What is Edible Judaism?

WHAT IS EDIBLE JUDAISM?

Edible Judaism is a fun, interactive way to explore Jewish texts, history, culture, traditions, rituals, and nosh while you are learning!  Rabbi Bill Kaplan teaches Edible Judaism to all ages, to all denominations of Jewish life, and to those that are not Jewish. He teaches in all different type of settings: synagogues, JCCs, conferences, classrooms, gardens, farms, olive oil stores, and even in the aisles of your favorite market.  He has taught Synagogue and JCC Early Childhood educators, ECE parents, Jewish Federation leadership, synagogue members and mens' clubs, parents of children of all ages, JOFEE ( Jewish Outdoor Food farm Environmental Education) educators, Jewish summer campers, family campers, and many more. 

Learning through the Flora of the Torah: Jews are known as the “People of the Book”, but we are also the “People of the Land”, the “Land” in the literal, agricultural sense. Flora and nature imagery permeate our Bible with over one hundred plants mentioned by name.  The incorporation of flora into the Bible reflects our ancestors’ connection to the land as an agricultural people. Ever since the canonization of the Bible over two thousand years ago, our sages began to explore the nature and flora imagery as they began to interpret the Bible. They investigated the inclusion and the meaning of each plant specified by name in the Bible in order to better understand the purpose and meaning of the text. They also attempted to identify the plants not actually mentioned by name, such as The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the B’reishit narrative of the Garden of Eden and the Burning Bush in Shemot that attracted Moses’ attention in the Sinai Desert, for the same reason. The flora of the Bible provides rich metaphors, similes, allegories, symbols, and parables through which our sages found deeper meaning and a pathway to meaningful, fun, and fulfilling Jewish learning.