Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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Are you sure her version of "half-kosher" involves occasionally eating pork? Because that is indeed weird. The people I know who half-observe Kashrut law are usually pretty consistent in terms of the types of animals they will and won't eat, but less picky than strict-Kosher people about where they eat it and things like that.


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my middle sister was a strict vegan for 5 years, but ate bacon once a year on her birthday because bacon is good.

my oldest sister's family is modern orthodox (not exactly sure what that means) and they keep strict kosher in their house. but, when my sister isn't with her husband and kids and is hanging out with the rest of our non-practicing family she doesn't always follow kosher laws.

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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Lastly, (this is not a rhetorical or smart ass question) how do you think your mother should have raised you in regards to your Jewish heritage?

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I think she should've introduced me to it and let me make my own decisions. Most of the sunday schoolers my age were as apathetic as I was, but not all of them.

The idea that religion is just a steady line from birth to old age is ridiculous. Faith gets continually drained and renewed if you are going about religion correctly. You have to ask tough, introspective questions and be honest with yourself. Religious teachings are sometimes murky, but that's part of why they can be so extrapolable to modern times, I think.

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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my middle sister was a strict vegan for 5 years, but ate bacon once a year on her birthday because bacon is good.

my oldest sister's family is modern orthodox (not exactly sure what that means) and they keep strict kosher in their house. but, when my sister isn't with her husband and kids and is hanging out with the rest of our non-practicing family she doesn't always follow kosher laws.

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I don't know you or your sister, but I find this unbelievably aggravating.

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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my middle sister was a strict vegan for 5 years, but ate bacon once a year on her birthday because bacon is good.

my oldest sister's family is modern orthodox (not exactly sure what that means) and they keep strict kosher in their house. but, when my sister isn't with her husband and kids and is hanging out with the rest of our non-practicing family she doesn't always follow kosher laws.

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I don't know you or your sister, but I find this unbelievably aggravating.

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what exactly aggravates you about this? seems strange to me that eating habits of strangers can get you worked up.

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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my middle sister was a strict vegan for 5 years, but ate bacon once a year on her birthday because bacon is good.

my oldest sister's family is modern orthodox (not exactly sure what that means) and they keep strict kosher in their house. but, when my sister isn't with her husband and kids and is hanging out with the rest of our non-practicing family she doesn't always follow kosher laws.

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I don't know you or your sister, but I find this unbelievably aggravating.

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what exactly aggravates you about this? seems strange to me that eating habits of strangers can get you worked up.

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Because it's the same thing my mom does. It's conscious hypocrisy. If you believe in something enough to follow it 364 days a year, why would you give in on the 365th? Nobody ever says "I'm celibate, except for my annual trip to the Vegas whorehouses."

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

For many people, the spirit of the law is more important than the word of the law. I'm Jewish, I pick and choose which traditions I follow and observe many of them in ways that would be considered inadequate by many (like I eat corn products during Passover even though I'm Ashkenazi). I don't feel this detracts from my observance of the holiday because the act of sacraficing something during the week of Passover in order to observe the holiday is what matters to me.

The reality is that many of the rules were written thousands of years ago. I'm sure in year 7000, if there's still a USA, they won't be following the same constitution we're following now, word for word. That doesn't make the hypocrits. It means they've adapted. Hopefully they'd still have many of the same fundamental beliefs about freedom of religion, speech, press, etc. But they might do things very differently to accomplish the same ideals.

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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For many people, the spirit of the law is more important than the word of the law. I'm Jewish, I pick and choose which traditions I follow and observe many of them in ways that would be considered inadequate by many (like I eat corn products during Passover even though I'm Ashkenazi). I don't feel this detracts from my observance of the holiday because the act of sacraficing something during the week of Passover in order to observe the holiday is what matters to me.

The reality is that many of the rules were written thousands of years ago. I'm sure in year 7000, if there's still a USA, they won't be following the same constitution we're following now, word for word. That doesn't make the hypocrits. It means they've adapted. Hopefully they'd still have many of the same fundamental beliefs about freedom of religion, speech, press, etc. But they might do things very differently to accomplish the same ideals.

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That is the irony of religion, you are comparing the Torah which I assume you believe was written by G-d to a document written by a bunch of politicians. Furthermore If you believe G-d worte the Torah, do you really think he couldnt see what was to take place in the future and that you have to adapt its interpretation to fit your lifestyle? In fact it says you souldnt adapt, rather yo9u should let the rabbis who have studied a lot more decide how things are best interpreted to fit with our times

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

If it were me telling the story I would be able to copy and paste the first two paragraphs

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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For many people, the spirit of the law is more important than the word of the law. I'm Jewish, I pick and choose which traditions I follow and observe many of them in ways that would be considered inadequate by many (like I eat corn products during Passover even though I'm Ashkenazi). I don't feel this detracts from my observance of the holiday because the act of sacraficing something during the week of Passover in order to observe the holiday is what matters to me.

The reality is that many of the rules were written thousands of years ago. I'm sure in year 7000, if there's still a USA, they won't be following the same constitution we're following now, word for word. That doesn't make the hypocrits. It means they've adapted. Hopefully they'd still have many of the same fundamental beliefs about freedom of religion, speech, press, etc. But they might do things very differently to accomplish the same ideals.

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I agree with this, but think it is separate from the vegan/kosher argument.


@Death Valley,

Well said.

Re: My Mom and Judaism
 

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my middle sister was a strict vegan for 5 years, but ate bacon once a year on her birthday because bacon is good.

my oldest sister's family is modern orthodox (not exactly sure what that means) and they keep strict kosher in their house. but, when my sister isn't with her husband and kids and is hanging out with the rest of our non-practicing family she doesn't always follow kosher laws.

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I don't know you or your sister, but I find this unbelievably aggravating.

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I dont find it aggravating, I find it ridiculous. If you are restricting yourself from certian things due to religious practices, fine, I can understand that. But to arbitrarily restrict yourself from things for no real reason, only to "treat" yourself once a year is just crazy imo.