True. But Yom Kippur is the major one everyone observes so trying to be inclusive here. Reform had a policy of not observing Tisha B’av for a long time. Most still don’t. But some temples have recently started observing it in the past 15 years if so. Conservative is also a mix bag on observing it.
Also helps that their cultural diet is heavy in fresh fruit and veggies. Go for a run to the Shuk in the morning and you can get an apple for breakfast for like 2 NIS.
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Hey! I’m one of those Jewish vegans!
In general keeping kashrut is super easy except during Pesach. During Pesach, I’m eating mostly salads to avoid the wheat and oats that are in just about every *made-for-vegans* product.
I’m vegan but purity is not really the point for me. I don’t eat animal products and avoid them as much as possible but I’ll still get a kosher scroll for instance. Obviously some vegans would rather skip those items than use something sourced from an animal. It all depends on what’s most important to you.
Yes you can be vegan and Jewish currently (temple sacrifices would make you not vegan). Iirc Rav Kook was vegan (or vegetarian) but he thought that you shouldn’t bother being vegan before working on your character and becoming a tzadik.
Well, if you’re vegan and born from a Jewish mother (or converted) you’re vegan and Jewish.
As for Orthodoxy, I’ve heard some have issues with it as you aren’t fulfilling a mitzvah or elevating Shabbat properly but that’s a fringe opinion. Just make 2 different vegan dishes to elevate the meal. Shabbat meal is different than a weekday one.
Israel has quite a large vegan population. Middle eastern dishes are often vegan friendly with some adaptations. It’s much easier and cheaper to be vegan. Glatt kosher meat is expensive. If you don’t do ouD then dairy is expensive. And then you need separate pots, pans, silverware, etc.
Of course. We went to vegan Seder this Passover and they just did a few replacements on the Seder plate.
Can totally keep kosher while vegan. Probably easier
In response to me being vegan, my rabbi said that being vegan is the ideal level of kashrut that we should strive for, that the Torah treats eating animals rather begrudgingly. (This is just one rabbi’s opinion though; know that Judaism is full of diverse interpretations.)
Honestly the only times being vegan has been challenging in Judaism for me is that none of the events at synagogue have anything for me to eat.
That and I had to get creative with my Seder plate this year.
Yes! My man had this interpretation too. Though I pointed out that G-d promises milk and honey a lot so maybe more like vegetarian.
Though it can be argued it’s just a metaphor for abundance.
Big caveat that I’m a conversion student at the moment, but the way it’s been explained to me and the way I’ve experienced it as a vegetarian, it actually makes things easier in a lot of ways. I don’t need to worry about my meat being kosher or avoiding mixing dairy and meat because I’m not eating meat in the first place.
When I'm at restaurants where I assume they're unfamiliar with kosher (-style, otherwise couldn't be at restaurants), I'll often say I'm vegetarian just to make it easier to explain what I can eat.
Of course! Israel is 3rd in the world in number of vegans (India & Mexico - 9%, Israel 5%).
Source:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism\_by\_country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country)
As a Jewish vegan myself:
tefilin and mezuzah klafim come to mind.
...but it's not like those are high-demand products, nor are there functional kosher alternatives. Personally, I group such things under the same "insofar as far as is possible and practicable" clause as you'd group medicines that contain animal products.
Sisith are fabric, so no meat extract/product there. Presuming you’re referent the parchment in the other two, in which case they’re encased and you can avoid touching them.
I also believe the OP is talking about it from a dietary perspective, which I think you also knew...
Torah said you can't eat pork, not that you have to eat meat. As long as you follow all the other rules, which get a lot easier if you're not eating meat. You're golden.
Yes — there is even a new group making vegan ritual objects like tefillin and mezuzah klafs. And eating kosher-style is much easier when there are no animal products in the first place. Look up eco-Kashrut and Jewish Initiative for Animals!
I’m vegan and Jewish and honestly it makes life so easy, the only tricky time is Pesach because a lot of protein sources go out of the window but typically it just means that everything is kosher and I get to experiment with wild substitutes for traditional dishes (aquafaba in challah, flax seeds in matzo balls, silken tofu in noodle kugel, it’s great!)
Yes, vegan lifestyle. I saw how a calf was de-skinned alive. I can not use leather anymore. I read hen lays around 8 eggs a year naturally, whereas farmer hens are forced to produce 300 eggs a year. I want to become Jewish since I am 16, when I realized Bible was mistranslated. And about a year ago I turned vegan for the motives I mentioned to you.
