Rabbi Landsberg's Blog

Kicking the Kitniyot Habit?

For the congregant who told me that her husband ABSOLUTELY refuses to believe that legumes might be kosher l'Pesach--and any others who may choose to begin this culinary debate with their beloved while kashering their utensils--, here is the story:

The debate about the status of legumes is an old one.  Orthodox rabbi Michael Taubes of Teaneck NJ provides a rather detailed summary of the rabbinic debate here.

The Masorti Movement in Israel [Conservative] decreed that legumes ought to be allowed during Pesach, even for Jews of Ashkenazi origin, in order to add joy and pleasure to Pesach.  See the English summary of the relevant responsum here.  More recently, the CCAR [Reform Rabbis] published a responsum on this question, stating that legumes are allowed...though many Reform Jews may choose not to eat them, given the long-standing Ashkenazi custom.

With all this said, what to do?  Personally, I recommend marrying a Jew of Mizrachi origin [for whom there is no debate whatsoever], but if that doesn't work for you:   make the more stringent member of your household responsible for all Pesach cooking and enjoy your peanut-less holiday in peace. 

A Convenient Truth

I am not the sort to justify either Jewish or Israel's existence by citing the number of Nobel Prizes awarded to Jews or the radical technological advances that emanate from Israeli universities and businesses or anything else equally irrelevant.  [We exist because we exist, and we exist because of covenant with HaShem.  Period.] 

So I'm sharing this article from Ha'aretz with no ulterior motive; I simply found it interesting.  If you are concerned about global warming and greenhouse gasses and think ethanol is not the answer, I present to you:  Seaweed--The Fuel of the Future. 

In the Eye of the Beholder

In galleries and museums, I spend an unusual amount of time noticing picture frames:  the ornate, the imposing, the subtle.  I am continually struck by the power of the frame to shape an image and by the artistry needed to see what kind of frame best suits any particular picture.

Thus, my introduction by allusion.   The subject at hand is Jews preventing other Jews from driving on Shabbat.  If I were to frame it by speaking of Jerusalem and stone throwing, I could easily guess your reaction.  Yet, there are other ways of framing this:  see this recent article in The Jewish Chronicle on a Shabbat driving ban being tested in London, England.  The frame is environmentalism, a cause held dear by many liberal folk who might not find it halakhically problematic to drive on Shabbat.  Are the pictures the same in Jerusalem and London?  Yes and no.  Yes, in that both are propelled by Jews concerned about the actions of others.  No, in both their means and their efficacy. 

I think about the ways in which Jewish rituals can remain unchanged over centuries, even as Jews radically reinterpret the meaning behind the action [e.g., briss hasn't changed much over time, but I can't picture Rashi explaining it as this feminist-influenced rabbi does].  Perhaps Britain's Chief Rabbi will be able to influence many Jews toward a more traditional Shabbat observance--not by appealing to tradition or halakhah or threats, but by framing the picture in a way that appeals to more British Jews today.