Could Kosher Be Cool?

Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
April 14, 2023 • 24 Nissan 5783 • Parshas Shmini (Lev 9-11) • The 9th Day of the Omer

The purpose of this email is to feed hungry souls at the Shabbat table. Please share.

Could Kosher Be Cool?

Last time, I invited you to ponder the meaning of a Christian Passover Seder.

This wee, let's contemplate the meaning of avoiding chametz (leavening) for a week.

Every once in awhile, a Jewish person says to me, "I could never keep kosher - I don't want to be limited in what I can eat."

My standard reply: "OK."

But let's dig a little deeper.

What's wrong with limiting what you can eat?

Think about what just happened over the past week-and-a-half. Millions of Jews around the world voluntarily avoided eating anything leavened - bread, pasta, etc. And millions more (mainly their children) did so under coercion. 

Try asking this at your table: What's the point of that?

In a Jewish discussion forum, someone posted the following post-Passover question:

How many slices of pizza did you eat last night?

Here are some sample responses:

"Like six slices bro I loved it."

"I'll be having my pizza or as many loaves of bread I can stuff down my gullet come sunset!"

"Pizza last night, this morning and for lunch."

"Three pieces. I ate my veggies but I also ate three pieces. I feel large."
"3 slices of French bread pizza that gave me acid reflux."

For your table: What's your reaction to these quotes? Is rushing to eat pizza after Pesach an extension of the holiday spirit, or does it somehow countermand the spirit of the holiday?

Maybe more fundamentally: What's the purpose of avoiding chametz for a week?

Here's how someone explains it: giving up chametz for a week is analogous to giving up shellfish or cheeseburgers - it's an act of self-discipline to exercise the I-don't-have-to-eat-everything-like-an-animal muscle — I can control myself. Without such a system in place, I myself wouldn't do so consistently. And if everyone made up their own set of "kosher" rules, nobody would be able to eat together.

Last question for your table: Are the alleged benefits of not eating chametz for a week or not eating shellfish worth it? Could kosher be cool?


Shabbat Shalom



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