Dear Rabbi Fried,

I have asked this question and have not had a satisfactory answer from anyone. If grapes (or apples, or any other fruit) are kosher, and if grapes are left to ferment, with nothing additional added, and become wine, why isn't the wine kosher? I have been told that the people who make the wine are not Jews and, therefore, the finished product is not kosher. That, in my opinion, is nonsense. If cows are kosher, and the milk that comes from them is kosher, does this mean that if the farmer is not a Jew, the milk is not kosher?

There are about 60,000 Jews in the Dallas area who are not affiliated with a synagogue (I am one of them),and answers like this are only causing them (and me) to just give up on Judaism as the answers to common questions like this are meaningless. I am very confused and frustrated.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Z.

Dear Jeffrey,

I understand your frustration, and admire your desire to have a better grasp on the laws which govern our lives as Jews.

Within this column it is difficult to do justice to your question, as it requires a deep understanding of the system of "rabbinical decrees." To attempt to fully grasp this law without the complete system is like trying the icing before the cake; sometimes it just gets all over you instead of it enhancing the taste of the cake.

The Torah itself has commanded the sages to enact decrees to protect the laws of the Torah, or "erect safeguards for My laws." The early rabbis, with a profound feeling of responsibility for the Jewish people and G-d's laws, enacted rabbinical decrees for each generation based upon its needs and the needs of future generations. These decrees are found in the rabbinic literature, such as the Mishnah and Talmud.

This being said, the kosher laws are very diverse. Items that are prohibited are sometimes explicitly forbidden by the Torah; some are forbidden rabbinically. There are foods that are not technically "unkosher" in that they contain a Torah-forbidden ingredient. The "unkosher" status of these foods emanates from a decree which forbids the consumption of that food despite its lack of any forbidden ingredient.

Wine prepared by a non-Jew comes under this last category. The Talmud explains that wine is (in Talmudic times and today as well) an item that brings people together in a very intimate way. When a man and a woman drink wine together, they become much closer than when drinking a soft drink together, in a way which can, and often does, lead to their eventually marrying.

The Jewish people in the Diaspora are in a very fragile condition regarding the issue of intermarriage. It is, as we well know, quite difficult to be living in a non-Jewish world, doing business and being friendly with our non-Jewish neighbors, and at the same time not marrying them. The rabbis saw the need to create virtual "fences," boundaries, around the Jewish people to ensure our stability and integrity. These boundaries enhance our ability to be together yet stay apart. Hence, the rabbis forbade wine prepared by non-Jews, to create an invisible barrier not to step over the line from friendship to intimacy.

I hope this helps you in your understanding, and look forward to hearing more of your questions.

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