R’eih continues the main concern of Deuteronomy, that God’s blessings depend on strict adherence to God’s law, loyalty to God to the exclusion of any other gods or forms of worship, and the centrality of the sacrificial cult at one location which God will choose (presumably Jerusalem). The portion also contains laws on many different topics, including lists of permitted and prohibited animals and the prohibition against ‘seething a kid in its mother’s milk’ – laws from which the Rabbis later developed the laws of kashrut.
Practically since the moment these laws were written, people have speculated as to the rationale behind them. Torah gives no hint, simply that God said so.
Today, people keep kosher, or not, for a variety of reasons. Some do so because they observe as much of Jewish law as possible. Some because their families always kept kosher, and they are continuing the tradition. Some people keep kosher because it turns eating into a mindful experience. Some keep kosher because they believe kosher slaughtering methods are more humane. And of course, many Jews do not keep kosher at all.
Today, there is another school of thought around kashrut – ethical kashrut. Ethical kashrut is based on the assumption that the purpose for the laws of kashrut was to minimize the pain and suffering of animals. Ethical kashrut expands on this idea and focuses on eating practices that minimize the impact on the environment. Vegetarian and vegan diets can be part of ethical kashrut. Buying food that is locally-sourced can be ethical kashrut. Another aspect of ethical kashrut could be advocating for fair labor practices, union rights, living wages, and safe work places for those who labor in the food industry.
For those interested in exploring these and other ideas around incorporating ethics into your eating habits, one resource is The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic by Rabbi Mary Zamore.
-Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
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