Can You Feed Children Meat During the 9 Days?

As a vegetarian, the restriction against eating meat during the 9 days has hardly hit my radar.  In fact, it makes eating at friends’ houses even more exciting than normal because there is often some dairy treat.

Normally, as a vegetarian, I get asked some tough questions, but those have changed recently.  Now I mostly get asked one question: But aren’t you going to allow your son to eat meat?

The answer is, I am not really comfortable with it.  From my research, I don’t think it’s healthy.  And if it’s not healthy for me to eat it, then why would I feed it to my child?  I had a healthy pregnancy without adding meat to my diet and Akiva is growing fast and healthy fed exclusively on breastmilk produced on vegetarian food.  I simply cannot think of why I would want to introduce meat to his diet!

However, it seems that the rabbis of old disagree with me to a certain extent.

All poskim agree that healthy children above the age of 7 should not be given meat… but what about those younger?

All poskim agree that children under the age of 3 are allowed to have meat. So it seems that the rabbis believe strongly that meat is necessary for the health of children under the age of three.

Some Poskim are lenient for children between the ages of 3 and 7. Other Poskim, including the Mishna Berura (Siman 551:70), are stringent and don’t allow it.

So it seems that the rabbis agree that meat is actually necessary for the health of a child below the age of three. After that, it’s debatable.

Personally, I can’t find any reason why a child, under the age of three or not, would need meat for his/her health.  The biggest concern people seem to have is that the child won’t get enough protein.  However, protein in a vegetarian diet is available in many forms – there is no need to eat meat, not during the 9 days or any other time.  Tofu, nuts, beans, and legumes are all fantastic sources of protein and they are all vegan.  Plus, you avoid harmful antibiotics and hormones added to animal products.  Trust me, your children will continue to grow just fine without the addition of bovine growth hormone to their diets!  (If you’re vegetarian, it is worthwhile to find free range eggs and dairy. And no matter what you should buy organic to avoid harmful pesticides and toxins – no child needs those!)

Perhaps in olden times when these rabbis were writing their decisions, children really did need meat to maintain their health.  Perhaps they did not have access to foods like nuts or beans on a regular basis and eggs were too valuable to be eaten.  But for most of us, this is no longer the situation.  So I would question whether children today really need to be fed meat during the 9 days – or at all.

The first time I experienced this was in Los Angeles, California. I was spending Shabbat there and my friend took me to one of the Chabad houses. We got there fifteen minutes before Mincha and the Friday night service were to begin, and a good thing that was! Set up was a small Kiddush and there were some dozen men eating and drinking. This initially struck me as strange because my entire life I have been accustomed to there being a Kiddush after the services, not before.

The Shaliach/Rabbi explained it to me. “We’re not having a big meal because this would not be permitted. One should not eat late on a Friday afternoon, so not to spoil the appetite for the Friday night Shabbat meal. What we have is a small snack; some crackers, a few dips, a bit of cold cuts, and of course a few l’chaims on whisky and vodka. This way everyone can have a bit of a schmooze and catch up on the week’s happenings before the service begins and there is no pressure to talk during the service. Further, many people have had a long day at work and are tired and hungry and want to rush through the service and go home. But if we have a couple of l’chaims and a light snack, people then have the energy to sing and dance through the service.”

I really like this idea. At the moment I don’t have a synagogue of my own but if I did, maybe I’d implement it. I can’t see any halachic issue with it, provided one does not eat too much and ruin their appetite for the Friday night meal. But I think it’s nice to sit down with some friends and catch up on the week before the davening starts.

What are your thoughts on this? Do they do this in your shul? Do you like this idea? Yes or no? Please share a comment. Thanks.

Last week, I posted some informed and intelligent responses to a lot of the arguments kosher meat-eaters give to kosher vegetarians.  I hope those resources and answers will prove useful and enlightening.  Even if you do eat meat (as Rabbi Ben does), it does not mean that you should remain uninformed about what the Torah says on the subject.  In fact, you should make sure you read it so that when you meet someone who is a kosher vegetarian, you’ll understand better where they’re coming from. Trust me, they’ll appreciate it!  After all, they are probably really used to hearing lots of comments like these:

And of course, please check out my previous posts about being a kosher vegetarian here:

Why would a Jewish and kosher world traveler become vegetarian?

