A Higher Moral Standard

Yom Kippur 5767

by Rabbi Jared Saks

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I remember a commercial that used to be on television for acid reflux medicine. In it, the waiter shared the dinner specials and everyone seemed intrigued except for the one guy at the table who gets heartburn. He didn’t hear the waiter’s elaborate description of the delicious food. Instead, he imagined the waiter describing how it would melt the buttons off his shirt and burn his esophagus. When I hear the specials in a restaurant, it’s not about my esophagus. For me, it goes something like this:
Tonight, we are featuring a New York steak cut from a cow raised in a vast feedlot, getting little exercise and living among piles of manure, the perfect breeding ground for E. coli. And, on our children’s menu tonight, we have “small pieces of reconstituted chicken, composed mainly of white meat, that are held together by stabilizers, breaded, fried, frozen, then reheated.”
Who would want to eat that? Well, most of us actually, if we don’t stop to think about how our food gets to our table.
As Jews, the celebration of our traditions revolves around food. All of our holidays seem to be about food. Our holidays fit into one category or the other. Either, they oppressed us, we won, let’s eat; or, we sinned, we reconcile with God through fasting, okay, let’s eat. Today, in case you haven’t guessed, falls into the latter category. And each of our holidays has its own foods, like Passover and parsley. Why do we eat parsley at Passover? Not because it goes nicely with salt water. We eat parsley at Passover because parsley is a Spring food.
Our holidays used to raise awareness of the natural cycle; however, mass production of food today provides summer figs in Fall and winter squash in Spring, separating us from the agricultural cycle of our holidays and of our food. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi teaches that all too often, we separate ourselves from uncomfortable circumstances; for instance, “from the sick (who are sent off to medical centers), from the old (who are hidden away in nursing homes), from the mentally imcompetent (who are likewise ‘put away’), and also [we separate ourselves] from the suffering of slaughtered animals which is now likely to occur thousands of miles away from where a chicken or a pound of hamburger is purchased at the supermarket, pre-wrapped in the same clear plastic and white tray as an eggplant or a bunch of broccoli.”
In our society, we have forgotten the meaning of food. Ignoring the quality of our food is un-Jewish. Ignoring how our food gets to our tables is un-Jewish. And simply keeping kosher is not necessarily a complete solution. Kosher poultry factories today are no better than non-kosher ones. They’re filled with a hundred or so shochtim, kosher butchers, and thousands of chickens, which are herded inside screeching, only to emerge moments later as tidy little bundles ready for transportation.
In the past, certain ritual acts ensured an awareness of the sanctity of our food. It is tempting to look back to those days of old. However, we no longer bring the live animal to the butcher for slaughter before us. We don’t witness the sacred and skillful act of sh’chitah, ritual slaughter. These acts ensured that the animal was brought to the dinner table in acknowledgement of God’s presence, even in a moment of slaughter. Like the witnessed act of sh’chitah, regular recitation of Birkat ha-Mazon, the blessing we recite after we have eaten, teaches us that in God’s goodness, God nourishes the world b’chein, b’chesed u-v’rachamim, with grace, kindness and mercy. Without these constant reminders, it is easy to take our food for granted.
Why would I talk about eating today, on Yom Kippur? “We usually don’t think of eating as a matter of ethics. Stealing, lying, hurting people—these acts are obviously relevant to our moral character.” But eating? And specifically eating, not just the subject of food. I could impress upon you the importance of the impact food has on you, but that’s not the point. What I intend to discuss with you today is how your food choices impact others, and what that means about your relationship with God.
If you could excuse me for just one moment… [Sit. Change from leather to canvas or other animal-friendly shoes.] One of the prohibitions on Yom Kippur is the wearing of leather shoes. “Rabbi Moses Isserles (1520-73), the great medieval codifier of Jewish law, explained the practice of not wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur as an expression of concern for animal welfare. On the holiest day of the year we are to shed the symbol of our predatory nature, the shoes which were made from the skin of a living creature … On the holiest day of the year, according to Isserles, we ought to reach out for a higher moral standard.”
In Exodus 23:19, our tradition teaches us Lo-t’vasheil g’di bachaleiv imo, You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. From this verse, our tradition developed separation of milk and meat; however, our tradition, through layers of values, has extended the range of this commandment.
In his commentary, Ibn Ezra, the 12th century Spanish Bible commentator, teaches us that cooking a kid in its mother’s milk applies not only to goats, but to all animals. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the word g’di is paired with terms indicating it simply means ‘young:’ the young of the goats, sheep or cattle. Ibn Ezra then teaches us that slaughtering an animal on the same day as its young or taking a mother bird with her young are acts of cruelty. Cooking a young animal in its mother’s milk is not only in violation of Jewish law, it is an act of cruelty. When the food we eat has been treated cruelly, it is forbidden to us, even if it’s slaughtered according to kashrut, Jewish dietary law, because the respect for and the well-being of the animal are just as important as the precise method used in slaughtering it.
