LEV118 (Continued from [[GEN1543]] Genesis 43:32 abhorrent SACTAB 439-440). Biblical law identifies the purpose of kashrut with k’dushah (holiness). As we find at the end of the list of animals that are permitted and prohibited, “You shall sanctify yourself and be holy” (Leviticus 11:44). These eating practices identified those who observed them as belonging to the covenant community that had set itself apart from other communities to serve God. Kashrut’s goal, k’dushah (holiness) is to connect the Jew to God, to primary values, and to the Jewish people, but it is also to make the Jew distinct from his/her neighbors. While this is still the standard rationale for observing kashrut, it was not always a sufficient reason for all thinkers. For example, Maimonides, in Guide of the Perplexed (3:48), suggests that the main reason for kashrut is healthy eating. Modern Jews are still trying to shake the misconception that abstaining from pork is solely to avoid trichinosis. The concept of k’dushah as separation is most clear with respect to Rabbinic kashrut, with its elaborate regulations such as separate meat and dairy dishes and utensils, requiring that foods be certified as kasher by competent authorities, and even requiring the inspection of lettuce to ensure that there are no insects that might be consumed. However, the simple decision of keeping biblically kosher--that is, refraining from pork and/or shellfish, and/or not mixing meat and dairy--makes those who deserve biblical kashrut constantly aware of their identity as Jews and allows those with whom they dine to identify them as Jews. Many liberal Jews find this a satisfying approach to kashrut. Today, and ever-expanding range of culinary identities are being mixed with Jewish ritual law. For example, kashrut may be blended with a vegetarian or vegan diet. This hybrid diet is often observed for reasons of health, as well as Jewish ethics. These practices require greater explanation both for the one who observes and for the outside world. Yet, they are, in fact, fertile soil for creative interpretation of traditional texts and values. As discussed in depth in other chapters in this book, if one wants to emphasize the essential harmony of nature, as exemplified in the story of Creation, vegetarian and vegan diets can be powerful examples of Jewish dietary discipline. In addition, the argument can be made that the vegetable protein that is needed to produce animal protein could best be used to feed more of the world's hungry people. This motivation for vegetarian/vegan kashrut deepens one's identity with social justice issues. Interestingly enough, it is easier for the vegetarian and vegan to make their homes open to more halachically observant Jews. In some ways, the broader food identity can create a greater connection to traditional Jews. The kosher vegetarian or vegan is one of many blended food identities in the Jewish world. Informed by secular dietary and Jewish ethical concerns, as well as by Jewish tradition, many Jews combine kashrut with other values such as concern for the environment, workers’ rights, animal rights, or health. While these, too, requires some conscious explanation, these approaches have the potential for combining both the Jewish universalistic value of concern for all creation with the particularistic value of the special role of the Jewish people of being a “light into the nations.” (By Peter Knobel, “WHAT I EAT IS WHO I AM: Kashrut and Identity”)
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