Something's not Kosher here...

As finals quickly approach, I find myself reading less for pleasure and more for the sake of my grades. That being said; however, I was procrastinating on the facebook earlier today and I stumbled upon a website entitled "Justice for Sholom" in someone else's blog post. This site is dedicated to keep people updated on the legal status of ex-CEO of Agriprocessors inc., Sholom Rubashkin. For those who are unfamiliar with the case at hand, Rubashkin's meat processing plant (incidentally the largest kosher plant in the country) was raided in May of 2008 by the INS. They apparently were not keeping to federal immigration and employment laws and as a result of this raid, Rubashkin committed band fraud in a vain attempt to keep his plant operational. Subsequently, the company has declared bankruptcy and Sholom Rubashkin is no longer the CEO. In the aftermath of this epic scandal, Rubashkin was shunned by the majority of the Jewish community and (as Agriprocessors was the largest Kosher Beef producer in the country) there was a national kosher meat shortage immediately following.

All of this aside, the aforementioned website dedicated to updating its readers on the legal battle that ensued following the charges filed against Rubashkin, recently posted that he was sentenced to life in prison. On that site, there were links to various op-eds covering the court's decision. One in particular caught my interest, as it was from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Besides the fact that I once davened Neillah service with this particular man, he is also a pop-cultural icon who runs a show entitled "Shalom in the Home" on TLC. Boteach's basic argument is that while Rubashkin messed up, he did not do anything that was worthy of life in prison. He continues that since Rubashkin has 10 children (one of whom is autistic), Rubashkin should be let go before his expiration. While I am not sure what I think... I am fairly certain that this man deserves the harshest punishment under the letter of the law, as his actions led others astray... not only morally but spiritually. The fact of the matter is that he broke the law and needs to be punished. I am not an interpreter of American law, and I have faith in the prosecutor. Rubashkin's sentence should serve as a deterrent for others.

On this same point, we need to ensure that the integrity of the Kosher food market be maintained and certified. How can this be done? Well the USCJ has proposed something called "Heksher Tzedek" or a certificate of righteousness that can be awarded (as an additional certification) to food products that are produced in ethically conscientious environments. This ethics-minded kosher food movement is, in my opinion, where modern Jewish thought on this subject should be headed. What is the purpose of having nominally kosher food if it is not produced with the correct intention? It is akin to davening without the proper kavanah... the laws are set up to provide a base structure that ethical conduct would naturally flow from. In the case of Rubashkin a perversion of the original intent of the act occurred... this essentially negated the holiness of all actions derived from that meat. This means that the Kosher products that others ate, while nominally kosher, lacked the essential kavanah needed for them to truly fulfill the mitzvah. To serve as a shochet or slaughterer of kosher meat, is to serve as stand in for the individual who partakes of the meat to ensure that the animal and God are given the proper respect. When Rubashkin messed with this system, he fiddled with the holiness of the action, which in turn warped the holiness of his customer. All of this is essentially "spiritual-fraud", which to an adherent is a sin of the highest degree.

Should Rubashkin rot in prison? I cannot pretend to answer that question with authority. However, if the question is asked whether or not the meat that Rubashkin produced was "kosher" or not... I can say with confidence that as the kavanah was absent, all of that meat was essentially treif...