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            Without attempting to justify or elaborate, the Torah gives a lengthy list of foods which are Kosher and those which are not. Since very early in our history, Kashrut laws have been at the very center of our heritage.  The Rabbis classified these laws as “Hukim”, laws that had to be obeyed although they transcend human understanding. This did not, however, inhibit the desire to understand just what might be the reasons that G-d commanded these laws. One such speculation is found in the medieval work Sefer Ha Chinuch.  “G-d knows that in all foods prohibited to the chosen people, elements injurious to the body are found. For this reason, G-d removed us from them so that the souls can do their function.”              The problem with such a viewpoint is that it implies that G-d only cares about the Jews.  If these foods are injurious to the health of the individual, why did G-d only forbid them to the Jewish people?  Isn’t G-d the Creator of All, and doesn’t G-d care about all of His creatures?              Others put forth the opinion that the dietary laws are compensation for unsanitary conditions that existed at the time the Torah was given.   If the Jews of the Torah had invented refrigerators, goes this theory, there would have been no need for Kashrut laws.  As if you needed a law to tell you not to eat spoiled meat!              Maimonides puts forth another reason for the laws of kashrus. “The Dietary Laws train us in the mastery over our appetites; they train us to restrain the growth of our desire and the tendency to consider the pleasure of eating and drinking as the purpose of man’s existence.”  This reason is related to the health issue.  If we do not exercise restraint in eating, obesity and the resulting diabetes, heart problems, and other health problems are more likely to affect our lives. From a psychological perspective, adherence to dietary laws allows one to experience self-mastery and self-control.  In a society where we are encouraged to consume as much as we can, isn’t voluntarily submitting to restrictions an attractive quality?  There are other reasons we might choose to follow the Jewish dietary laws. We may do so out of an affirmation of our Jewish identity.  We may do so as a reminder that humankind should not have total domination over other creatures. Keeping kosher also may make us more aware of what we are eating, helping us to be more mindful of each moment and experience in our lives. Kosher slaughter rituals also reinforce the sanctity of life, even as we are taking it. Death, even of an animal, should not be taken lightly. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin understands our dietary laws to have a different purpose. He writes that “dietary laws are intended to teach us compassion and lead us gently into vegetarianism.” The Biblical ideal, according to this idea, is vegetarianism. Adam and Eve are given “every seed-bearing plant and every tree with fruit” for food, but not animals. According to the Bible, only after Noah did G-d permit meat to the human being.  The book of Leviticus limits the consumption of meat to the precincts of the Tabernacle. That’s right – an animal could only be slaughtered and eaten in the context of worship. Only in the book of Deuteronomy does the Torah make a concession – if you are living in the Land of Israel, and live far from the Temple, is one is allowed to slaughter and eat meat on one’s own, outside of the context of Temple worship. Perhaps the Torah has the right idea – that meat consumption should be allowed, but limited. It has been argued that our current rate of meat consumption is contributing to the degradation of our environment.  Livestock production is the second greatest source of greenhouse gases, after petroleum production. Twenty percent of greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global warming, come from this source. From 1950 to 2000, the world’s population doubled, but our livestock population increased five-fold. Ten billion animals are killed in the United States each year to feed us. To maintain a healthy diet, experts recommend that individuals eat no more than one half a pound of meat a week. Americans eat an average of half a pound of meat per day!    Is there some compromise one can make between being a vegetarian for those of us who do not want to give up meat?  Aaron Potek, a New York City rabbinical student, has a website called mooshy.org.  MOOSHY, which stands for “Meat On Only Shabbat, Happy Occasions, and Yomtov”, is an organization which advocates for limiting meat consumption to special days in the Jewish calendar in order to promote Jewish values and conscious eating. In fact, Maimonides, in the 12th century, wrote that it was enough for a healthy person to eat meat once a week on Friday night.  Maimonides, however, did not have a web site, and so you probably never heard of this idea.  You can, however, now go to www.mooshy.org and read about it now.  On this Earth Day we can improve our own health and the health of Planet Earth by paying attention the eternal wisdom of the Torah. Shabbat Shalom

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