I am so happy that you are doing well and miss seeing you.
What you are writing is so true. A doctor will not tell a cancer patient that they are completely cured. No evidence of cancer cells means that one is in remission and we don't know how long. I am personally so fortunate since the doctors at Sloane Kettering told me that I had an incurable cancer with 7 to 8 months to live. It is now 8 years. I try to appreciate every day.
Cancer is a bummer. Thankfully Prostrate Cancer is one worry women don’t have. Ours is Breast and ovarian cancer. For me it’s been breast cancer, twice. Honestly, it’s the luck of the draw. Many in my class passed away. But some, me included, just beat it and lived. But this I do know, once a person survives cancer, you are never the same. Something changes and life becomes a bit more precious. Let’s pray for the best. 🤞🏽😐. Your admirer, Claudia.
Dear Rabbi Hammerman, your soul is kind and your words are wise and illuminating. I want you to beat that darn cancer and send it away. We need your voice in this wilderness.
Hello Rabbi and blessings to you. I have been diagnosed with stage 4a muscle invasive plasmacytoid cytoid bladder cancer in April 2023, with a 3-6 month prognosis with no treatment. Fortunately I have a great oncologist and am in an immunotherapy treatment with no disease progression since beginning treatment. I too have lived in that ‘borrowed time nether zone’ where you wonder if the cancer ball will drop into high gear again. I had hope before Trump, I felt research was going to be progressing and the country seemed to want to kick cancer’s butt. Now, not at all. I feel like all cancer patients have been kicked in our teeth. He spends our money to golf and then he cheats. I pray for you and wish you all the best. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🥰
You have certainly influenced my life in a very positive way, Rabbi Hammerman, may you continue to influence and teach for generations to come! You´ve got a lot of work ahead of you and are a very busy man as it is, growing our understanding and appreciation for Judaism and the world order as well. Thank you for sharing. Blessings to you and your supportive family!
I have wondered recently if the laws of kashrut have evolved to grapple with the extent that some foods may bear a higher risk of cancer-causing agents. California has required the listed presence of one carcinogen, acrylamide. Acrylamide typically is generated by roasting, baking or other high-temperature preparations of certain plant-based sugars. The worst culprits are French fries.
This question was prompted by buying a box of gluten-free crisps and noticing that the box included both a seal of kosher compliance and a statement about the risks of acrylamide.
While the risks of cancer from consuming normal amounts of relatively tasteless crisps is rather low, there was something unsettling about the close proximity of a cancer warning and a kosher seal. Are there any standards (clearly not foreseen in the biblical era) for when a cancer risk is high enough (closer to French fries than to crisps) that a kosher seal should be withheld or at least qualified with a specific reference to the cancer risk?
No standards like that as far as I know. I had a rabbinics teacher who petitioned the Boston bet din (rabbinical court) to declare artificial coloring and other ingredients in hot dogs to be unkosher. Other rabbis have ruled the same about cigarettes. So anything is possible.
Thanks for your reply. I guess that the traditional view is that a hechsher or kosher seal is a certificate of ritual compliance, not a certificate of health or perfection. Here’s a case where a modern view might seek a more stringent standard, one that adds a concern for health.
Shalom Rabbi,
I am so happy that you are doing well and miss seeing you.
What you are writing is so true. A doctor will not tell a cancer patient that they are completely cured. No evidence of cancer cells means that one is in remission and we don't know how long. I am personally so fortunate since the doctors at Sloane Kettering told me that I had an incurable cancer with 7 to 8 months to live. It is now 8 years. I try to appreciate every day.
Best always,
Gary Gladstein
Truly a miracle, Gary, which I've been privilenge to witness. And you've made the greatest use of every day.
Wonderful. Inspiring. As always. Many thanks.
Thanks so much, Gordon.
Cancer is a bummer. Thankfully Prostrate Cancer is one worry women don’t have. Ours is Breast and ovarian cancer. For me it’s been breast cancer, twice. Honestly, it’s the luck of the draw. Many in my class passed away. But some, me included, just beat it and lived. But this I do know, once a person survives cancer, you are never the same. Something changes and life becomes a bit more precious. Let’s pray for the best. 🤞🏽😐. Your admirer, Claudia.
Dear Rabbi Hammerman, your soul is kind and your words are wise and illuminating. I want you to beat that darn cancer and send it away. We need your voice in this wilderness.
Thanks so much, Elizabeth! I’ll do my best.
Hello Rabbi and blessings to you. I have been diagnosed with stage 4a muscle invasive plasmacytoid cytoid bladder cancer in April 2023, with a 3-6 month prognosis with no treatment. Fortunately I have a great oncologist and am in an immunotherapy treatment with no disease progression since beginning treatment. I too have lived in that ‘borrowed time nether zone’ where you wonder if the cancer ball will drop into high gear again. I had hope before Trump, I felt research was going to be progressing and the country seemed to want to kick cancer’s butt. Now, not at all. I feel like all cancer patients have been kicked in our teeth. He spends our money to golf and then he cheats. I pray for you and wish you all the best. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🥰
You have certainly influenced my life in a very positive way, Rabbi Hammerman, may you continue to influence and teach for generations to come! You´ve got a lot of work ahead of you and are a very busy man as it is, growing our understanding and appreciation for Judaism and the world order as well. Thank you for sharing. Blessings to you and your supportive family!
Dear Rabbi,
I have wondered recently if the laws of kashrut have evolved to grapple with the extent that some foods may bear a higher risk of cancer-causing agents. California has required the listed presence of one carcinogen, acrylamide. Acrylamide typically is generated by roasting, baking or other high-temperature preparations of certain plant-based sugars. The worst culprits are French fries.
This question was prompted by buying a box of gluten-free crisps and noticing that the box included both a seal of kosher compliance and a statement about the risks of acrylamide.
While the risks of cancer from consuming normal amounts of relatively tasteless crisps is rather low, there was something unsettling about the close proximity of a cancer warning and a kosher seal. Are there any standards (clearly not foreseen in the biblical era) for when a cancer risk is high enough (closer to French fries than to crisps) that a kosher seal should be withheld or at least qualified with a specific reference to the cancer risk?
No standards like that as far as I know. I had a rabbinics teacher who petitioned the Boston bet din (rabbinical court) to declare artificial coloring and other ingredients in hot dogs to be unkosher. Other rabbis have ruled the same about cigarettes. So anything is possible.
Thanks for your reply. I guess that the traditional view is that a hechsher or kosher seal is a certificate of ritual compliance, not a certificate of health or perfection. Here’s a case where a modern view might seek a more stringent standard, one that adds a concern for health.
Dear Joshua,
I tried to address some of the issues related to Gaza in my own Substack, but not as well as you have done. Thanks for all you do for all of us.
I really appreciate that. None of us feels very comfortable communicating these days, but the alternative, total silence, is not a viable option.