Controversial Kashrut

How do you get Rabbinic endorsement for something perceived as controversial?

In just over two weeks we will be hosting the Feast of Kosher Curiosities at the Biblical Museum of Natural History, in which we serve all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures, each of which has a fascinating halachic story. For various reasons we keep the details of the menu a tight secret until the event itself. In this post I will not be revealing it, but I want to discuss the meta-halachic story surrounding one particular creature whose identity will remain secret for now.

Over the last few months I was planning the menu, and my mind was wandering over all the different possible mammals and birds and fish to serve. And I started thinking about one species in particular which is commonly assumed to be not kosher, or at least not permissible to eat. That is to say, almost nobody had ever researched the kashrut of this species, but even people in the relevant field generally believed that it may not be eaten. There seemed to be good reasons for this presumption and I had been of the same view.

But I started to seriously investigate it, and to my surprise, I found that there were some basic mistaken assumptions that everyone (including me) was making. I found that there were not just one or two but numerous overwhelming arguments that this species was fully permissible to eat according to virtually all opinions. The idea that it was forbidden was a myth, like the one about how you can’t shecht a giraffe because we don’t know where on the neck to do it. Or perhaps more like the idea that a kezayit should be measured in terms of eggs instead of in terms of olives.

I discussed it with various colleagues and rabbinic scholars. Some were against my conclusion, but they did not have detailed arguments. In one case I suspected that the person’s opposition was because I had effectively partially undermined some of his own excellent work. But most of those who read my analysis said that I was correct, and some of them gave me further arguments in support. One Rosh Kollel even showed me a teshuva from a 20th century posek who had reached an identical conclusion! It was clear to us that this species is absolutely kosher to eat on numerous grounds. But because it sounds novel, and goes against common assumptions, some people are deeply uncomfortable.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Most of the rabbis who said that I was correct also said that they don’t want me to quote them on it! Now, before you express disdain for their lack of courage, I want to say that I understand their position completely. They have responsibilities to the organizations and institutions that employ them. And obviously, if you’re in charedi or yeshivish circles, then endorsing something that Natan Slifkin says could backfire.

And in the case of kashrus organizations in particular, these organizations are not going to benefit by making an announcement endorsing the kashrut of a certain species which nobody outside of our event is ever going to eat anyway and which some will find shocking; instead, they will likely lose business. In fact, what we saw with the notorious Chicken Wars of a few years back is that some people will davka try to discredit the kashrut of certain creatures - even chickens! - in order to gain market share for their own product.

There are rabbis that are willing to put their names to agreeing with my conclusions or who independently reached the same conclusion. But I’m not even sure that it helps for me to publicize their names. Even though they are great Torah scholars and qualified halachic decisors, they are either not Ashkenazi or they are from the dati-leumi world, and publicizing their support may even incentivize rabbis from the charedi/ yeshivish sector to davka oppose it! Note that the infamous ban on my books 18 years ago was primarily driven by zealots who had a prior agenda against Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky, and my books were simply a convenient vehicle to accomplish that, since he wrote an approbation.

After consultation with my own rabbinic mentors, we decided on the following. We have announced to all participants that there is dispute about almost all species being served, and that we encourage everyone to do their own halachic investigation/ consultation. For those who wish to do this in advance, we send them details about the halachic case regarding each species.

Once the event has been held and the cat is out of the bag (note: that is a metaphor, cats are not kosher), I might publicly release my 10,000 word paper presenting all the reasons why this species is kosher; I haven’t decided yet. In the meanwhile, we are keeping its identity secret. But I’m going to make an exception for museum donors and paid subscribers to Rationalist Judaism! They can discover the identity of this surprise kosher creature and download my full paper. I only ask that they do NOT reveal the identity of this creature to others or email my paper to anyone else. They must pledge allegiance to the Secret Animal Society!

(If you’re not a paid subscriber, now would be a great time to become one! Aside from being able to read about the Secret Kosher Animal, all the funds go to supporting the Biblical Museum of Natural History, which inspires and educates tens of thousands of people from across the spectrum annually about Torah and nature. The basic level is $8 a month, but those who wish to support the museum at a higher level are encouraged to donate $180 or $360.)

With over 100 seats for the Feast of Kosher Curiosities already taken, there are just a few spaces left. If you’d like to participate, you can register at www.BiblicalFeast.org