We’re coming at kosher from all directions now…. an eco-kosher hechsher from the Conservative movement might make it harder for folks who need an Orthodox hechsher to find good eco-groovy food! Kosher is about limits on desire and has nothing to do with factory farming! We’re not sure if Aitan’s goat cheese is kosher, with a big or little K, or just plain awesome…

But what I want to know is: why do you keep kosher?

Tradition meets modernity, round 5767. And I don’t think it’s just a fad. How we eat and why we eat is a question that is driving us crazy these days, and may end up leading to some real changes in our food systems 25 years from now, Jewish and otherwise.

As we are proceeding with all these questions, I want to put some more oomph in this discussion. Why do we keep kosher in the first place? What are our own stories?

Personally, I do not keep kosher, didn’t grow up with it, and don’t feel particularly bound by it - though as I’m learning more one idea that is resonating with me quite strongly is the idea of limiting desire: I can’t just have everything I want, just because I want it. Shopping at the farmer’s market has had this effect — if it’s Tuesday or Thursday, I’m not going to buy bread, because there’s no market near me on those days. I’m enjoying this experience of pulling back.

But this is a pretty small, and un-traditional, piece of kashrut real estate. If we’re going to have this conversation, and we all come from such different places, let’s get that on the table! I invite you to comment and answer the question: Why do you keep kosher?