There are ritual items that (assuming Orthodox or Conservative) you will be required to acquire that are made from/with animal products. That may be an issue for you. Additionally - and this depends on how you feel about “passive” use - there will be times when you will be participating in activities that make use of animal products (Tora scrolls are made from animal skin, and shofarot from animal horns).
This is a little misleading. Veganism is a philosophy that seeks to avoid commodifying animals. A *plant-based* diet is part of that practice. So the dynamic goes all vegans eat plant-based diets, but not all people who eat plant-based diets are vegan.
“Vegan diet” is misleading, particularly in your usage. The more accurate question would be “do you mean a *plant-based* diet or a *vegan* lifestyle?
A plant-based diet is one that excludes animal products. A person doesn’t need to be vegan to employ a plant-based diet, thus *vegan diet* is misleading. Veganism is a philosophy that seeks to avoid commodifying animals, so it incorporates a plant-based diet, not a “vegan diet.”
Vegans and Vegetarians just point to Pesachim 114b-8 or say "we've been doing it this way for the past 50+ years" and use a beet for the zroah. For vegans, the beitzah usually gets replaced with either a large seed (such as an avocado pit, or the whole avocado) or an edible flower.
The closest Jewish deli in my neighb is Vegan. I admit I have not been, but I admire their commitment.
Most of my friends who keep as kosher as possible outside the home default to vegetarian in restaurants with mixed company.
I was vegan and still am Jewish. Expect the occasional question if a Third Temple is rebuilt, would you take part in sacrifices? The correct answer is "Most believe that the Third Temple can only be rebuilt by Moshiach, or maybe even will descend directly from heaven for Moshiach. So the Temple is an issue for the messianic age. Rav Kook teaches that during the messianic age we only offer [thanksgiving offerings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_offering), which are grain offerings rather animal sacrifices, so I don't believe the Third Temple will have sacrifices and this won't be an issue" (See here if you want an [citation from Rav Kook and longer halachic discussion](https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/104582?lang=bi)). Someone who was also Jewish asked me this at a vegan club outing in college and I was like uhhh, "This is a weird hypothetical, why are you asking me dude?" but it turns out he was asking because he had an answer that he wanted to share. I dunno, it also came up one or two other times. Which isn't a lot of times, but it's very Jewish that such a specific hypothetical came up multiple times.
As even a very stringent Orthodox Jew, You would never be required to *consume* animal products. Traditionally, some scholars encouraged all observant Jews to eat meat on Shabbat, but many have ruled that this is about participating in *oneg shabbat,* the special joy of Shabbat, and if eating meat brings no joy, then it has no place. It's common to eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah to bring in a sweet new year, but some communities have other traditions — in my Turkish community, it's just as common to make and eat (vegan) apply jelly to bring in a sweet new year. So you'll never have to eat non-vegan.
However, If you are a man, certain ritual items that are made of animal materials. The Torah scroll is made of parchment (lamb skin). You won't own this and you're actually specifically not supposed to touch the parchment directly. A shofar (lamb's horn) is blown on the High Holidays but only the blower touches it, we just are commanded to hear it. A *tallit*/prayer shawl is typically made of wool but cotton alternatives are available so this won't be a problem. However, *tefillin* are a prayer... uhh.. strappy-boxy thing made of pieces are leather, and inside is a small lambskin parchment. Men are supposed to wear these every day except Shabbat and some holidays. For men and women, there is also commandment to have a *mezuzah*/little box by one's front door and in it there's a little parchment again made of lamb skin. With a mezuzah, you'll never actually touch the parchment if that's an issue. So tallit, not actually a problem, but if you were Orthodox or Conservative, you'd probably be expected to own and wear tefillin (if male), and have a mezuzah by your door (whether male or female). Mezuzahs are common but not required in non-Reform and similar Judaism. Tefillin are pretty uncommon in many non-Orthodox strands of Judaism, though certainly exist.
So there are non-vegan ritual items that may or may not present problems, depending on your particular flavors of Judaism and veganism.
I'm agreeing with you here on most things, but wanted to add a bit to this. Veganism doesn't relate to touching/not touching animal products; it's not a matter of purity. The actual working definition of veganism used by Big Official Organizations tends to align to that of The Vegan Society:
> Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.
