I must say that I am a Jew who tries his utmost to truly be kosher, as best as one may do so living with family members who do not observe such stringent ideas of dietary law. That said, I do not currently visit any of the non kosher restaurants and I can not claim to be the highest degree of kashrut. You didn't think that a fellow like myself who once dined on the worst of the treif would someday be absolutely impeccable in his entire observane? Or did you? If you did, I can only report to you that I do not anticipate that I will be that person for you. But that said, there are some heresies in the jewish community that I will touch upon in this thread on the blog.
It has long been discussed that the "appearance" of impropriety is impropriety. That is true of course, right? But that said, is missing a beat as a kosher yearning human being really "impropriety"? Is it ungodly or unorthodox to make an error in your daily activity, even once or a few times? Perhaps you can not keep the kitchen to the kosher standards of the ideas of the Orthodox Union. Perhaps you are out and about, are quite hungry and may in fact stop by say Wendy's or another unacceptable restaurant by this standard and perhaps you had say a coke or say french fries or other non kosher item but clearly something that is not going to destroy your entire existence as a human being and not invalidate your humanity as a Jew.
It is clearly not the intent of me to espouse the idea that we are fine with eating the items there were not validated by a kosher authority. I am clearly not perfect, though I admit I am quite stringent and do not go out to restaurants or eat about the town.
That said, I went to Wendy's for the first time in many many moons and had myself a medium order of french fries yesterday. It was not a horrible experience. I did not feel that our Creator was angry with myself. I did not feel that my own mystical or spiritual nature was interrupted or corrupted at any significant length. In fact, my very soul ENJOYED the french fries. I recalled the times that I once enjoyed my old favorite the Spicy Chicken Sandwish and I realize that one day I will more than likely visit that place again and indeed I imagine I will eat another one of these items. It will not be a kosher cut of chicken and I must admit kosher cuts are all that I eat today. But that said, I can not think that my Creator is going to extinguish my flame in the world to come due to a really inherent desire to eat a non kosher cut of a kosher animal.
That said, you can be assured that I most certainly do not believe that I will ever again touch a clam, an oyster, a crab or lobster, or the horrible sine qua non of treif meals- the pork helping. That is not going to be my plan in any such said way at any length or ever. I admit that once I had a "taste" for these 'meats' but today I am completely cured of any such said interest of adding the 'delicacy' to my palate and G-d forbid not my entire being, body, soul, spirit or mystical life form. That is not ever on the menu and I hope to my Creators Name that I never have any of that intrusion into my life of any such product that is shared on this planet.
I no longer go out for sushi which being fish is clearly acceptable. But that said, I am probably again going to someday visit a treif sushi restaurant and eat only the fish. Certainly there is cross contamination. I do not believe that ones being may enjoy any of the products of a treif item. But that said, the world is not a perfect simple or orthodox orientated place to live. I must say that sushi is not my craving today, but perhaps another day I may realize that I wish to touch my tongue to the said item and enjoy the health benefits of fish and rice and wasabe and the like.
I am only afforeded about 5 kosher eateries which are all over almost 30 minutes of my home by way of the likley sometimes dangerous expressway to another nearby community. I do not believe that it is my Creator's intent to place my life in a place of residence that is without said eateries and keep me in my home for the rest of my days in town.
So I suppose a day will come that I will again be the Jew with the peyos (shorter now- only down to the base of my ear) and tzitzis and a nice beard with a head that is covered with a kippah that goes to a non kosher authorized place of dining and eats with his family who does not keep the entire Jewish standards of dietary law as perfect as say the fellows in the ChaBaD or maybe other well respected orthodox Jewish persons in this world.
It is not also an averra I perhaps must add in my own mind that an orthodox Jew may indeed visit a "treif" restaurant such as McDonalds to use the bathroom or other necessity. It has always been discussed that no Jew should ever show his or her face in any such place as the rest of the Jewish community will "think" automatically that he is just there to EAT the TREIF food. So there are many Jewish people who fear the act of going to a non orthodox restaurant or faciltiy where food is served that is not meeting the kosher standard. This is heresy in my opinion. I do not believe that our Creator is angry that we may trek into say an Arby's to use the restroom and releive our needed personal needs. This is foolish to consider that one must not appear to be "unkosher" in his day. We do not keep kosher for appearances do we? We do it becuase its a law of our being and we must be righteous and have a true CONSTITUTION.
That said, I offer this to you. To eat non kosher food is a Sin. But it is not a sin against your fellow man, your God or your soul. It is a sin agasint your Constitution. It deprives your human make up as a Jew of the right substance to make you truly orthodox and perfect in your Constitution. Constitutional perfection can indeed be acheived, though one must admit that in ones lifetime, even if Frum From Birth as it may be, you may infact ingest something that was Treif. Perhaps it was a bug of a smallest size that got into your salad or other item. Perhaps it was something in a piece of fruit. Do you really think our Creator believe that our entire nation will completely be perfect in Constitution in EVERY microscopic and micromolecular way? I can not think so and I just say live and do your best to follow all of the laws you know to be true.
Thanks.
And,
Good eating! Thanks!
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