"No, You Can’t Have Those Chick-fil-A Nuggets"

Parashat Shemini, Leviticus 9:1-11:47

Gabriella Kaplan

Ninth-grader Gabi Kaplan of Austin, Texas, is a virtual member of Ruach Israel, Needham, MA.

Kashrut or keeping kosher is something that can be observed at many different levels and in a variety of ways. Throughout the Jewish community, including the Messianic Jewish movement, there are a variety of ways that Jews observe kashrut–from simply avoiding forbidden foods, like shrimp or pork, to keeping a kosher kitchen and separating milk and meat. Growing up, I haven’t really known anything else than keeping kosher in a fairly strict way. We use two different sets of dishes (one for meat and one for dairy), only buy foods with kosher hechshers on them, and eat vegetarian at restaurants. As a teenager, it can be hard to stay committed while fighting societal pressures to break kashrut and grappling with the fear that not everyone will be receptive to my dietary restrictions, especially in Texas, where I live. 

What is Kashrut and where did it come from?

According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, under Dietary Laws, Kashrut is “the collective term for the Jewish laws and customs pertaining to the types of food permitted for consumption and their preparation.” Kashrut has its origins in the Bible, and this week’s Torah portion lays out the basic rules and regulations for keeping kosher. In that chapter, God tells Moses and Aaron to “speak to the children of Israel, saying: These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth” (Lev 11:1-2).

Keeping Kosher as an American teenager

In fifth grade, I was invited to a friend’s birthday party. As with any other fifth grade party, there was bound to be pizza. Knowing that I kept kosher, the parents of the child asked if I ate cheese pizza, and I told them I did. The day of the party came, and all the parents had ordered was pepperoni pizza. I was so confused. The parents came up to me and asked me if I could just pick off the pepperoni. I know they meant well, but that was the very beginning of questioning how keeping kosher played into my Jewish identity and what challenges it would bring in life when socializing. 

Variations of the pizza story happen all the time, not just to me but to most people who keep kosher. In Texas, barbeque culture is huge, and if you don’t own a grill or eat meat, everywhere you go, you risk the chance of being socially ostracized solely because you can’t eat the meat they are serving you. When you are invited over to someone's house, it can be extremely hard to tell them that you keep kosher because it feels like you are putting too much pressure on them to buy kosher meat, or make something vegetarian (God forbid!), when in reality non-kosher meat (especially pork in Texas) is a huge part of everyone's lives.

Another big thing in Texas (and the South) is Chick-fil-A. It seems that most people eat it multiple times a week and have no idea what to do when Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays. When I tell people I have never eaten a Chick-fil-A nugget or chicken sandwich, because it is non-kosher chicken (I have had their fries, and they definitely live up to the hype), they are shocked. In our culture, I find such a disconnect from the people with dietary restrictions and the people without. People who don't have dietary restrictions (not just kosher, but also dairy free, gluten free, etc.), in my opinion, don't quite understand people with dietary restrictions.  

Why do I choose to keep kosher? What does Scripture say?

Personally, I keep kosher not just because I grew up that way but also because I know it is what God says to do, and I feel more connected to him when I do. One of the last verses in Leviticus 11 is “For I am Adonai your God. Therefore, sanctify yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy” (v. 44). In this context, holiness is something that can be achieved by keeping kashrut, and as the Lord is holy, we can find that same holiness in ourselves. 

The Italian-Jewish commentator Ovadiah Sforno paraphrases this verse: “It is no more than appropriate that you do all this to attain this level of holiness in order to carry out my will; for indeed when I took you out of Egypt this was expressly in order for you to achieve this spiritual level and for me to be your God, a God to whom you could relate directly without any intermediary.” Sforno points out that by following what God says, specifically regarding kashrut, we can grow closer to him and cultivate a relationship with him. 

Why do I think it's a good thing for Messianic Jews to keep kosher?

There are many things that can bring us closer to God: praying, worshiping, and following his commandments such as kashrut. As you have read in Leviticus 11, God wants us to keep kosher in order to grow closer to him and live a holy lifestyle. One other main reason I think we should keep kosher is to relate to the broader Jewish community. If we want to identify with the non-Messianic Jewish community and be hospitable to more religious Jews, who only eat in kosher kitchens, we ourselves should keep kosher, not just to show them that we are a part of the Jewish community but to show them that we care about cultivating our relationship with the Lord. 

Societal pressures and dealing with harder conversations about kashrut as a teenager (and at any age) can be stressful and hard to navigate, but in the end it is all worth it. Bringing yourself closer to God and the rest of the community can be beneficial in the long run, and it is a great way to start cultivating a healthier, holier, and long-lasting relationship with the Lord.