We’ve been asking the question: why do you keep kosher?

From the Illustrated Balabusta’s Best, 1955:

The secret of Israel’s survival in the past was the beauty and integrity of the Jewish fireside. There is no doubt that the chief bulwark of the Jew in a rapidly changing modern world must continue to be found in the high spiritual calibre of his home life. Whatever makes Jewish domestic life more attractive and enhances its appeal to the upgrowing generation, is a welcome contribution to the stability and morale of the Jewish people….

…Kashruth is more than a matter of health and sanitation. It is a state of mind in the form of a traditional religious ritual or sacrament which has served as a powerful moral link binding the Jew to his heritage throughout the centuries.

Rabbi Louis D. Gross, Editor, The Jewish Examiner.

I like his reasoning. When I hunt for my whys, it’s always for other people, for my girlfriends, for The Boy, so they can feel comfortable eating in my house. …which has prompted me to do nothing at all.

The moral dimension R. Gross highlights is powerful to me, though: kashruth is a sacrament connecting me to my heritage.

This what The Boy said, albeit far less eloquently, when I pressed him: “It’s who I am.”