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Monday, March 22, 2010

Moral Musings

OK, so I don’t give a shit about kosher anymore (not really true, I am still uncomfortable eating pork / shrimp, although I tried it all before). Now how do I behave at home?
I still would like our household to be strictly kosher so that all my family and friends could still eat at my place. I am assuming that most of them would still eat at our home since my wife will probably remain orthodox.
But what happens if I make a mistake? If I would wash the milchig with the fleishig sponge? Or if I would spill the proverbial milk in the chicken soup? Will I call up my LOR? Or will I just hide?
Now, this is a real exercise of morality: I have no commander-in-chief threatening me to burn me in hell, to cut me off from my people or make my life miserable with his Supernatural Powers.
So why should I care?
Moral decision: I have decided out of respect for my family and friends to remain makpid as before. However, in cases that I clearly know that there is no problem (e.g. not hot, soap used, etc.), I will exercise my right for sanity.
But there are plenty of other questions: If I don’t wear tzitzis, should I criticize my son for not wearing them? I decided not to. But what do I tell him if he asks me why I am not wearing them?
Would be curious to know about your OTD moral dilemmas.

8 comments:

  1. you nailed it on the last one....what do you do with the kids...they come home with crazy stories, with all kinds of mind bogling bubba maisahs....how do I deal with that stuff...definately the hardest part - i cant say - your teacher is wrong, that is BS....

    ksil lo yavin

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  2. Well, in fact this is not your problem, but your wive's and family's.


    Strictly speaking, if they know you do not keep kosher, they cannot leave you alone in the kitchen any more...

    The reasons you just exposed show why this makes sense.

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  3. soso: Please reread: "I have decided out of respect for my family and friends to remain makpid as before. However, in cases that I clearly know that there is no problem (e.g. not hot, soap used, etc.), I will exercise my right for sanity."

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  4. It's still not your problem, but theirs.

    However, I think that the idea of barring access is justified.

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  5. soso: you may think what you want, only god can stop you from thinking ;)

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  6. Was wondering along these lines recently...
    Years ago, frozen vegetables were fine, but now that some companies are certified for Pesach, all of the sudden we have to pay inflated prices for broccoli and carrots.
    It really is enough to turn one off of religion.

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  7. let's say it comes up a situtation that u know that 'al pi halakha' there is no problem, but u know that ur frum ignorant friend errorneously believes that there is. what do u do? would u tell him or not (assuming that u r giving him the food in question)? if u don't say a thing, how would that be different from giving him [or her] trief food 'lekatchila' which u know that in fact there is no problem eating?


    as for my own dillema: i have a lot a chumaz'dig booze that were left from a purim party. i don't feel like paying twenty bucks for a schmuck of a rabbi to sell it to a goy for me. now come after pesach, i'll be sitting with frum friends and i will drink from the booze, and of course they would wanna drink too. what do i tell them, that it's 'chumatz sh'uvar ulov hapesach' and im a shiegatz? or do i tell them that i sold it 'kdas moshe ve'yiroel'?

    i think i will be mafkir the booze and let reb shimon, or whichever rabbi it was that didn't like that method, go fly a kite.

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  8. ZSL: Not sure if that is enough for people to go 'off'; would you risk to be ostracized for some vegetables?

    CHB: I think I would do the same!

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