Dear friends:
I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits.
Seeing that Thanksgiving is upon us, I wanted to share thoughts on what a humane approach to Thanksgiving might be. I’m not just talking about being kind to one another and such. I’m talking a bit about our plan as it relates to God’s plan, as well as food for thought. I think we can all agree that in Gods plan, we are meant to share life with loving intent. Sharing life with loving intent has many shades of interpretation though and all are based on our individual capacity for loving.
In 2006, after I graduated from Kundalini Yoga training, I stepped into a capacity for loving I had not known with my earlier self. I stepped into fully embracing a non-violent vegan diet and lifestyle. Previously I’d identified as being a “flexitarian” much of my life. During this period, between 2006 and 2009, my two teenage children attended public high school for the first time in their lives. While they were exposed to “un-kosher” food and the elements of a fully integrated life, I was gingerly stepping into a new territory as a single parent. Not only I was in great need of re-evaluating my capacity for loving, I was in greater personal need of balance and peace. Subsequent to that, I was anticipating an unchartered future; with children in college and myself into the abyss of the unknown.
It was at that time, my study of Buddhism began. Steeping myself in the culture of Buddhism couldn’t have happened at a better time. While my children and I clashed over my wearing a turban and adopting to vegan pursuits, I learned to give them space to make their own way. It was a lonely time in my life, however it gave rise to future wisdom and trust that this was all part of God’s bigger plan.
If we were all to follow God’s plan this Thanksgiving and beyond, it’d certainly be easier for us to cultivate a humane approach to diet and lifestyle as well as cultivate deeper capacity to love one another. Looking back to the creation story, God’s plan was well intended towards this…
Genesis 1:29 “And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, I give all the green plants for food”. And it was so. And it was very good.” Wow, it was not just good, it was very good.
Genesis 2:15 “God then took man and settled him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.” Hence, Adam and Eve, and all who followed their footsteps, were to be responsible guardians of the earth.
Genesis 9:3 “every creature that lives shall be yours to eat”. Allow me to point out that this permission was granted after the great flood of Noah and the practice of ritual slaughter was a necessity. Today, we have cultivated many alternative options for nourishment.
Kashrut (jewish dietary law) came about to further detail the permission of meat consumption. Although Kashrut came about for health reasons, it was designed to bring us to holiness. Many years ago, somewhere along the way, the methods of killing animals brought about their suffering and the breakage of the rules of Kashrut. To rectify the problem, in 2008 the Rabbinate of Israel acknowledged this serious oversight and vowed to fix it. (Read more). Yet in 2014, PETA; the People For Ethical Treatment of Animals discovered otherwise. (Read more).
If you prefer to trust God’s plan, then create patterns which lead you more towards love and move further away from the taking away of a life simply for your palate. In this endeavor you will, undoubtedly be able to focus on being a better guardian of the earth.
Carve out time to watch these two films with your family. They will give you food for thought and hopefully wet your appetite for a humane approach to Thanksgiving and beyond:
A Prayer For Compassion: The film was released yesterday. It looks at the spiritual aspects of living a plant-based, cruelty free lifestyle, and aims to awaken the inner vegan. Click to watch
“A SACRED DUTY: Applying Jewish Values To Help Heal The World“: A major documentary on current environmental threats and applied Jewish teachings, which was produced by an Emmy-award winning producer, director and writer. Click to watch
Whispering my thanks,
Melinda
Rabbi Melinda Bracha Bernstein
@rabbimelindabracha
(954) 901-135
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