Any being that can suffer has an interest in not suffering. And suffering is different than pain. Chickens on factory-farms, for example, are in pain because the crowded cages cause their feathers to fall out, leaving their raw skin exposed to the wire cages. They also suffer. Their basic instincts are frustrated. They can’t stretch their wings or lay their eggs in nests. Did you know that on the factory-farms of the vast majority of American egg-producers, the space allocated per hen ranges from a mere 48 [Hold up 48 sq. in. card.] to 72 [Hold up 72 sq. in. card.] square inches, less than a sheet of typing paper? We have to recognize suffering, as well as pain, because animal do have other needs than the need to avoid physical pain.
Ibn Ezra further teaches us about the prohibition regarding eating any animal that has died a natural death or any animal found dead. If someone doesn’t know that the meat has been slaughtered according to Jewish law, the meat simply can’t be eaten, just as much as one cannot eat food that has not been cooked in accordance with Jewish law. In fact, Ibn Ezra teaches us, if the meat has not been slaughtered properly or cooked properly, the butcher or the cook, respectively, has violated the commandment, even if he himself hasn’t eaten the meat.
Just as those who keep kosher will not eat food if they are unsure of how it has been prepared; so, too, we cannot eat food if we aren’t fully aware of how it was treated before arriving at our tables. Even animals slaughtered in kosher slaughterhouses are treated cruelly. For me, the hechsher, the kosher certification, isn’t enough to make this kosher meat.
In explaining kashrut to non-Jewish friends of mine, I try to clear up the misconception that the food is somehow ‘blessed.’ Instead, kashrut requires close supervision of the slaughter and preparation of food. The blessings we offer when we eat are not for the food, but for God, who gave us the food. And in our blessings, when we praise God, we don’t say, “who put bread in plastic bags and put it on the supermarket shelves.” We attempt to remind ourselves that the bread we eat comes from the earth, that the wine we drink comes from the vine, and that it is God who has created a vast variety of foods. According to our blessings, God is inherently part of how we are fed. Somehow, though, we have allowed God to be removed from the production of food and its arrival at our tables.
We used to be a pastoral people, shepherding flocks. We ate meat, lived in tents made of animal skins, and drank from leather flasks. We’ve just read from a Torah written on parchment paper made from animal skin. We wear tefillin made of leather, and blow a shofar made from a ram’s horn. We treat these sacred objects with the utmost respect. So too, the animals from which they have come must receive at least the same respect. The holiness of these sacred objects is in question if the lives and deaths of the animals from which they have come are less than holy.
In high school, I tried being a vegetarian, even a vegan for some time. I avoided eating red meat for many years after that. Ultimately, though, I had to admit that I am a meat eater. Physiologically, we’re all meat eaters. Without vitamin B12, found primarily in animal products, and believed to be ineffective in plant-based foods, we put ourselves at risk in our production of red blood cells and in the maintenance of our nervous systems, at risk of anemia and irreversible neurological damage. Sure, vegetarians can acquire B12 from vitamins and fortified foods; however, these methods are often considered less effective than obtaining B12 from animal products.
With the help of modern science, being a vegetarian might be ideal for the treatment of animals. So many of us, though, cannot make that kind of commitment. I began eating red meat again when I moved to Israel for my first year of rabbinical school. It was at that time that I also began keeping kosher. Each time I sat down to eat, I remembered that I was part of a special people, that even the simplest act of eating was a holy experience for me, connecting me to God.
Then, I read Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation. My world crumbled. To be honest, I picked up the book thinking, “I don’t eat fast food, it won’t bother me.” Well, I was wrong. The horrors of the meat industry, strongly influenced by fast food companies, reach far beyond the doors of the neighborhood burger joint. All of the animals we eat are treated cruelly. Here, a respectable author was telling me that keeping kosher, a choice I felt connected me with God, was just as bad as if I weren’t keeping kosher.
I learned that organic, free-range meat was better for the animals. Anyone who has owned a dog knows that when a dog’s stomach is upset, he’ll eat grass to settle his stomach. “In her book, The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, author, herbalist and long-time dog breeder Juliette de Bairacli Levy writes: ‘I am always amazed at the way my Afghan Hounds have selected their medicinal plants, shrubs and trees, and know where to find them and how to use them. By use, I mean the amount to be eaten to serve its purpose. Mostly their use is as a laxative or to promote vomiting, and they know exactly how much to eat to achieve one or the other effect.’” Animals know how to take care of their bodies, what to eat in order to stay healthy. Free-range farms allow animals to wander freely, develop properly, and eat a diet that is appropriate for their health and well-being. A healthier animal produces more healthful meat. Animals raised in unhealthy settings create situations ideal for contamination and disease.
