Weekly Story: Hiddurim in Kashrus

Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

Being that this week we learn about Kosher animals, I decided to post this story.

After my parents left Russia in 1947, under the guise that they were citizens of Poland and returning to their homeland, they had the status of refugees for six years, until they were allowed to come to America in the winter of 1953.

Initially, they were given a place to sleep in a refugee camp in Poland and then in Paris France. The following took place in Poland.

One understands that life was not easy for any refugee, especially a religious one. The various organizations that provided food for them were not Jewish and it took some explaining and time for them to understand the specific and unique needs of a religious Jew as it relates to what foods can be eaten as well as the separation between meat and dairy.

But the officials were accommodating and they arranged for kosher meat to be shipped from other countries.

One day a container arrived with a letter from a rabbinical organization attesting that the meat in the container is kosher it was slaughtered checked rinsed and salted under their supervision and even the most stringent person can enjoy it.

The manager of the camp was an upright person and he divided equally amongst all the refugees, each individual was given a drop over two kilograms of meat. He informed my father that he put aside for him around six and a half kilograms of meat, as there are three members to his family.

My father thanked him for thinking about him, however, he informed him that he will not take any meat.

Why he asked in astonishment here is a letter from leading rabbonim attesting that it kosher!!

I only eat from a shochet that I know. Being that I don’t know who slaughtered the animal I won’t partake in it

The manager replied that is why I like you, you are a man of principle however your wife, who isn’t the strongest, and your infant child have pity on them and let them enjoy it.

Seeing that he couldn’t persuade my father he went to my mother and offered it to her, but she replied this is our way of life, we only eat from a shochet we know and if not, no thank you

That afternoon the smell of cooked and roasted meat was in the air it was a long time since anyone had tasted it. People were salivating at the thought that finally, they can enjoy some kosher meat

That evening, every family had a fleishig dinner and my parents had a vegetable soup. However two kilograms of meat is more than four pounds, so people began salting it, to preserve it for another time.

The next day an urgent telegram arrived and informed the manager that a mistake occurred and inadvertently two containers were switched. Their container went to another group, and the container they received was non-kosher.

The people were devastated, they ate and enjoyed non-kosher meat. however, the manager of the camp came over to my father with a new derech eretz, no longer was he the stubborn person sticking to his chumros and hiddurim. He asked him, how did you know?

He didn’t believe my father when he said I didn’t know anything, but this is how a chossid conducts himself, and the aibishter helps one from mistakes.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com

This week’s post is in honor of the birth of my granddaughter, Ariella Tova. Mazal Tov Eliyahu and Beila, may you have much chassidishe nachas from her and all of your children.