GEN1541 R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav: “Why was Joseph referred to as ‘bones’ in his lifetime Genesis 50:25? Because he did not protest on behalf of his father’s honor.  For his brothers said: ‘Your servant, our father,’ and he said nothing to them” [in protest that they referred to his father Jacob as Joseph’s servant].   Sotah 13a TEMIMAH-GEN 173

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GEN1542 Mercy is an extremely noble trait. It is one of the thirteen traits attributed to the Holy One Blessed be He, as it is written Exodus 34:6: “Merciful and gracious.” All that one can do in cultivating this trait, he should exert himself to do.   Just as one would want to be pitied in his time of need, so should he pity others who are in need, as it is written Leviticus 19:18: “And you should love your fellowman as yourself.” The Creator, Blessed be He, dispensed of this trait to His righteous servants as a distinguishing characteristic, as we find with Yosef, whose “mercies were kindled” [this verse].  It befits the wise man that the trait of mercy and graciousness be implanted in his heart all of his days.  TZADIK 141

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GEN1543 Historically the dietary laws (kashrut) have been a way of encouraging Jewish social intercourse and limiting interaction with non-Jews. Dietary rules create boundaries.  This is well illustrated when Joseph eats with his brothers before he reveals his true identify to them [this verse].   Kashrut has played a significant role in connecting Jews to one another and achieving a sense of common identity.  However, disputes about kashrut have created divisions within the Jewish community regarding the creation of boundary lines distinguishing one stream from another or one school of interpretation from the other.   Decisions about dietary restrictions are often grounded in the philosophy of a particular steam.  The best and clearest example comes from classical Reform Judaism and its 1885 Pittsburgh Platform with its thoroughgoing universalism and its rejection of bodily mitzvot.  In rejecting peoplehood, the rejection of kashrut makes complete sense.   Classical Reformers understood how important the dietary laws had been to the past formulations of Judaism and that the new Judaism they were creating required a radical change to symbolize the new philosophy: We hold that all such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate diet, priestly purity, and dress originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state.   They fail to impress the modern Jew with a spirit of priestly holiness; their observance in our days is apt rather to obstruct than to further modern spiritual elevation.  If the goal was integration into society, kashrut was a barrier.   Meals played an important role in nineteenth-century social and business relationships, as they do today.   If the essence of religion is ethical behavior, then what goes into the mouth is not as important as what comes out of the mouth.   This Enlightenment-inspired Reform community wanted to assimilate into educated society and to emphasize ethical behavior.   That legacy shaped Reform Judaism.   Personally, I remember participating in youth group events where the food was deliberately not kasher as a way of emphasizing the ethical dimension of Judaism. (By Peter Knobel, “WHAT I EAT IS WHO I AM: Kashrut and Identity”) SACTAB 439-440 (Continued at [[LEV118]] Leviticus 11:44 holy SACTAB 440-2)

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GEN1544 Eating is a visceral experience. It not only sustains our bodies, but also leaves an imprint on our psyches. Eating is obviously a basic necessity to sustain life, yet eating is also deeply connected to identity. What we eat and what we refrain from eating says a great deal about who we are and how we understand ourselves in relation to other Jews and other human beings. In Torah we have clear regulations about which animals and fish may be consumed and which are prohibited (Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14). Historically the dietary laws (kashrut) have been a way of encouraging Jewish social intercourse and limiting interaction with non-Jews. Dietary rules create boundaries. This is well illustrated when Joseph eats with his brothers before he reveals his true identity to them. The text says [this verse]. Kashrut has played a significant role in connecting Jews to one another and achieving a sense of common identity. However, disputes about kashrut have created divisions within the Jewish community regarding the creation of boundary lines distinguishing one stream from another or one school of interpretation from the other. Decisions about dietary restrictions are often grounded in the philosophy of a particular stream. The best and clearest example comes from classical Reform Judaism and its 1885 Pittsburgh Platform with its thoroughgoing universalism and its rejection of bodily mitzvot. In rejecting peoplehood, the rejection of kashrut makes complete sense. Classical Reformers understood how important the dietary laws had been to the past formulations of Judaism and that the new Judaism they were creating required a radical change to symbolize the new philosophy: “We hold that all such Mosaic and Rabbinic laws as regulate diet, priestly purity, and dress originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state. They fail to impress the modern Jew with a spirit of priestly holiness; their observance in our days is apt rather to obstruct than to further modern spiritual elevation.” [“The Pittsburgh Platform,” 1885, www.ccarnet.org.] (By Peter Knobel, “What I Eat Is Who I Am: Kashrut and Identity”)

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GEN1545 R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav: “One should always enter his lodgings when it is still light and leave on his journey when it is light, as it is written: ‘When the morning dawned, the men were sent on their way’” Pesachim 2a TEMIMAH-GEN 174

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GEN1546 See [[GEN1509]] Genesis 39:9 wickedness CASTLE 1032-4

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