Are you aware? As a child growing up in a Kosher home I was aware from a very early age to be aware of what foods were acceptable and which were not. The awareness about the food I ate was one of conscientiousness; to be aware if a food product contained only Kosher ingredients. The way to know this was to find the sign of Kosher certification, in those days the OU or OK.
Rabbi Joseph Grunblatt begins his essay, Thinking Kosher by proudly proclaiming that the word Kosher is one of Judaism’s contributions to the international vocabulary. The word Kosher took on a meaning of ethics and morality in all spheres of living. Kosher is synonymous with respectable, not Kosher with reprehensible.
I suspect that this power of the word Kosher now reverberates back to its origins of distinguishing between foods that are or are not Kosher. There is a new awareness that has entered into the discourse of Kosher food and it is about adding consciousness to conscientiousness. Kosher consciousness is about ethics and morality, about health and sustainability. Ultimately, the key about Kosher is awareness—about being sensitive not only to ingredients or the mechanics of ritual slaughter but to the intentionality of being human(e)—and among so many factors, that includes a sensitivity to the living conditions of the animals eaten by us and the environmental impact on how our food is grown.
As a way to enter a new consciousness around food, a movement has started called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Kabbalah Experience, as a community, is going to invest in this movement by starting a relationship with Grant Family Farms in Wellington, Colorado. We have chosen Grant Farms because some of our students attest to a wonderful experience with Grant Farms. To join in please go to www.grantfarms.com or the KE office can provide you with a form to fill out. KE students Lisa Hartman or Laurie Brock are also happy to answer your questions and have offered some guidance which is found under the community tab on our website.
Here is the description of a CSA: The CSA system provides a direct link and responsible relationship between people and the food they eat, the land upon which it grows and those who grow it. Based on an annual commitment to one another, community members provide a pre-season payment to purchase a share of the season’s harvest. The member then receives a weekly box of wide varieties of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit throughout the growing season harvested at the peak of ripeness and flavor, delivered to a convenient location in your neighborhood.
Our hope is to share in a greater consciousness about food (free range eggs and other foods are also available). We will get to know our food and each other. Looking forward to seeing you each week at the KE delivery site (TBA). Once you sign up, we will let everyone know who is participating this inaugural year.