Why do Jews become vegetarians?

What does the Bible say about vegetarianism?

Being a Jewish vegetarian doesn’t have to be boring! (Part 1)

Being a Jewish vegetarian doesn’t have to be boring! (Part 2)

Jewish criticism of vegetarianism and how to answer it

In my previous post on an overview of Jewish vegetarianism, I noted that there were 5 main reasons given by most vegetarians for why they stop eating meat.  In Judaism, too, there are 5 main reasons for becoming vegetarian. Similarly, there are 5 main arguments Jewish religious critics of vegetarianism give.  I have encountered these common criticisms many times during my travels, in Jewish communities all over the world.  Even if you want to continue to eat meat, you should be aware of the issues posed by your actions.  The existentialist in me is fond of maintaining awareness when making decisions!

1.  There is no animal cruelty because kosher laws dictate animals must be treated well during their lifetimes. Also, animals die instantly when slaughtered kosher, before they can even feel pain, so it’s not animal cruelty to eat kosher meat. 

This is a great ideal to which to aspire, but in practice it is rarely observed with the amount of reverence it deserves.  Most animals in the US today are factory farmed.  I don’t want to go into the details of what that means, but basically the animals are restrained, kept in overcrowded conditions, and fed unnatural foods.  By no stretch of the imagination can this be considered “good treatment” so as to satisfy the Biblical mandate of tsa’ar ba’alei chayim and I have never heard anyone claim it does.  Yet, the meat that gets to your kosher table comes from factory farms just like all the burgers in McDonald’s do.  So how is it possibly considered kosher?  Producers of this meat purchase the animals as they enter the slaughterhouse.  Because the livestock were previously owned by non-Jews, the Jews aren’t responsible for their treatment.  Although this loophole does follow the letter of the law, it blatantly violates the spirit of the law.  Several rabbis, including Rabbi Natan Slifkin (the “Zoo Rabbi”) have declared that even if this loophole is used, this meat still isn’t really kosher.  Furthermore, it is not certain that animals slaughtered kosher feel no pain, as time from cutting to death depends on a variety of factors, including the exact sharpness of the knife, the skill of the shochet, the species, and the manner in which the animal is restrained.  Sometimes animals may retain consciousness for 30 seconds before they finally die.

2.  G-d gave us animals and told us we can eat them, so it’s ok.

G-d initially gave us the animals so we could care for them, not eat them.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam was charged with naming the animals, giving him responsibility for them even on a spiritual level.  He definitely wasn’t eating them – G-d told him to eat from “every herb yielding seed” and every “fruit of a tree yielding seed.”  This was the ideal G-d wanted for man.  Meat-eating was only permitted after the Flood.  According to Rabbi Samuel H. Dresner, this was an accession to human weakness – if G-d hadn’t let humans eat animals, they would have sunk again to pre-Flood levels of degradation and eventually ended up cannibalizing each other.  So, yes, it’s permitted, but it’s not permitted for the nicest reason and I don’t know if I’d be too proud about “needing” to eat meat…

3.  Kosher meat is healthier, so you don’t have to worry eating too much might make you sick.

In some respects, kosher meat is healthier, but in some respects it’s not.  Because certain parts of the animal aren’t used and all blood is removed, less disease is spread.  On the other hand, by salting the meat a lot more, the higher sodium content can be harmful to people with heart problems.  In all other respects, kosher meat is processed in the same way as non-kosher meat.  Most processing is even done in the same factories.  That means that any dangers to health regular, non-kosher meat has also apply to your kosher meat.  Finally, most health hazards come from eating too much meat, not from the meat itself.  In the long run, over-consumption of meat has been linked to arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, several kinds of cancer, osteoporosis, and arthritis, to name a few.  Eating kosher won’t prevent these diseases or even reduce their risk – only reducing your meat intake will do that.

4.  We have to eat meat to raise the “sparks” of the animals’ souls up to a higher level by using their energy to do mitzvot. 

