Shoes, etc, from non-kosher animals

[Elaine Moise]

>Nope. The nonfood-ingredient-from-a-kosher-animal rule only applies
>to certain ritual objects (like tefillin and sacred-scroll parchment
>and... well, that's all I can think of at the moment). At least, if
>that restriction did exist, I suspect I would have read about it or
>been told about it by now. (I wouldn't be surprised if some haredi
>sect or some individual Jews did this as a mark of stringency way
>above and beyond the law, but I've never heard of anyone doing it.)

I do it, and I don't think it's a mark of "stringency;" neither my best
friends nor my worst enemies would use that word in describing me. It's
about a "different" interpretation of kashrut, perhaps, in my case.

I take very seriously the idea that one of the "reasons" for kashrut is to
put rules around the eating of meat, to make it difficult to casually kill
an animal and eat it. I've decided that I need to apply that to anything
that requires that an animal be killed. If I'm wearing leather shoes,
there's a dead cow somewhere. I won't be "responsible" for killing an
animal that I wouldn't eat (although I do NOT even think about trying to
extend this to wearing shoes, etc., made from animals that were killed by
shechita (kosher ritual slaughter.)) It's entirely possible that someday
I'll stop wearing leather all together, I don't know.

Please understand, I'm not suggesting this as a "rule" for others; I'm
describing my own approach and practice.

Elaine

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