My Conversion Story Journal

November 30, 2023

I've learned a bit this week. My Hebrew has improved and some words and phrases have stuck. Others, not so much. Yet! I still enjoy every lesson, even when I do a terrible job speaking or reading. Hebrew is a beautiful language and I find more and more words and phrases that I love. I like the way some of them roll off the tongue. They are fun to say and sometimes very poetic. I still have my same favorite word though. I'm not sure that will ever change.

I talked a lot about kosher laws over the weekend at my friend H's house, so I decided to read up again on kosher laws and deepen my understanding beyond the separation of meat and dairy. I learned that even though fish is considered parve (neither meat nor dairy), that it cannot be eaten at the same time as meat. It can be served in the same meal as a separate course and eaten with a different plate and fork, but a drink should wash the mouth before eating meat. It should never be on the same plate or eaten with the same utensils. I asked my rabbi why, and he said, "It can cause a spiritual disease called Tza'ras." In case you're wondering what that disease is, it is leprosy.

So with this knowledge, I had to break some bad news to my daughter. I haven't told all of my children yet, but they will be a bit upset. I make a wonderful dish called pepper steak. It contains steak, peppers of three different colors, and gravy (home made) served over a bed of white rice. It is delicious. Unfortunately, I use Worcestershire sauce. Even though Worcestershire sauce is kosher, it is kosher fish. That means, I cannot put it on a meat dish. Will I get creative and find a way to make it delicious without it? Absolutely. Will it be the same. Never again. Along with pizza, tacos, chicken salad, and many other dishes, it will never be the same.