This comes from the kabbalistic concept that during the creation of the universe, “sparks” of holiness fell down to the lower levels and, as Jews, it’s our job to go out and find them and raise them up.  This is considered to be one of our main jobs while we’re in exile.  Alternately, it is related to the kabbalistic concept that a human soul may have been reincarnated into an animal to atone for a specific sin – if the meat is then eaten and a certain mitzvah performed, the human soul is freed from its sin to be reincarnated as a human again.  Rabbi Yonassan Gershom points out that this collection of “sparks” is cumulative and as we near the days of moshiach, there are fewer sparks to collect.  Each person has their allotted sparks and it does happen that sometimes a person has just managed to elevate all the “meat sparks” they’re supposed to.  Rabbi Gershom also notes that, unlike in the past when people had individual relationships with their animals and the shochet (slaughterer) made a new blessing over each animal, in today’s factory farms and slaughterhouses, the proper kavanah (religious intention) is no longer present and this results in there being no sparks in the meat. “The Breslover Rebbe stated that only a person who has reached a high spiritual level can be elevated by eating animal foods, and the opposite is also true: a person who lacks this high spiritual level may be further debased by eating animal foods.”  Similarly, the Gemara states that only a true Torah scholar may eat meat. In spite of the sparks that need to be elevated, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, a major 16th century Kabbalist, encouraged people to eat as little meat as possible

5.  It is a “mitzvah” to eat meat and drink wine on Shabbat and Yom Tov.

Rabbi Moshe Goldman notes that the source for this “mitzvah” comes from the prophet Isaiah, who tells us to “call the Shabbat a day of delight,” just as a yom tov, which is a “good day,” a holiday.  This means different things to different people.  At one point in Jewish history, having a big fish on Shabbat and Yom Tov was considered a “delight.”  Today, meat is considered to be more of a “delight” than fish, so it’s viewed as part of the mitzvah to enjoy and be joyous on Shabbat and Yom Tov. Even the Lubavitcher Rebbe has said that if eating meat doesn’t give you any pleasure, you shouldn’t eat it, even on Shabbat or Yom Tov. 

Bearing all that in mind, I’m a pretty “live-and-let-live” kind of person, particularly when it comes to vegetarianism.  It doesn’t bother me when other people eat meat around me (although I’m not fond of handling it, since I can’t help thinking of it as the internal organ of a dead animal).  I don’t run around trying to convince other people to become vegetarian.  In fact, Rabbi Ben isn’t vegetarian, although he isn’t a big fan of meat and is often vegetarian because he travels so much.  So I don’t recommend you take these arguments and run off to convince all your friends to give up eating meat, but rather, I hope you will use this information to make informed decisions and to raise interesting discussions with your friends and family.

Why would a Jewish and kosher world traveler become vegetarian?

Why do Jews become vegetarians?

What does the Bible say about vegetarianism?

Being a Jewish vegetarian doesn’t have to be boring! (Part 1)

Being a Jewish vegetarian doesn’t have to be boring! (Part 2)

My first visit to the Kosher McDonald's in Buenos Aires, Argentina was immediately after Shabbos on my first Saturday night in the country. It wasn't opened yet, but it opened soon after!

Buenos Aires, Argentina – a city famous for so many things: tango, beef, gauchos, Paris style, and, of course, the Kosher McDonald’s.

What? Did you say ‘Kosher McDonald’s?!’

Yes, yes I did.  I spent 6 months living in Argentina – all of them directly across the street from the famous Abasto Mall, which houses the only kosher McDonald’s outside of Israel.

It’s such an interesting and unusual find that it’s mentioned in the food section of all the major Argentina guidebooks, including those that almost never think to cover the kosher traveler (which is basically all of them!).

Because I lived pretty much across the street, the Abasto was one of my favorite hangouts.  There was always something interesting going on there, whether it was a gigantic in-mall playground or the ‘Bodies’ exhibit on tour.  Plus, with its two kosher restaurants (next to the meaty McDonald’s was a cute little dairy restaurant), it was a great place to meet up with friends to just munch, hang out, and watch the world go by.

And watch the world go by we did!  In fact, it seemed like just about everyone in the world went by that kosher McDonald’s.  Even if they weren’t coming to eat from it, they were coming by to take photos of it, just to prove it exists.  People who have never been to Israel (and thus never seen the even more exciting kosher McDonald’s express in the main Jerusalem bus station) are fascinated to find their first kosher Micky D’s.