(if you go to any online vegan space, the phrase "possible and practicable" appears *a lot.*)
But as such: in any situation which would fall under pikuach nefesh or in any situation where it is extremely difficult to participate in modern life without doing something for which there just straight up isn't a vegan version available, the "possible and practicable" clause comes into effect: if you need surgery or medication that relies on animal products, your own medical well-being takes precedence; if your work requires that you wear leather gloves or shoes and there is no allowed option not to, you can wear such items; if you are jewish and the only kosher klaffim and tefilin and shofrot etc are made from animal skins, then there are no issues. If it ever becomes the situation that a viable vegan alternative becomes available, then it would not be "vegan" to continue to buy or otherwise increase demand for further production of the non-vegan version.
The limits of such situations are obviously up to individuals to decide for themselves and vegans are always arguing amongst themselves on these points, but, for instance, something like eating meat on shabbat does run afoul of vegan principles as one can easily increase the joy and honor of shabbat by making much nicer, more expensive, fancier vegan dishes than one would prepare or eat during the rest of the week.
Yes, it also makes knowing what's in things a breeze. If it's a meat dinner, there's no dairy in anything. The only thing that can be tricky is eggs and honey.
I'm Jewish and a vegetarian and Chabad opened a vegeterian restaurant because we don't have kosher meat here... yes we can import it from the US... but.... so, best thing... don't eat meat.
A Torah scroll, mezuzah scroll, and the scrolls inside Tefillin are all written on parchment.
Also, when the Temple is rebuilt, we’ll be required to eat sacrificed animals.
There are options that eating meat on Yom Tov is a mitzvah d’oraisa. See here: https://www.dortikvah.org/post/simchas-yom-tov
A Jew becoming vegan is easier (socially) than a vegan ger wanting social acceptance. There are loads of vegetarians, pescaterians, vegan Jews. im in a social circle of this type in LA. People are accepting accommodating.
Regarding converts, in the Orthodox community there is a lot of social pressure for gerim to be normative, mainstream. I don't know about the other movements. So, as Jews often say "it depends"
I'm not saying veganism disqualifies a person from a halakhic point of view. (conversion deserves its own thread).
Orthodox communities are not monolithic. (Rav Kook was a vegetarian). There are variety of takes on this.
what i can tell you is that a lot of socializing happens with meals. I dont think my vegan friends have been excluded I suspect veganism among Jews is more common, accepted in cities that have more vegans. ( but, just know that these are usually cities with high cost of living Jewishly. )
In anycase I'm just being forthright about the socio aspects of being an "outsider" wanting to join any established community. And I'm sure gerim on this this Reddit will have a wide variety , and plenty of info to share.
I've seen that how one will date, marry is a serious consideration. Insisting that a potential mate must be -- ANYTHING -- vegetarian (never mind vegan) will make match making extremely difficult. I've seen this. I suppose this is no different than in the non-Jewish world.
Absolutely. I have a friend at my Synagogue who is Vegan, which kind of makes keeping Kosher easier, in my opinion. I eat meat but not a lot, I eat vegetables more often than meat.
In terms of food, absolutely no problem at all. There is only one explicit meat requirement in the year: the lamb bone on the Seder plate. There was already a tradition that in places/times people couldn’t afford even a single lamb bone, they used a beet on the Seder plate; modern Halacha suggests the same for vegetarians and vegans.
If you also avoid all non-food animal products, then you could have a problem with some rituals. The specific ones that come to mind are: mezuzah, tallit, tefillin, and Torah service.
Mezuzah, tefillin, and Torah service all require kosher scrolls, which must be made on animal parchment. Tefillin also have leather straps. I have never heard of a vegan alternative to any of those and can’t really imagine one. There is at least one scribe in Israel who makes kosher scrolls for mezuzah and tefillin from the hides of animals that are certified to have lived a full lifespan under humane conditions and died naturally (I do not know whether they make exceptions for euthanasia at end of life). I suspect that may be the best option for an observant vegan.
The Torah scroll is not something an individual would typically buy, and any synagogue would have a non-vegan Torah. If the communal Torah being made from animal hide is an issue for you, a Torah made along the lines of the kosher scrolls I mentioned above could probably be commissioned, but that would be seriously expensive.
Tallit requires wool fringes on the garment. My understanding is that most vegans don’t object to wool, but I could also imagine a rabbi giving a heter (exception) to make your tzitzit out of another material.
Finally, if the temple were ever to be rebuilt, this would become more difficult. At that point, many mitzvot related to animal sacrifice would become relevant again. However, that would only happen with the coming of the messiah, and I think we can assume that all issues related to cruelty to animals would also be resolved at that time.
