Shabbat Shalom!
Shemini
Leviticus 9:1-11:47
Torah Reading for Week of April 4-10, 2010
Nissan 20-26 57
Food for the Soul
In this week's Torah portion, Shemini, we open with the
dedication of the tabernacle and the terrible tragedy of the
death of Aarons two sons Nadav and Abihu . Many commentators suggest their death was a result of doing something which had not been commanded by Hashem, a violation of the sanctity of G-d. The second half
of the parsha discusses the delineation between kosher and non-kosher animals.
“These you shall not eat from the animals that have split hooves or that ruminate: the camel... the rabbit...and the hare ruminate but don't have split hooves. They aren't kosher. The pig has split hooves, but doesn't ruminate. It [too] is not kosher. (Vayikra 11:3-7)
The torah commands us to only eat meat from an animal which has fully split hooves and chews its cud. All
fish is kosher if it has fins and easily removable scales. Birds of prey are forbidden as is all types of
insects except for four species of locusts.
I find it interesting as to why G-d puts these two seemingly different themes together in the same parsha. This answer can be suggested in a comment that I heard someone ask recently. "What do we need all these commandments for? I am a moral, honest individual, a good person, isn’t that good enough? Yes its good
enough – for a non-Jew. For a Jew it is not enough, we have to be holy. But you might ask what exactly is holiness? To know this we need the torah. In our search for holiness and meaning in this world, one of our greatest assets and aids are the laws of kashrut. In a book which I strongly recommend "To Be a Jew"
Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin suggests that the laws of kashrut are designed as a call to holiness.
Kosher food is food for the soul. Food that feeds our spirituality and sharpens our ability to receive
holiness. Holiness is what our souls need to remain healthy. It is not something we can see, taste, feel or
touch, it is a feeling, that we are close to G-d .If you have ever gone to the kotel in Jerusalem you can see people touching the wall and rocking and “praying”, what they feel is holiness, the presence of G-d . Spirituality is a delicate thing a little bit of sanctity generates a lot of holiness. This is how we keep G-ds presence in our midst. As it states in the parsha,
"You are to sanctify yourselves and you will become holy, because I am holy and you shall not contaminate yourselves…" (Leviticus 11:45)
The Talmud notes that eating non-kosher food clogs up the arteries of the soul.(Talmud yoma)
In the avoidance of consumption of non kosher food one can bring holiness to themselves; and as we are created in G-ds image we can bring holiness to G-d as well. We are forced to accept G-ds judgment with resignation and not to try to understand Hashems reasoning. The answer to why Jews observe these laws is basically because the torah says so. In the case of the death of Nadav and Abihu they decided upon themselves to prepare a sacrifice which was not commanded by Hashem. Their deathly punishment might not seem to fit "the crime", however their status as Kohanim elevated them to a higher standard of righteous.
”… and they offered to the lord alien fire, which he had not enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from the lord and consumed them.”
We have the ability to make choices in life. Kashrut is presented as a choice that needs Jews to recognize
the difference between what is pure and holy and what is not. Imposing rules on what you can and cannot
eat ingrains that kind of self control, Donin points out that the laws of kashrut elevate the simple act of eating into a religious ritual. A Jew who observes the laws of kashrut cannot eat a meal without being reminded of the fact that he is a Jew. For a Torah-observant, traditional Jew, there is no need to question
G-ds reason. For the rest of us Jews we can try to rationalize or debate whatever it is we want –why
should we worry about eating clean meat? there is no trichinosis anymore, is an argument which has been
put forth. Abarbanel states that ones health has nothing to do with why certain foods are forbidden in the torah. The laws of the Torah are aimed at promoting health of the soul, the physical health benefits are
extra fringe benefits which we have been given. You are what you eat! The Jewish soul is delicate and
needs to be nourished appropriately. In the words of King David in Psalms,
“Taste, and you’ll see that G-d is good”.
Attesting to the divinity of the Torah, Shemini proves to me without a doubt that the torah was given by Hashem. We are warned in the torah not to eat animals which posses one of the required characteristics
but lack the other. There has never been any other animals other than those mentioned in the torah
that do one or the other- chewing its cud and having split hooves. These are the PIG, camel, hyrax and hare. This was written more than 3000 years ago,who other than Hashem could ever have known this?
Shabbot Shalom,
Miriam
Today eating kosher is not difficult and many supermarkets sell foods which are kosher. You might have to
go to a kosher supermarket or order online to get your kosher meats. So this shabbos feel the presence of Hashem and enjoy the delicious kosher food prepared by you.! There are also many kosher restaurants in
the bigger cities which are under strict kosher guidelines.
New York Strip Steaks with mushrooms and shallots
2 ¾ in. thick NY strips
S&P
2 tbl. olive oil
1 shallot
6 oz. mushrooms
2 cl. Garlic chopped
½ cup red wine
½ cup chicken broth
1 tbl. Worshestire sauce
1 ½ teasp. Dijon mustard
½ teasp. Potato starch
1 tbl. Chives(optional for garnish)
Heat olive oil and place S&Ped strip steaks in skillet on med high heat cook about 3 minutes on each side, remove from heat and add shallots, mushrooms,garlic, red wine and chicken broth, boil down to reduce
liquid to ½. Add worshestire, Dijon and potato starch. Turn oven until it reaches 250 degrees, place steaks and topping in oven proof pan and turn off heat. Serve when desired doneness. Enjoy!
This is a delicious side to serve with just about anything!
Caponata
1 eggplant
1 tbl. Kosher salt
½ cup olive oil
4 stalks of celery diced
1 large onion diced
12 green olives pitted and chopped
4 anchovy fillets chopped
3 tbl. Capers
2 tbl. Chopped parsley
4 tbl. Wine vinegar
2 teasp. Sugar
3 tbl. Tomato paste
2 chopped tomatoes seedless
S&P to taste
Pine nuts
Peel eggplant,cut into cubes and place in a colander with salt, let stand for about 20 minutes until some of
the liquid has drained off, pat dry. In heavy skillet heat ½ cup olive oil and add celery and onion.saute over low heat for about 5 minutes add eggplant and continue to sauté slowly, may need a little more olive oil if appears to dry. Place vegetables in a casserole dish and add the rest of the ingredients, adding the tomato paste with about 2/3 cup water. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes covered. Can serve warm, room temperature or cold. Can be served as an appetizer with crackers or put on French bread or can be used as a topping for pasta (might need to add a small amount more of olive oil if used on pasta) Great dish, very versatile!
My son-in-law loves eggs. One thing about eggs is that they are
considered parve and can be eaten with milk or meat!
Stuffed Eggs
6 hard boiled eggs
1 tbl. Finely chopped chives
1 tbl. Margarine
1 tbl. Dijon mustard
1 tbl. Mayonnaise (I only use Hellmans)
1 teasp. White horseradish
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel eggs and remove yolks- you can keep the whites in a
bowl of ice water to keep them firm. Mash yolks and add
rest of ingredients, using a pastry tube to add a professional
look place a star tip. And fill cavities with the yolk mixture.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can sprinkle a little paprika
on top for color.
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