In response to the Mad Cow Disease epidemic in Great Britain in the mid-1990s, the Food and Drug Administration imposed new rules. These rules prevented cattle protein from being present in cattle feed. Wait. Cattle feed contained cattle protein? Cows were eating cows? Now wonder they were mad.
In spite of these measures, as we know, over ten years after the FDA’s new guidelines, Mad Cow Disease and E. coli still trouble our food industry. Part of it is that the FDA’s plan doesn’t ban the use of animal proteins in the feeds of other animals. Cows are herbivores. They do not have teeth intended for chewing meat. Nor do they have digestive systems designed to digest animal products. And no matter how finely one grinds chicken by-products, cows still aren’t meant to eat them. But cows do. Cattle protein contains ground chicken by-products from chickens that have been fed cattle protein. Until 2004, cattle blood could still be present in cattle feed. Meat that bears the USDA seal labeling it as organic is held to a higher standard. One must be able to trace the meat from the range to the dinner table without a break in the process. Just try to find out the origin of your Tyson chicken breasts.
The only sure way to avoid eating tainted animal by-products is to avoid eating animals that may have consumed them. The only way to avoid diseases like E. coli and Mad Cow Disease in our meats is to eat organic, free-range meat. Unfortunately, though, there is no organic, free-range, kosher beef available on this continent. Somehow, avoiding animal cruelty through organic, free-range herding is something that conflicts with kashrut in the beef industry in our country. Organic, free-range meat isn’t only better for the animals. It’s better for us, too. E. coli, Mad Cow Disease, salmonella, and countless other food-borne diseases are often directly related to the environment in which the animals are raised and the feed they’re given.
Ultimately, my dismay after reading Fast Food Nation led me to stop keeping kosher. I would rather have organic, free-range chicken at a health-conscious restaurant than have a pastrami sandwich at a kosher deli. It seems to me that if keeping kosher is about God’s presence in even such ordinary acts like eating, then the meal that keeps the animal’s well-being in mind is much more of a kosher meal than the one with the hechsher.
Keeping kosher was no longer enough, because simply keeping kosher, to me, was un-Jewish. I have found myself on a journey that, while living in New York City, led me to find organic, free-range kosher poultry. But I can’t get that here in Minnesota. I continue to hope that it will one day be more widely available. Since leaving the convenience of New York City, I have let my eating habits become less thoughtful. Today, I pledge, once again, to be more aware of what I consume and how it gets to my table. Whenever possible, I will only eat organic, free-range meat, even if it’s not kosher. If it’s not available, I will strive to choose a vegetarian option. In the meantime, I hope to continue to create a demand for organic, free-range kosher meat so that one day, I might feel comfortable keeping kosher again.
And now, I ask for a commitment from you. Let’s make organic, animal-friendly food a priority in our community. We should not be comfortable keeping kosher if kosher meat is not organic and not free-range. Be concerned about the animal products you eat and the welfare of the animals from which your food has come. Our actions have direct consequences. There are consequences for partaking in food that ignores the presence of God. In order to serve God fully, we must respect God’s creation. When you purchase meat, purchase organic meat whenever possible. If you keep kosher, create a demand for kosher, organic meat. Ask for it where you shop, even though you now know it doesn’t exist. This will help create hype and demand. The next time you consume eggs, consume cage-free eggs. The next time you celebrate Jewish tradition with food, honor God with the food you choose to eat.
May we all be inspired to honor God even in ordinary daily acts, such as eating. And may these small, simple steps help us to gain a greater understanding of our role in God’s creation. Ken y’hi ratzon, May this be God’s will. Shanah Tovah.

Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2002, p. 140.
Zalman Schachter. “Forward,” Vegetarianism and the Jewish Tradition. New York: Ktav Publishing, 1982, p. xiii.
Peter Singer and Jim Mason, The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter. Rodale, Inc., 2006, p. 3.
Ben Zion Bokser, Judaism: Profile of a Faith. New York: Knopf, 1963, pp. 170 f., as cited in Isaac Klein, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice. New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1992, pp. 210-211.
Leviticus 22:28
Deuteronomy 22:6
Peter Singer in Elliott Ratzman’s “Feast or Famine,” Heeb Magazine. Fall 2006, p. 47.
Deuteronomy 14:21 and Leviticus 22:8
Schacter, p. xv.
The Vegetarian Society, Information Sheet: Vitamin B12, http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html.
Terri Perrin, “Why do Dogs Eat Grass,” http://www.thepetprofessor.com/pring.aspx?id=214.
“Government Bans Cattle Blood in Feed,” The New York Times, January 26, 2004.