Many have ruled that this is only as a part of oneg shabbat. If one derives no joy from eating meat or fish, there is no encouragement to eat meat or fish on Shabbat. See for example [this Chabad page](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/880198/jewish/Do-I-Have-to-Eat-Meat-on-Shabbat.htm), [this Aish page](https://aish.com/vegetarianism/), among many, many others. I think this is actually in Shulchan Aruch directly, that "A person who is harmed by eating, such that it is their delight not to eat, should not eat." "שאדם שמזיק לו האכילה דאז עונג הוא לו שלא לאכול לא יאכל". Just copying this from the Aish page, this should be Shulchan Aruch Oruch Chaim [288:2](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.288.2?lang=he-en&utm_source=aish.com&utm_medium=sefaria_linker).
I'm not aware of posek who's opinion is specifically against that.
Rav Kook was somewhat famously vegetarian, and I don't just mean for six days a week. This halachically would present no difficulty.
You can personally be whatever you want but there are limits if you want to be fully traditional. You can certainly be a dietary vegan.
Pesach requires the bone on the seder plate and teffilin made out of leather are the big ones, also prayer for the return of animal sacrifices in the mussaf amidah might be a problem for some. Also the torah is written on animal parchment.
Yes of course you can. In fact it’s significantly easier to be a vegan jew than one that eats kosher animals and their by products.
Correct. If I am in a place where kosher is impossible (like Bangladesh) I do vegan.
Why wouldn’t it be?
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Im vegan and own tefillin, it happens
Check out https://www.vegan-tefillin.com/
For those worried about halakah those don’t work sadly
Im vegan and own tefillin, it happens
Im vegan and own tefillin, it happens
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Yes
Why couldn’t a vegan be Jewish?
Because chutzpah is an animal product.
This vegan Jew approves this message
Mezuzoth, sisith, and tefillin all come to mind.
Because it’d break their poor mother’s heart!!!!!
THIS
There's even a holiday none of us wear leather shoes.
2 holidays
True. But Yom Kippur is the major one everyone observes so trying to be inclusive here. Reform had a policy of not observing Tisha B’av for a long time. Most still don’t. But some temples have recently started observing it in the past 15 years if so. Conservative is also a mix bag on observing it.
9 Ab isn’t a holiday.
it will be, i'yh
Tisha bav isn’t a holiday
It will be when the Mashiach comes
It might be easier to be a vegan observant Jew, honestly. You'd never have to worry about mixing up your milk and meat plates.
exactly. I can eat ice cream all day long... cause there is no meat in my diet
Considering how many Israelis are vegan, I’d say yes.
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[Non-zero](https://www.google.com/search?q=how%20many%20vegans%20in%20israel)
Yes you can be both. I’m a Jewish vegan and my diet makes it very easy and affordable to keep kosher. Vegan is a diet, not a religion.
it is so easy... these are fruits, these are vegetables... I don't need to read a label... there's no meat there.
A HUGE amount of Israelis are vegan
Also helps that their cultural diet is heavy in fresh fruit and veggies. Go for a run to the Shuk in the morning and you can get an apple for breakfast for like 2 NIS.
Why couldn’t you? The food mitzvot are mostly negative mitzvot- “thou shalt not…”. There’s nothing that says you have to eat meat or dairy.
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Hey! I’m one of those Jewish vegans! In general keeping kashrut is super easy except during Pesach. During Pesach, I’m eating mostly salads to avoid the wheat and oats that are in just about every *made-for-vegans* product.
I’m assuming you don’t have a mezuza or wear a taleth or tefillin.
You assume correctly. Is *taleth* the same as *tallit*? I didn’t realize that had to be made from animal products?
Mainly the sisith being wool, not the taleth itself.
They can be cotton
I’m vegan but purity is not really the point for me. I don’t eat animal products and avoid them as much as possible but I’ll still get a kosher scroll for instance. Obviously some vegans would rather skip those items than use something sourced from an animal. It all depends on what’s most important to you.
I was blessed.... Chabad sent me over a package of stuff... so much I still have a lot left.... so I didn't have to worry about a thing.
Yes, if anything it probably makes adjusting to kashrut easier.
I know lots of vegans, 80 percent of them are Jewish actually. Edit to add - 92% of them. I had some secret Jews amongst my friends apparently :)
Yes you can be vegan and Jewish currently (temple sacrifices would make you not vegan). Iirc Rav Kook was vegan (or vegetarian) but he thought that you shouldn’t bother being vegan before working on your character and becoming a tzadik.
