Thursday, April 19, 2012

Parashat Shemini

I'll be delivering this d'var tomorrow tonight...I'm not sure if I'm done with it just yet.
Shabbat Shalom!

Approximately 13 years ago I became a Bat Mitzvah. I’m the first to admit how much of a nerd I was, and still am. I loved studying my Torah and Haftorah portions, learning how to lead the service, and had a great time arguing with my Rabbi as I developed a D’var Torah about the same parsha that we read this week- Shemini.
                When I was studying for my Bat Mitzvah I was determined to come up with some concrete reason for keeping kosher. I learned quickly that there aren’t really any concrete studies that prove that eating a bacon cheeseburger is bad for you. As a former cheeseburger enthusiast, I know that God doesn’t strike down those who choose to not keep kosher. So then, what’s the point?
As a young teenager the part of Shemini that was most interesting to me was the laws of Kashrut. I’m not really sure why. At 13, I didn’t really keep kosher. Growing up as liberal Jew I didn’t really know anyone who kept kosher in a traditional way. The way I kept kosher has changed as I change as a Jew. In high school I began to keep kosher style by not eating meat with dairy. In the beginning of college I stopped eating non-kosher meat, and by the time I was graduating college I had two separate sets of dishes.
                At first, I really found it meaningful to keep kosher in accordance with Jewish law. I really had to think about what I was eating all of the time because everything was so new to me. As I got used to keeping kosher, I didn’t have to pay attention as much. This mindful eating I had previously experienced basically lost its meaning for me. So why do I still keep kosher? I still like the idea of eating within a Jewish framework. I feel that the way I choose to eat connects me to my Jewish community, the Jewish people and the history of the Jewish people.
                I received the gift of a tanakh from my Rabbi the day I became a Bat Mitzvah. Inside the book he wrote me a note. Unfortunately the book got lost between here and NY when I moved to Greensboro a few years ago so I can’t actually read it to you. What struck me most about his message to me on that day was what he shared with me about kashrut. He did not talk about the significance of keeping kosher. He wrote about the idea of being a kosher person. Keeping kosher doesn’t make us good people. Acting in a kosher way makes us good people.
This weekend we join the greater Jewish community of Greensboro in volunteering for Mitzvah Day. Our continued commitment as a school to tikkun ‘olam helps each of us strive to be kosher people. Different views of Judaism suggest different ways of keeping kosher. All views of Judaism teach that we should always work towards being kosher individuals.  May we all continue on the path of tikkun ‘olam and always find new opportunities to grow as kosher people.