barbara

Guest Writer

Hello, I read Merchant's article in the paper and was very pleased. I'm tired of people giving false information about Judaism, but Merchant's article was very right on target. I'd like to add a bit of information, however. The reason the Torah has kosher laws is because when they originated, they were to keep people healthy. Deep sea seafood was prohibited because before toilets, as disgusting as it may seem, humans released waste into the oceans and these creatures sometimes mistakenly ate it. There are other health reasons for other rules of the kosher diet, but a lot of the reasons are a bit outdated.

As for the no meat and dairy mixed... I have no idea why that was a rule, it would be a good idea for me to look it up! And of course someone would want to mix dairy and meat! Heard of a cheeseburger? :) I couldn't live without those! :)

barbara

p.s. The Times Editor wrote me back, asking if the Torah itself stated that the kosher laws were for health reasons. He's right, it's not stated in the Torah. However, our religion teaches us to analyze what's in the Torah and find out why something is written, instead of saying, "It is because we say so!" By analyzing these laws and having discussions with other people, including Hebrew school teachers, these health reasons came up. :-D