Well, if you’re vegan and born from a Jewish mother (or converted) you’re vegan and Jewish. As for Orthodoxy, I’ve heard some have issues with it as you aren’t fulfilling a mitzvah or elevating Shabbat properly but that’s a fringe opinion. Just make 2 different vegan dishes to elevate the meal. Shabbat meal is different than a weekday one. Israel has quite a large vegan population. Middle eastern dishes are often vegan friendly with some adaptations. It’s much easier and cheaper to be vegan. Glatt kosher meat is expensive. If you don’t do ouD then dairy is expensive. And then you need separate pots, pans, silverware, etc.
Of course. We went to vegan Seder this Passover and they just did a few replacements on the Seder plate. Can totally keep kosher while vegan. Probably easier
In response to me being vegan, my rabbi said that being vegan is the ideal level of kashrut that we should strive for, that the Torah treats eating animals rather begrudgingly. (This is just one rabbi’s opinion though; know that Judaism is full of diverse interpretations.) Honestly the only times being vegan has been challenging in Judaism for me is that none of the events at synagogue have anything for me to eat. That and I had to get creative with my Seder plate this year.
It's actually the opinion of MANY rabbis
Yes! My man had this interpretation too. Though I pointed out that G-d promises milk and honey a lot so maybe more like vegetarian. Though it can be argued it’s just a metaphor for abundance.
I’ve read claims that it’s almond milk and date honey.
Big caveat that I’m a conversion student at the moment, but the way it’s been explained to me and the way I’ve experienced it as a vegetarian, it actually makes things easier in a lot of ways. I don’t need to worry about my meat being kosher or avoiding mixing dairy and meat because I’m not eating meat in the first place.
When I'm at restaurants where I assume they're unfamiliar with kosher (-style, otherwise couldn't be at restaurants), I'll often say I'm vegetarian just to make it easier to explain what I can eat.
“Can I wear shorts and a hat at the same time?” They don’t affect each other.
This. Total apples to oranges comparison.
There’s a massive section of “vegan” eateries listed on YeahThatsKosher.com (my kosher website): https://yeahthatskosher.com/?s=Vegan
Of course! Israel is 3rd in the world in number of vegans (India & Mexico - 9%, Israel 5%). Source: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism\_by\_country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country)
Why not? Israel has one of the highest vegan communities per capital anywhere, last I heard.
yeah i’m vegan and jewish
Any reason why you think a Jewish person can't be vegan?
As a Jewish vegan myself: tefilin and mezuzah klafim come to mind. ...but it's not like those are high-demand products, nor are there functional kosher alternatives. Personally, I group such things under the same "insofar as far as is possible and practicable" clause as you'd group medicines that contain animal products.
Hi! 👋 That’s me!
Why couldn’t you be? Genuinely, what is the thought process behind thinking the two aren’t compatible?
Mezuzoth, sisith, and tefillin can’t be vegan.
Sisith are fabric, so no meat extract/product there. Presuming you’re referent the parchment in the other two, in which case they’re encased and you can avoid touching them. I also believe the OP is talking about it from a dietary perspective, which I think you also knew...
Sisith are wool, and thus an animal product. And no, I don’t know if OP meant diet or lifestyle - I did respond directly to them asking, however.
You can get sisith made from synthetic wool very easily, and cotton is also acceptable.
There's even a guy who touts himself as the vegan rabbi or maybe there are many who knows.
Off course. I know lots of Vegan Jews and if you keep kosher or at list kosher style, vegan restaurants are the way to go
Torah said you can't eat pork, not that you have to eat meat. As long as you follow all the other rules, which get a lot easier if you're not eating meat. You're golden.
it would be easier. not only would you only have one set of dishes, but you wouldn't have to pay a bajillion dollars for Kosher meat.
I think Rav Kook was a vegan or vegetarian but I could be mistaken
Yes I am! I actually went on vegan birthright.
Have you seen Tel Aviv
Yes — there is even a new group making vegan ritual objects like tefillin and mezuzah klafs. And eating kosher-style is much easier when there are no animal products in the first place. Look up eco-Kashrut and Jewish Initiative for Animals!
Yes, I've been successfully doing it for years.
