Voices of WRJ: Sh'mini I

by Marcy Frost Over the years, I have heard many sermons and read various discussions regarding the deaths of Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu. Until I opened my The Torah: A Women’s Commentary to Parashat Sh’mini to read it for myself, I thought that the story of the divine combustion of Nadab and Abihu for creating “alien fire” on the altar filled the entire parashah. As is often the case, the familiar story consumes only three verses in a parashah of more than 90 verses. An entire chapter of Sh’mini is dedicated to “the instructions concerning animals, birds, all living creatures that move in water, and all creatures that swarm on earth, for distinguishing between the impure and the pure, between the living things that may be eaten and the living things that may not be eaten”  (Leviticus, 11:46-47).  Parashat Sh’mini contains the explanation of what kinds of animals, including fish and birds, can be eaten and which are, as we say, t'reif. Reform Judaism teaches us that we should learn and understand the mitzvot in Torah and make an educated decision about whether performing those mitzvot (abiding by the commandments) will make us better people or bring us closer to God. As I became more spiritual and more involved in the Jewish community, I considered whether I wanted to begin keeping kosher even though I was not raised in a kosher home. After much thought, I realized that I did not see a strong enough connection between being a good person and the dietary laws to give up on cheeseburgers, shrimp, and, most importantly, Chinese hot and sour soup made with pork. Without judging anyone else’s personal decision, I have chosen not to keep kosher. This does not mean, however, that all of us who choose to eat t'reif can ignore an entire chapter of Parashat Sh’mini. The chapter serves to remind us that food is an important aspect of our lives (a little too important to some of us!). We learn that food does not just sustain us but it also helps define us. Choosing to keep kosher, avoiding meat altogether, and caring about the conditions under which food is created can help people live what they believe. Making healthy food choices or eating the junk food that fills my diet also says something about who we are (although I shudder to think what that is!). Do you prefer to make dinner at home or let someone else do the cooking and cleaning at a restaurant? Do you choose recipes that help you express yourself? In the “Another View” section of Parashat Sh’mini in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, Diane M. Sharon discusses an anthropological analysis of the rules of kashrut as they relate to the Jewish community’s focus on boundaries. “For biblical Israel, being holy means being set apart. Food prohibitions reflect Israel’s preoccupation with clearly defined categories.” Our ancient focus on food served to separate us, but even without strictures of keeping kosher, there seems to be a different attitude among Jews about food than there is in other faith communities. You know the joke about the meaning of Jewish holidays – “They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat.” Having spent so many years in Women of Reform Judaism, I know to expect food when I get together with my sisterhood or district. Ask any WRJ Board member about our annual meeting, and you are bound to hear about the deli lunch. We serve coffee, fruit, and bagels for morning meetings and desserts and snacks for evening meetings. Shabbat experiences, fundraisers, and speakers routinely include food. How many committee meetings (or even board meetings) have devolved into a conversation about the color of the napkins or the best brisket recipe for an event? In my naïveté, I assumed this obsession with feeding volunteers and members was universal. I learned otherwise when I began doing interfaith work. It took years for me to remember to eat before going to the meetings or else I would be sitting for several hours after the work day with nothing to eat or drink. When I became the chair and introduced food to the meetings of the leadership committee of an interfaith homeless shelter, the reaction from the other volunteers was overwhelming. They were thrilled to have a little snack (though no one knew it was really a “nosh”). When my turn as chair was over, though, we returned to tables filled with paperwork and nothing else. While women’s groups should not be confined to the kitchens or tapped by the congregations only to serve tea at Onegs, we never will and never should separate ourselves from our long history of acknowledging the importance of food to a sense of community. Remember, if you feed them, they will come! Marcy Frost is the WRJ Midwest District Immediate Past President and Temple Israel Sisterhood Past President in Minneapolis, MN. Marcy is a Minnesota State Bar Association-certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist who has been practicing for 22 years. Marcy is married to Mark Ratner and the proud mother of two sons, Joe and Tom.