Salami on Matzah

Last Friday [April 6 2012] as we were making last minute preparations and getting everything ready for a sumptuous Seder feast, accompanied by the telling of the story of freedom and liberation as well as singing and laughter, Israeli soldiers in the Kfir Brigade were feasting on Matzah and salami! I happen to be as big a fan of lunch meat on Matzah as anyone, but not for the Seder meal! 

Why were these young men and women who risk their lives defending the State of Israel denied a feast worthy of the holiday of freedom and the honor due them? Because the base chef, wanting them to have a hearty, hot meal when they returned from their mission, had the temerity to heat up the food a few minutes after the sun had set and the Festival had technically begun, thus rendering all the beautiful food that had been prepared “not kosher” any longer! 

One of the things that I love about Israel is that daily life is infused with Jewish culture and you can shop in the markets without having to constantly check labels to make sure the products are kosher; but, there is a dangerous trend in Israeli society — and also in our own communities in America — to take everything to the extreme.

Who among the soldiers would even have known that the food had been heated up after sundown, not kept warm in ovens that were turned on before sundown [which is “allowed” by the laws of kashrut]? Would any of the soldiers have refused to eat the food even if they had known?

What happened to the concept of not wasting food when there is hunger in our midst, isn’t that also part of our ethical tradition? The Haggadah opens with the words, “Let all who are hungry come and eat!” Isn’t it time to put a stop to the extremism that distorts our beautiful, meaningful tradition?