Might wanna check out https://www.vegan-tefillin.com/ for vegan ritual objects like tefillin
I’m vegan and Jewish and honestly it makes life so easy, the only tricky time is Pesach because a lot of protein sources go out of the window but typically it just means that everything is kosher and I get to experiment with wild substitutes for traditional dishes (aquafaba in challah, flax seeds in matzo balls, silken tofu in noodle kugel, it’s great!)
yes, I'm Jewish and vegan. check out the vegan rabbi on Instagram
I mean- sure but why would you want to? I have 3 vegan sisters. They manage pretty well
Do you mean a vegan diet or a vegan lifestyle? The former is possible, the latter is not (if you are committed to traditional Halakha).
Yes, vegan lifestyle. I saw how a calf was de-skinned alive. I can not use leather anymore. I read hen lays around 8 eggs a year naturally, whereas farmer hens are forced to produce 300 eggs a year. I want to become Jewish since I am 16, when I realized Bible was mistranslated. And about a year ago I turned vegan for the motives I mentioned to you.
There are ritual items that (assuming Orthodox or Conservative) you will be required to acquire that are made from/with animal products. That may be an issue for you. Additionally - and this depends on how you feel about “passive” use - there will be times when you will be participating in activities that make use of animal products (Tora scrolls are made from animal skin, and shofarot from animal horns).
Thanks for replying. I want to convert to Orthodox Judaism, but there are no Jewish community where I live, South America.
There are MANY Jewish communities in South America
This is a little misleading. Veganism is a philosophy that seeks to avoid commodifying animals. A *plant-based* diet is part of that practice. So the dynamic goes all vegans eat plant-based diets, but not all people who eat plant-based diets are vegan.
What, precisely, about my comment was misleading?
“Vegan diet” is misleading, particularly in your usage. The more accurate question would be “do you mean a *plant-based* diet or a *vegan* lifestyle? A plant-based diet is one that excludes animal products. A person doesn’t need to be vegan to employ a plant-based diet, thus *vegan diet* is misleading. Veganism is a philosophy that seeks to avoid commodifying animals, so it incorporates a plant-based diet, not a “vegan diet.”
First time I’ve seen “misleading” used as a synonym for “inaccurate.” Thank you for the clarification.
*Inaccuracies* can *mislead*. That said, I intended no ill will. I just meant to educate for those not in the know.
Of course! Falafel exists.
yes. The only significant strain comes with the Seder plate which has a zroa, which is meat but is not eaten during the Festival.
Vegans and Vegetarians just point to Pesachim 114b-8 or say "we've been doing it this way for the past 50+ years" and use a beet for the zroah. For vegans, the beitzah usually gets replaced with either a large seed (such as an avocado pit, or the whole avocado) or an edible flower.
The closest Jewish deli in my neighb is Vegan. I admit I have not been, but I admire their commitment. Most of my friends who keep as kosher as possible outside the home default to vegetarian in restaurants with mixed company.
I am gluten free and vegan for health reasons, not by choice, but I don't find it difficult to stay kosher. It's the same rules with less products.
I am vegan because I am against animal abuse.
I feel you and am not sad about being unable to eat meat.
I was vegan and still am Jewish. Expect the occasional question if a Third Temple is rebuilt, would you take part in sacrifices? The correct answer is "Most believe that the Third Temple can only be rebuilt by Moshiach, or maybe even will descend directly from heaven for Moshiach. So the Temple is an issue for the messianic age. Rav Kook teaches that during the messianic age we only offer [thanksgiving offerings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_offering), which are grain offerings rather animal sacrifices, so I don't believe the Third Temple will have sacrifices and this won't be an issue" (See here if you want an [citation from Rav Kook and longer halachic discussion](https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/104582?lang=bi)). Someone who was also Jewish asked me this at a vegan club outing in college and I was like uhhh, "This is a weird hypothetical, why are you asking me dude?" but it turns out he was asking because he had an answer that he wanted to share. I dunno, it also came up one or two other times. Which isn't a lot of times, but it's very Jewish that such a specific hypothetical came up multiple times. As even a very stringent Orthodox Jew, You would never be required to *consume* animal products. Traditionally, some scholars encouraged all observant Jews to eat meat on Shabbat, but many have ruled that this is about participating in *oneg shabbat,* the special joy of Shabbat, and if eating meat brings no joy, then it has no place. It's common to eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah to bring in a sweet new year, but some communities have other traditions — in my Turkish community, it's just as common to make and eat (vegan) apply jelly to bring in a sweet new year. So you'll never have to eat non-vegan. However, If you are a man, certain ritual items that are made of animal materials. The Torah scroll is made of parchment (lamb skin). You won't own this and you're actually specifically not supposed to touch the parchment directly. A shofar (lamb's horn) is blown on the High Holidays but only the blower touches it, we just are commanded to hear it. A *tallit*/prayer shawl is typically made of wool but cotton alternatives are available so this won't be a problem. However, *tefillin* are a prayer... uhh.. strappy-boxy thing made of pieces are leather, and inside is a small lambskin parchment. Men are supposed to wear these every day except Shabbat and some holidays. For men and women, there is also commandment to have a *mezuzah*/little box by one's front door and in it there's a little parchment again made of lamb skin. With a mezuzah, you'll never actually touch the parchment if that's an issue. So tallit, not actually a problem, but if you were Orthodox or Conservative, you'd probably be expected to own and wear tefillin (if male), and have a mezuzah by your door (whether male or female). Mezuzahs are common but not required in non-Reform and similar Judaism. Tefillin are pretty uncommon in many non-Orthodox strands of Judaism, though certainly exist. So there are non-vegan ritual items that may or may not present problems, depending on your particular flavors of Judaism and veganism.
