Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Why Eat Kosher?

Q: What is the difference between kosher candy and non kosher candy what is so bad about it? is it made out of any specific ingredients that are very unhealthy what happens when someone eats non kosher candy?

A: A candy would be non kosher if it has ingredients (such as fat or juices) from a non kosher animal.


Our rabbis tell us that when a person eats something that is not kosher, it is "
metamtem halev" which means it stuffs up the heart and prevents the person from being able to accept spirituality on a deeper level. If someone is having a hard time with their Judaism, many times they will be told to be extra careful with the foods that they eat - to make sure they are certified kosher by a good, upstanding rabbi.

The reasons behind eating kosher are many but one of the elements behind it is that there are certain spiritual characteristics of the animal that enter a person's soul when they eat from the non kosher animal. There are specific impurities in animals that make them spiritually unhealthy for human consumption. This means that when a Jewish person eats something that comes from a non kosher animal, the spiritual deficiencies, those negative character traits that the animal possesses can enter the person's heart and have a dangerous spiritual effect on them!


Someone who is struggling with her Torah observance can take upon herself to be extra careful with the foods she eats, always making sure that it is certified by a good rabbi and then they may start to see that they will be able to accept Torah and mitzvos on a deeper and better level and their struggles may get a little easier!

2 comments:

  1. this is good. I needed to hear this.

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  2. Each one of your posts is incredible!
    I heard a shiur about this -- how often times, if someone is having spiritual issues, it's either bc of kashrut issues or lashon hara.

    It's very difficult, yet easy, in our generation bc on one hand, we have so many kosher supermarkets, restaurants, and hechsherim. On the ther hand - that's what makes it difficult! There are SO many.

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