TO WHAT EXTENT IS ONE A PRODUCT OF ONE’S ENVIRONMENT? Do we have a choice? In the Sedra Moses warns the Jews who are about to enter the Land of Canaan about the dangers of assimilation. The Canaanites, he tells them, were idolaters. They worshipped statues and Ashera trees. Some of their practices were horrific, such as burning their children.

Further, the Sedra contains a number of laws which help define and strengthen Jewish identity, such as the rules of kashrut and of the festivals.

Throughout the Tanach (Bible) there are complaints by the Prophets about the Jews being influenced in a variety of ways by the nations around them. Jewish leaders continued to be concerned about this issue throughout our history. In our own epoch a central challenge concerns reaching out to the large numbers of Jews who have temporarily forgotten their special role in the world.

Yet even if a person remembers that they are Jewish, and perhaps also plays a prominent role in the Jewish community, there are still important questions about one’s perception of the world, one’s direction in life and one’s decisions on a day-to-day level. Living as most of us do in a predominantly secular environment, with a generally non-Jewish education and exposed to the ever present power of the media, there are many contrasting forces which are pulling at us, demanding our attention.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe points out that the Sedra gives us some useful general advice, in its laws about kashrut. The simple meaning of these laws concerns what we eat, the idea that a Jew should eat only kosher food. On a broader level, kashrut concerns every aspect of our lives. The word ‘kosher’ actually means ‘suitable’, ‘fitting’. We can ask about everything we do – is it kosher? Is it fitting, is it appropriate?

The signs of the kosher animals give us a further hint. The Torah tells us that a kosher animal should have split hooves and should be ruminants, chewing the cud5. Both these concepts express approaches to life and to decision making. Split hooves suggest not being one-sided and monolithic, being instead able to see different perspectives on the question. Current fashion might dictate A, but the Torah might say B. Being a ruminant suggests exactly that, in broader terms: think it through, literally ruminate, do not be hasty, chew it over and only then come to a decision.

How does one discover what Jewish teaching has to say? Through accessing a combination of books and of people. Jewish ideas and perspectives are expressed by the chain of the Sages, extending from Moses to our own generation. Their teachings, stories and discussions are found in an array of books reaching through the last two thousand years. Today more and more of these are available in translation, and even on the web. And there are Rabbis and Rebbetzins who can help us interpret their ideas and apply them to our practical lives.

These resources help us to look at the different sides of the question, and to think it through carefully. To make the next step into one which helps us live up to the heritage of the Torah, and to be a little closer to making the world a dwelling for the Divine.