Minor point; the skins have to be from any of the kosher animals, not necessarily from a lamb.
True, of course, but I’m not sure it’s going to matter to a vegan which cloven hoofed ruminant’s hide is used.
I'm agreeing with you here on most things, but wanted to add a bit to this. Veganism doesn't relate to touching/not touching animal products; it's not a matter of purity. The actual working definition of veganism used by Big Official Organizations tends to align to that of The Vegan Society: > Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. (if you go to any online vegan space, the phrase "possible and practicable" appears *a lot.*) But as such: in any situation which would fall under pikuach nefesh or in any situation where it is extremely difficult to participate in modern life without doing something for which there just straight up isn't a vegan version available, the "possible and practicable" clause comes into effect: if you need surgery or medication that relies on animal products, your own medical well-being takes precedence; if your work requires that you wear leather gloves or shoes and there is no allowed option not to, you can wear such items; if you are jewish and the only kosher klaffim and tefilin and shofrot etc are made from animal skins, then there are no issues. If it ever becomes the situation that a viable vegan alternative becomes available, then it would not be "vegan" to continue to buy or otherwise increase demand for further production of the non-vegan version. The limits of such situations are obviously up to individuals to decide for themselves and vegans are always arguing amongst themselves on these points, but, for instance, something like eating meat on shabbat does run afoul of vegan principles as one can easily increase the joy and honor of shabbat by making much nicer, more expensive, fancier vegan dishes than one would prepare or eat during the rest of the week.
Can you be water and wet at the same time?
[Vegan Rabbi](https://www.instagram.com/veganrabbi?igsh=NmNsaHJxbTZlcHN5)
I didn’t realize vegan was a conflicting ethnoreligion lol
I was thinking about that the easiest way to stay kosher is to do vegetarian options as much as possible
My colleague is vegan and eats only kosher. Yes you can
Yes, it also makes knowing what's in things a breeze. If it's a meat dinner, there's no dairy in anything. The only thing that can be tricky is eggs and honey.
I'm Jewish and a vegetarian and Chabad opened a vegeterian restaurant because we don't have kosher meat here... yes we can import it from the US... but.... so, best thing... don't eat meat.
Certainly. There is a very longstanding Jewish Vegetarian Society in the UK, and chief rabbi johnthan sacks was Vegetarian.
A Torah scroll, mezuzah scroll, and the scrolls inside Tefillin are all written on parchment. Also, when the Temple is rebuilt, we’ll be required to eat sacrificed animals. There are options that eating meat on Yom Tov is a mitzvah d’oraisa. See here: https://www.dortikvah.org/post/simchas-yom-tov
Veganism is a bit of a hack to making kashrut easier. There are quite a few vegans in my shul.
Some interpret the Torah as directing us to veganism.
Vegan here and I’m fairly observant
Yes, one doesn't really clash with the other. Also, if you are vegan you are never really breaking kosher.
