Cheeseburgers and the Bet HaMiqdash
Written by Rav Bar-Hayim
A student of mine recently sent me a link to a passionate discussion about the propriety of eating kosher cheeseburgers. The arguments proffered centered around:
Whether religious Jews should eat anything that looks non-kosher
Whether the desire for kosher cheeseburgers indicated a character or spiritual flaw
Whether one should eat in a restaurant at all
Whether one should stick to eating "Jewish food"
I was intrigued by the discussion because it sounded quite familiar. With the exchange of just a few words, it could have been the recreation of the Pesah kitniyot debate (which peaked last year after the Bet Din of Machon Shilo ruled that all Jews may eat kitnyot on Pesah).
On a gastronomic level, the key question is "What is Jewish food?" It is my humble opinion-and that of the Torah and our Sages-that Jewish food is food that is kosher. It doesn't matter whether it looks like Italian spaghetti, Japanese sushi or Yemenite pita bread-which is a close relative of the original matzoth. The only requirement to be Jewish is that it complies with Jewish dietary laws.
On a spiritual level, I find that there is something inherently misguided in the belief that shtetl food is Jewish food, and that it is somehow superior for sustaining our Jewish souls. This outlook seems to indicate a longing for life in the Pale of Settlement. But was that life so wonderful? The shtetl was a terrible place; it was a divine punishment that should not be fondly remembered. It was a life of abject poverty for most, of filth, and of marauding Cossacks. It was a place where our European forefathers did not eat schmaltz on bread because it improved them spiritually, but because they simply couldn't afford a chicken.
Worrying about the propriety of eating kosher cheeseburgers is no different than worrying about eating kitniyot on Pesah. It's a little thing that saps our energy and our vitality; it prevents meaningful debate and discussion about the much more serious issues.
Misplaced Longing
The time has come for us to put aside our longing for life in the Exile and devote ourselves to the gift that HaShem has given us and the opportunity that lies before us. We don't want to sound like our less-than-grateful forebears in the Wilderness after they had left Egypt: "We remember the fish, which we were wont to eat in Egypt for naught; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have naught save this manna to look to." (Bamidbar / Numbers 11:5-6).
It's interesting to note that the foods mentioned could be construed as herring with onion and good old dill pickles-but that's not the point. Leaving the gastronomic debate behind us, we should follow the instructions of the prophet Yeshayahu who speaks and writes of a time when Hashem will bring His people back to His Land (11:12) and says: "Therefore with joy shall you draw water from the wells of salvation" (12:4).
Yonathan Ben Uziel, the author of the Aramaic translation of the Prophets, clarifies this statement by writing: "Therefore with joy shall you receive new teaching from the choice righteous ones." Rashi adds: "Hashem will open their hearts by way of their redemption, and hidden areas of the Torah - that were lost due to their sufferings in Exile - will be revealed to them." And the Radak (Rav David Kimhi) comments: "...because the learning of that time will be an innovation...".
For some, the mere thought of "innovation" is akin to heresy. They come from a school of Torah thought conditioned and taught to view change, any change, as impossible-in contravention to the words of our Sages just mentioned. This school renders itself incapable of providing the intellectual and spiritual leadership necessary for the flowering and growth of Jewish life in Erets Yisrael today, whether it's about kosher cheeseburgers, techelet (blue) fringes on our tzitzith or rebuilding the Temple.
The Reality of Torah in Time and Place
The "new" teaching of Yonathan Ben Uziel is the shift from a purely rational and legalistic level of Torah, based on logical arguments and precedent to a level where intuition and inspiration from Above have a role to play. While the former is the only type of Torah that can be sustained in the Galuth (Exile), the latter can be sustained or developed in Erets Yisrael, especially during the time leading up to final redemption when the blessing from Above is infinitely greater.
Hazal (our Sages of blessed memory) were very much aware of this reality, and went out of their way to bring to our attention the existence of substantially different levels of Torah when practiced in Erets Yisrael or in the Exile.
In the Talmud HaBavli (Sanhedrin 24a) we read: "He has placed me in the dark, like those that are long dead" (Eicha 3:6) - Rav Yirmiyah said "this refers to the Talmud of Bavel [Babylon]"! On this, our teacher Rashi leaves us in no doubt as to its meaning: "Their learning is uncertain."
It is worthwhile to note that Rav Yirmiyah was born in Bavel and came to Erets Yisrael as a young man. He was thus uniquely qualified to discriminate between the Torah of Bavel and that of Erets Yisrael. We are therefore not surprised to find the same Rav Yirmiyah, upon hearing a certain explanation given in Bavel, remarked: "Those foolish Babylonians! It is because they dwell in a land of darkness that they make such dark (incorrect) statements!" (Talmud Bavli, Pesahim 34b). Once again, Rashi is very forthright: "When they do not know the true explanation for something, they come up with incorrect explanations".
Rav Yirmiyah was not alone in his view of the Torah of Galuth. His teacher, Rav Zera, who was also originally from Bavel, fasted 100 fasts upon coming to Erets Yisrael in order to forget his learning from Bavel (Talmud Bavli, Bava Mezia 85a). Rashi states plainly that this refers to the Babylonian Talmud's methodology. We should also note that these statements about the Torah of Bavel are found in the Talmud HaBavli itself. There is no attempt to hide this information (!).
All of the above can only be understood in light of the observation of our Sages on the verses "And the gold of that land is good (Bereshith 2:12) and "There is no Torah like the Torah of Erets Yisrael, and no wisdom like the wisdom of Erets Yisrael" (Bereshith Raba 16,4). The words of Rav Yirmiyah, Rav Zera, and Rashi make it clear that the difference is very real; that this is in no way an exaggeration.
So how does this affect or apply to us?
Rav Zera and Rav Yirmiyah did not live in the days of the Mashiah. Our generation, living in the Third Jewish Commonwealth, is much nearer to those glorious days than they were. We must abandon our preoccupation with non-issues-the kitniyot and the kosher cheeseburgers-and direct ourselves to the reality and truth of our Return to the Land of Israel. We need to open our minds and hearts to a truer appreciation of the wordings and intent of the Torah as we focus on the big questions that form the foundation of a Jewish society in the Land of Israel:
Whether religious Jews should actively seek the reinstitution of the pre-Exilic customs of the Land of Israel
Whether the lack of desire for the Temple indicates a character or spiritual flaw
Whether synagogues should still be saying the prayer for the spiritual centers and Torah academies of Babylon
How we can re-establish institutions such as the Sanhedrin and the Temple in order to "renew our days as of yore".
Topic: Kosher Cheeseburgers and the Temple - Rabbi Daweedh Bar Hayim (Read 1719 times)