I Don’t See Any Bugs

One of the things that separates the Orthodox from other Jewish people is a certain compliance to the tiniest details of the law.

My Reform, Conservative, Tradition, Humanist, etc. friends sometimes will say about an adherence to a certain law that it’s a little silly, meaning that it seems irrational. I’m always saying, Well, I don’t make the rules I just enforce them.

Inexplicable rules are supposedly going to be explained when Mashiach comes, hopefully any day now.  Many of us follow them, basically, because we’re Jews (pronounced Chews).

But lately a LOT of attention has been paid to bugs. They’re not kosher, you know, and we try to wash our fruits and vegetables well because of that.  Considering there are toxic pesticides all over the produce, it’s a good idea ot wash the fruit.  You don’t have to be Jewish.

But we can take this to the extreme.  You’ll see bags of “kosher” lettuce at certain stores.

And there are people who are really, really concerned with strawberries right now. There’s a right and wrong way to wash them, I hear. Hack off the stem first but be super careful to toss it in the garbage before the little critters sneak their way back to the hull of the fruit. Then wash the berry with a vengeance.

I heard about this conversation only two degrees of hearsay from one of the rabbis:

Rabbi 1 (to man concerned about strawberries, wishing to make it a Top Issue): I don’t see any bugs.

Man concerned about the bugs: Can’t you see? Look more closely.

Rabbi 2: I don’t see any bugs.

The rabbis in that conversation are pillars of my particular Jewish community, one full of  tremendous talmidai chachamim (smart Torah scholars). They’re at the top of their game. Everyone admires these rebbaim.

So I’m writing this to tell you that it isn’t true that the “frummer” (more religious) you are, the “crazier” you are. In fact it can be the opposite.

Attention to details like bugs is nice, if you have time, for sure, and maybe those of us who don’t pay enough are in big trouble. But I thought you should know that some of the pillars of a relatively large Jewish Orthodox community actually might be thinking, when it comes to bugs, What Shtus (nonsense)!

respectfully,

zachdus