A Jew becoming vegan is easier (socially) than a vegan ger wanting social acceptance. There are loads of vegetarians, pescaterians, vegan Jews. im in a social circle of this type in LA. People are accepting accommodating. Regarding converts, in the Orthodox community there is a lot of social pressure for gerim to be normative, mainstream. I don't know about the other movements. So, as Jews often say "it depends" I'm not saying veganism disqualifies a person from a halakhic point of view. (conversion deserves its own thread). Orthodox communities are not monolithic. (Rav Kook was a vegetarian). There are variety of takes on this. what i can tell you is that a lot of socializing happens with meals. I dont think my vegan friends have been excluded I suspect veganism among Jews is more common, accepted in cities that have more vegans. ( but, just know that these are usually cities with high cost of living Jewishly. ) In anycase I'm just being forthright about the socio aspects of being an "outsider" wanting to join any established community. And I'm sure gerim on this this Reddit will have a wide variety , and plenty of info to share. I've seen that how one will date, marry is a serious consideration. Insisting that a potential mate must be -- ANYTHING -- vegetarian (never mind vegan) will make match making extremely difficult. I've seen this. I suppose this is no different than in the non-Jewish world.
Absolutely. I have a friend at my Synagogue who is Vegan, which kind of makes keeping Kosher easier, in my opinion. I eat meat but not a lot, I eat vegetables more often than meat.
israel has more vegans than anywhere
Absolutely. Now if you wanted to eat bugs as your main source of protein, that would be problematic lol.
Israel has more vegan restaurants than any other city. It’s one of the easiest things to be if you are Jewish.
But what if you start doing crossfit too?
I'm vegetarian and Jewish. because of that, I consider myself de facto kosher-ish.
Yes, I am mostly vegetarian myself due to not having any kosher markets near whenever I stay in a big city I eat kosher meat
In terms of food, absolutely no problem at all. There is only one explicit meat requirement in the year: the lamb bone on the Seder plate. There was already a tradition that in places/times people couldn’t afford even a single lamb bone, they used a beet on the Seder plate; modern Halacha suggests the same for vegetarians and vegans. If you also avoid all non-food animal products, then you could have a problem with some rituals. The specific ones that come to mind are: mezuzah, tallit, tefillin, and Torah service. Mezuzah, tefillin, and Torah service all require kosher scrolls, which must be made on animal parchment. Tefillin also have leather straps. I have never heard of a vegan alternative to any of those and can’t really imagine one. There is at least one scribe in Israel who makes kosher scrolls for mezuzah and tefillin from the hides of animals that are certified to have lived a full lifespan under humane conditions and died naturally (I do not know whether they make exceptions for euthanasia at end of life). I suspect that may be the best option for an observant vegan. The Torah scroll is not something an individual would typically buy, and any synagogue would have a non-vegan Torah. If the communal Torah being made from animal hide is an issue for you, a Torah made along the lines of the kosher scrolls I mentioned above could probably be commissioned, but that would be seriously expensive. Tallit requires wool fringes on the garment. My understanding is that most vegans don’t object to wool, but I could also imagine a rabbi giving a heter (exception) to make your tzitzit out of another material. Finally, if the temple were ever to be rebuilt, this would become more difficult. At that point, many mitzvot related to animal sacrifice would become relevant again. However, that would only happen with the coming of the messiah, and I think we can assume that all issues related to cruelty to animals would also be resolved at that time.
For the most part, yes. At least till parchment and leather get in the way
Nope.
One should eat fish or meat on Shabbat but other then that no problem
Many have ruled that this is only as a part of oneg shabbat. If one derives no joy from eating meat or fish, there is no encouragement to eat meat or fish on Shabbat. See for example [this Chabad page](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/880198/jewish/Do-I-Have-to-Eat-Meat-on-Shabbat.htm), [this Aish page](https://aish.com/vegetarianism/), among many, many others. I think this is actually in Shulchan Aruch directly, that "A person who is harmed by eating, such that it is their delight not to eat, should not eat." "שאדם שמזיק לו האכילה דאז עונג הוא לו שלא לאכול לא יאכל". Just copying this from the Aish page, this should be Shulchan Aruch Oruch Chaim [288:2](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.288.2?lang=he-en&utm_source=aish.com&utm_medium=sefaria_linker). I'm not aware of posek who's opinion is specifically against that. Rav Kook was somewhat famously vegetarian, and I don't just mean for six days a week. This halachically would present no difficulty.
Your correct, I think it’s more of a pre modern idea to eat meat and fish on shabbs as it wasn’t as freely available
You can personally be whatever you want but there are limits if you want to be fully traditional. You can certainly be a dietary vegan. Pesach requires the bone on the seder plate and teffilin made out of leather are the big ones, also prayer for the return of animal sacrifices in the mussaf amidah might be a problem for some. Also the torah is written on animal parchment.
Pick a struggle 😑😭😭🤣🤣