Would you put sugar in your gas tank?

Thursday, 12 January 2012 03:48 Yisroel & Shloime Engel

Dear Tzviling,

I enjoy your articles, especially the ones about Jewish practice. I am hoping you can help me. My wife wants to keep a kosher home. That’s fine with me. But now, she doesn’t want to go to any restaurant that is not kosher. Isn’t this asking too much?

Brett, Salt Lake City

Dear Brett,

Your question reminds us of a story that took place in Israel many years ago.

You see, the rule in Israel at one time was that a new immigrant could bring in normal household items duty free. But anything that looked like as if it was for resale in Israel was supposed to be subject to import duty.

Jack Levine, a new oleh, goes to the Haifa port to claim his household goods that have arrived by ship at last. The officer notices on the manifest that Jack is bringing in seven refrigerators.

“Mr. Levine,” says the officer, “one refrigerator is allowed duty free, not seven.”

“But I’m very religious (frum) and I need one refrigerator just for meat, one just for dairy, and one just for pareve,” says Jack.

“All right,” says the officer with a sigh, “that makes three. But seven?”

“Well, of course,” says Jack, “I need three for most of the year – one for fleishigs (meat dishes), one for dairy and another for pareve.”

“OK,” says the officer. That’s only three.”

“Well, what about Pesach? I need another three, meat, dairy, and pareve, for Pesach.”

“OK,” says the officer, losing patience. “That makes six. What’s the seventh one for?”

“Nu, so what if I like to eat a little treif once in a while?”

Kosher food is spiritual nourishment. The soul needs the right food to maintain its health. And a healthy soul means a healthy body. The soul’s diet is called kosher food.