Can I assume that for food to be kosher, its purchase cannot be contrary to
Halacha? Suppose I buy kosher food with a piece of paper that honors a
person who is guilty of genocide? Is the food still kosher? I am thinking
specifically of Andrew Jackson.
Jackson's support of Indian removal led to the depletion and near
extermination of many tribes. Specifically, you may be familiar with the
forced march of the Cherokee from Tennessee to Oklahoma (the Trail of
Tears). Families were forced out of their homes in the middle of the night
in freezing temperatures. The cavalry "escorted" them at bayonet point
through the ice and snow, the wind and the rain. The very young and the
very old were the first to perish. Only a small fraction of them survived
the journey. Other tribes had similar fates.
Does the Halacha permit us to carry certificates that honor mass murderers
in our pockets? What did we do when we were forced to use Roman coins with
portraits of Caesar (who was considered a god) on them? Perhaps in Roman
times we had no choice, but this a not true today. We can use $5 and $10
bills. We can use Traveler's checks.
Is food purchased with a $20 bill kosher?