The kashrus certificate that proves you aren't dreaming - the McDonald's in Buenos Aires, Argentina really IS kosher!

I never actually ate in the Kosher McDonald’s… I gave up fast food 10 years ago after reading “Fast Food Nation.”  But many, many of my friends did eat there, and the verdict was that it was pretty good!  Of course, the flavors are slightly different, imbued with an Argentinean flair, but that famous Argentinean beef does those burgers good.  No overly processed factory-farmed beef here!  In Buenos Aires, the legendary gauchos of the pampas are the ones responsible for the cows, who feed on the endless grassy plains.

Next time you’re in Argentina, it’s worth a visit to the Kosher McDonald’s in the Abasto Mall (Abasto has its own metro stop, so it’s easy to reach).  But don’t limit yourself.  Buenos Aires has a wealth of kosher places, from pizza joints famous in Jewish communities across the southern cone to the cutest little sandwich and empanada shop Wafflemania to bakeries selling the famous Argentinean alfajores, chocolate-covered cookies filled with sticky-sweet dulce de leche.  For the kosher traveler, Argentina is a culinary delight!

Lately, I have become very attached to the earth.  I’ve become more connected to the ground, to life, to growing things.  I’ve always been drawn to animals, but lately I’m being drawn more to plants.  This connection probably has a lot to do with where I’ve been over the summer months.  First in Eden Village Camp, then visiting our good friend Farmer Ben, then in Baltimore with Rabbi Ben’s friends who grow their own produce, and also to Kayam Farms.  We have been in a lot of places that focus on growing.

But it’s not just that.  My interest in growing things also stems from my having become a vegetarian some 8 or so years ago, which made me look at vegetables and fruits in a different way.  And also from my involvement a few years ago in a CSA (community supported agriculture) program that allowed me to buy a share in a local farm.  Maybe my interest really reaches as far back as our childhood trips blueberry and strawberry picking.  Who knows? What it comes down to is that slowly, slowly, my fascination and joy with growing vegetables and fruits has… grown!

So in reading this week’s parsha I am immediately struck by the mitzvah (commandment) of bikkurim, or the first fruits.  When a farmer goes out and sees the first fruits growing on his trees and in his fields, he consecrates them to the Kohanim (the priests), who serve G-d full-time.

At first glance, this seems kind of neutral.  I mean, we already have to tithe our produce and let the land lie fallow once every seven years.  So the concept of “giving up” for G-d is nothing new.  But there’s just something about those first fruits…

I remember once when I grew some tomatoes in the back yard.  When the first ones appeared, I was incredibly excited and couldn’t wait to taste them.  My hard work and patience had paid off!  I didn’t want to share that first bite with anyone.  It was so precious and so lovely because it was the first.

This sentiment that I felt as a teenager provides a clue to one of the meanings behind this law of bikkurim.  Not only do we have to give up for G-d, but we also have to be willing to give up the very first, the very best, the most precious that we have.  We have to be willing to give up even that which is near and dear to us for our love of G-d.

And, really, G-d isn’t asking too much.  He’s not asking us to sacrifice our children or to deprive ourselves of all worldly pleasures.  He’s asking us to be willing to give up the first and best of what our hands can produce, in His service.  After all, He is the one that gives us all our “fruits” in the first place!

So although the mitzvah of the first fruit technically only applies in Israel and technically only applies to the seven species, we don’t need to limit it to that when it comes to a deeper meaning.  We can use any skill or talent or possession we’ve worked hard to acquire to serve Him first, before anything else.  In this way, we will remember Him and recognize that without G-d, we would not have that skill/talent/possession at all, no matter how hard we try.  As a doctor, you can provide free check-ups to Jewish children from poor families.  As a juggler, you can entertain at a wedding.  And with your new car, you can deliver food to poor Jewish families or give a lift to a friend in need.

As we enter the coming week, let us remember: one of the most beautiful things about the mitzvah of the first fruits is that it has no limit.  We can tie a string to designate just one fruit, or we can tie many.  Let’s set our sights high as we approach Rosh Hashana and the start of a new year, and strive to donate as much of our very best, our “first and foremost” as we can, in the service of Hashem!

Shabbat Shalom!