The Shmorg, the famous spread at almost any Jewish celebration that preceeds the main event. Back before I was, as they say, “eco-conscious” this was my favorite part of attending a simcha. The bar, the carving station, sushi, stir-fry, salads, chinese, what more could a hungry young man ask for? And all glatt-kosher no less! Yesterday, when I was blessed to attend the wedding of a close friend from college and my brief stint at yeshiva high-school, I saw the shmorg in a new light. Mountains of meat, piles of fish, and waiters ready to take away your plate just as soon as you put your fork down for a breath, and why not? There’s plenty more where that came from! right?

There is a positive commandment to increase the joy of the bride and groom on their wedding day, hence the extravagance we see at many of today’s celebrations; it’s really not about showing off, we really believe that we’re doing a mitzvah! When I found myself in front of the carving station for my only helping of (surely not organic) pastrami, I had to rationalize that since this cow is already dead, at least let it be eaten by someone who can appreciate both its flavor (top-notch) and the seriousness of what it means to take a life to feed oneself (having slaughtered chickens, I can tell you, it’s not something to take lightly).

At this particular wedding though, a few interactions I had gave me hope. Rabbi Korn, of Chabad at NYU, and I made one last run at the sushi table before the chuppah, in our personal crusade to reduce waste. Running into a former classmate from Yeshiva, a guy who grew up in the New York orthodox world is now eating an almost vegan diet and proudly wore his canvas sneakers (he was the only man at the wedding who wasn’t wearing leather shoes). Another former yeshiva bocher I know told me that he was interested in goat-farming and trying to market kosher organic goat-cheeses. What a blessing it was to be able to encourage him by telling him that it’s happening and there are already Jewish goat farmers who would love to share their stories and knowledge. The conversations I had with a number of friends who said, “Wow, this weather is really starting to worry me… maybe global warming is for real.” The same friends, I might add, who laughed at me six months earlier at the last wedding when I told them they should really go see Al Gore’s movie.

For the main course, I ordered the fish, but yes, I snuck a bite of Dahlia’s prime rib (fantastic, and hopefully worth the guilt). In the end, I felt great after that wedding. My friend the groom was the happiest I’ve ever seen him, the dancing was “off-the-hook” (though separate for ladies and gents), and the caterer was leaving with only a few trays of leftovers, giving me hope that maybe there wasn’t as much waste as I thought. And most importantly, the conversations I had made me feel like there are young Jewish New Yorkers who are starting to wake up to the changes in the world and starting to feel pulled in a new direction.

Happy 2007 to all, may we have a year of joy, celebration, and only good things.