The claim is made on this website that a non-Jew is allowed to engage in a central element of the oneg of a se'udah that one might think is reserved for Jews.
you don't have to be jewish to love levy's rye bread
Are there halachic discussions about whether it is or is not appropriate for a non-Jew to enjoy that lechem? Does this claim have any textual basis and is it the position of mainstream yahadut?
The word for rye in Hebrew is שיפון which has a gematria of 446.
This is the same as the gematria of מרקוליס (normally translated as Mercury/Hermes), one of the paradigmatic examples of avodah zarah used by the Talmud. (See e.g. Sanhedrin 7:6.)
The implication is obvious. Even an idol worshiper is permitted to eat rye bread, all the more so other non-Jews with whom we interact today who may very well not have the status of idol worshipers.
Further, note that the traditional way of worshiping Markulis was by throwing stones at it (as noted in the mishnah linked to earlier).
This is clearly in reference to the story of Pharaoh's baker, who accidentally left a stone in Pharaoh's (rye) bread. So, in fact, we have a source from the Torah itself that Pharaoh, a non-Jew, was permitted to eat rye bread.
Y'know, it's been a long time since I've seen those Levi's Jewish rye ads.
It is absolutely permissible for non-Jews to enjoy Levi's Jewish rye. Baruch Hashem that they're interested in this. The alternative is that they would be eating chazir rye!
I would even give such non-Jews an extra bracha, if they ate Levy's Rye bread. Nowadays, most non-Jews prefer bagels. And they're putting their pastrami on a bagel too. A shandeh!
