. Make sure that the meat dishes are fully separate from the dairy ones so there will be less confusion. Mark the drawers and cabinets for those who may not know you have a Kosher Kitchen. Donate dishes that can not be kashered to a family in need (a homeless shelter or an immigrant aide society)
The last stage is to determine what to do about eating out. Non-Kosher food can no longer be brought home from a restaurant. It is always a good idea to support Kosher restaurants in the area. Finally always remember the last rule of Kashrut
Rule 3 - No matter how Kosher your kitchen may be, there will always be someone who is "more Kosher" than you are and will not eat in your kitchen. Ignore such people. Find a level of Kashrut that you are comfortable with and if that is not enough for someone else, then they should not eat in your kitchen. You can not please everyone. Stick to a standard that meets your needs best ( so your good friends will eat with you for example) and don’t worry about everyone else.
Next week: Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut - When The Rules Are Not Clear
May 2, 2004 - Number 5764-26
Kashrut V: Setting up a Kosher Kitchen
Rule 1. Do not try and do everything all at once. The biggest mistake that people make when making their home kosher is to try and do everything all at once. Everyone learns about Kashrut slowly and develops their Kosher Kitchen over time. There will be all kinds of challenges and setbacks, learn from them and prepare to grow in your observance. Those who try too hard are often defeated by frustration.
Rule 2. Every mistake has a way of being fixed without having to start over again. Mistakes are part of being human. Kashrut is set up for human kitchens. You will not be the first Jew to mess up a Kosher kitchen, and you will not be the last. We have Rabbis to answer our questions when we err.
The first stage in setting up a Kosher kitchen is to start small. Try buying only kosher meat at first. Get used to shopping at a Kosher meat market. Next, take a look at your pantry. The probability is good that much of what you already own is Kosher. Look for Kosher symbols on the labels of all your food. Decide which stuff you will need to replace and as you use up the old stuff, try and replace it with Kosher alternatives. Find brands and foods you like. Once you are going on the food coming into the house, it is time to tackle meat and milk. Without changing dishes, begin preparing meals with milk and meat separated. Take a look at recipes and try making substitutions. Experiment with your favorite recipes to find the mixture that tastes the best. Decide how long your family will wait between meat and milk meals (the usual time is three hours - but see last week’s lesson) and begin to enforce it on yourself before subjecting your family to the wait. This process could take from a couple of months to almost a whole year. There is no rush. We know what our goal is, and we want to make sure that everyone in the family is on board and ready to assist in keeping the kitchen Kosher.
Since the rules for switching a kitchen to Kashrut are very similar to kashering a kitchen for Pesach, It may be worth your while to plan to do both at the same time. Kasher for Pesach, and then after the holiday, you can just add the Hametz. If you are buying new dishes, you can use the new ones first for Pesach and then just use them for the rest of the year. Pesach dishes can be switched to year ‘round use without any additional work. To switch them back is more difficult, and may be impossible so the NEXT time Pesach rolls around you may have to purchase new Passover Dishes and save them after the holiday for the next year.
When everyone in the family is ready to make the change, it is time to switch the kitchen. First, before you buy any new dishes, consult your Rabbi. He or she may actually come to your home and take a look at what you are using and determine if it needs to be given away or if it can be rekashered. Many items can be kashered and doing so may save lots of money on the transition. After the Rabbi has given his opinion. You might want to go and visit some families that already have a Kosher kitchen and see what they use in their kitchen. It is a good idea to have a friend who has a Kosher Kitchen already so you will have a friend to offer advice, support and to give you tips and tricks to keeping kosher. Now you are ready to go out and buy the dishes you will need.
Pick a day, invite the Rabbi to come and help, and figure that it will take most of the day to get the kitchen kashered. You will need a big pot of boiling water, some tongs to dip stuff in the water, soapy water and a sponge or damp cloth and a lot of patience. Empty the cabinets. Start dunking and drying the dishes that can be kashered. Empty to refrigerator of food (it should all be kosher food in their by now) make sure the dishes the food is in are kashered or switched to new dishes. Wash out the refrigerator and return the food to the shelves. Wash out all the cabinets and drawers, reline them and put the new dishes and the Kashered ones inside. Make sure that the meat dishes are fully separate from the dairy ones so there will be less confusion. Mark the drawers and cabinets for those who may not know you have a Kosher Kitchen. Donate dishes that can not be kashered to a family in need (a homeless shelter or an immigrant aide society)
The last stage is to determine what to do about eating out. Non-Kosher food can no longer be brought home from a restaurant. It is always a good idea to support Kosher restaurants in the area. Finally always remember the last rule of Kashrut
Rule 3 - No matter how Kosher your kitchen may be, there will always be someone who is "more Kosher" than you are and will not eat in your kitchen. Ignore such people. Find a level of Kashrut that you are comfortable with and if that is not enough for someone else, then they should not eat in your kitchen. You can not please everyone. Stick to a standard that meets your needs best ( so your good friends will eat with you for example) and don’t worry about everyone else.
Next week: Kashrut VI: Controversies in Kashrut - When The Rules Are Not Clear
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