What are some of the  life lessons we learn from kosher? To answer the question we need to make a D.A.T.E.

D stands for do a double take. There are two signs we look for in animals to see if they are kosher. Why two signs? Why not one? Why not three? What does the number two tell us?

It teaches us to not be in a rush, but to check what we are doing. If you are going to buy a rug, measure the room twice. Make sure your first conclusion was correct. The expression, “Measure twice, cut once” says it all.

A stands for the act before the act. Before an animal can be fit to eat you have to kill it in an approved fashion. Most things need preparation. If you are running a meeting, there is a lot to do beforehand. You need an agenda, handouts, speakers, visuals and other details put in place. The act before the act is essential for success.

T stands for treat people with extreme sensitivity. This is one explanation why we do not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. Many years ago I was in a social club with a man named “Bob”. Bob was a fun guy but also liked to gossip and was boisterous. One evening some members of the club met for dinner at a restaurant. Bob was raucous, loud and annoying. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at him with disdain. My fellow club members and I were so embarrassed we felt like crawling under the table. We never went to dinner with Bob again.

A few years later Bob called to invite me to his 50^th birthday party. It was to take place at a bar and I agreed to attend. He then told me his wife just found out she was pregnant and I said congratulations. But he said to me, “Don’t mention it tonight at the party because a couple will be there and the wife recently had a miscarriage.” He did not want to bring up his happiness about his wife’s pregnancy because they might feel bad.” This was an extremely sensitive act, and that night he was my moral mentor.

E stands for enjoy. The example I vividly remember was a talk by Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg ztl. He said it was okay to enjoy doing a mitzvah. He talked about his duty when he went to visit his mother. She enjoyed cooking for him, so his job as a good son was to eat as much as he could without being a glutton. He told us even if his mother was not a good cook, he needed to eat as much as he could because it made her happy. Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, he told us his mother was a great cook. The food was delicious, he enjoyed eating as much as he could and that was perfectly all right.

So make a date with the lessons of kosher:

D o a double take and check everything.

A ct before the act means preparation is vital.

T reat all people with extreme sensitivity.

E njoy.