Kashrut

What is Kosher? What is Kashrut? Well in order to understand these terms lets look at their root. “Kashrut” comes from the Hebrew root Kaf-Shin-Reish (כשר), meaning fit, proper or correct. It is commonly used in reference to that which is eaten. Kashrut, is the body of Biblical Law dealing with what foods we can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared and eaten.

 

 

Kashrut has great spiritual implications, and is not to be just understood for what is considered food or what we should eat. The topic of Kashrut is sometimes associated with the positive health, effects of eating kosher, or at least obstaining from what is not Kosher. Yes, there are benefits to eating Kosher food, at the very least even obstaining from those things that Our Creator identified as not fit for food…like pork. Among treif, or unkosher foods, the most infamous unkosher food is pork, bacon or any derivatives from swine. The Torah says,

 

 

 

“The pig, because he has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, he is unclean to you.”
Leviticus 11:7

 

 

(the spiritual implication of this passage we will get to later)

 

Recent studies have shown links between pork and cancer. While scientific study is still developing, it is important to be aware of the research both pro and con in this area if one insists on eating pork. More than that, there have been horrifying news reports of brain worms that infiltrated humans via the consumption of swine. Of course, any food, if not cooked properly may also cause health issues. One thing is for sure, these laws were not simply in place because “they didn’t have refrigerators back then.” It is much more complex than that. And while all of this is something to consider, this is not why HaShem gave the laws of Kashrut. However, when this topic is spoken of, it is usually understood as very cut and dry. “This is what is good and what is not, so do it.”

 

 

Often, it seems that when a person continues deeper in the law of Kashrut there seems to be more mania concerning even which hechshers are legitamate. (Hechsher, is a rabbinical product certification, qualifying items (usually foods) that conform to the requirements of Jewish law.) G-d gives us instructions, and He gives the why, even if it may be hidden from our understanding. On a deeper level, Hashem teaches us in the Torah that in essence “you are what you eat.” What? Really? How is this so? Well, this is a very popular expression, yet it can be a clue to what is hidden in the Torah.

 

 

Parashat Shemini might seem to lack in inspiration, dealing mostly with details of offerings and sacrifices. Not to mention the appalling and tragic event with Nadav and Avihu. Yet, the end of the portion speaks about What is fit for food and what is not. In connection with the food for the Kohanim, the next chapter began with instructions for the Children of Israel regarding Kashrut(that which is fit to eat).

 

Dayan Grunfeld, in his book The Jewish Dietary Laws, says

“The dietary laws are a fundamental part of the divine legislation for the people of God and this observance has decisively molded the collective character of our nation.”

 

Interestingly, Genesis Rabbah gives us a kernel of the heart of the matter.

 

“The purpose [of Kashrut] is to refine humanity”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice what He States in this passage. Now obviously at first glance one would think that the Lord commanded him to eat the very things that in Leviticus chapter 11 He said not to eat. I’m sure this would be confusing to any one of us who kept as kosher as Peter.

 

However, later on we find out what the actual meaning behind this is.

 

So, Peter went. He went into the House of Cornelius and with many with him.

 

 

 

“He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.”

 

 

 

 

Halacha concerning entering the house of a gentile…it rarely , if ever it happened.

 

For a man that is a Jew, to keep company with, or come unto one of another nation; besides entering into covenants and marriages with them, which were forbidden by Torah (Deu. , though they allowed of trade and commerce with the Gentiles, yet not any familiar conversation with them; it was prohibited to eat and drink any sort of liquor with them in their houses, nor might they walk with them in the streets, or on the road.

 

They looked upon the houses of Gentiles as unclean, and therefore would not enter into them. This was mostly due to the concern of Idolatry. We can find an example of this in John 18:28.

 

 

 

“Then they led Yeshua from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.”

 

“…says R. Chiyah, let us be gone, perhaps this man is an idolatrous Gentile, or one of the people of the earth, and it is forbidden to join with him in the way.”

– Zohar in Exodus fol.21.1

Also, RAMBAM (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) makes this statement regarding the Jewish people and the Gentiles.

“it is forbidden a Jew to unite himself to Gentiles, because they are suspected of shedding blood, and he may not join himself with them in the way; if he meets a Gentile in the way, he causes him to turn to the right hand; if they ascend by an ascent, or descend by a descent, the Israelite may not be below, and the Gentile above: but the Israelite must be above, and the Gentile below, lest he should fall upon him and kill him.”

         –Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 12. sect. 7

This is just a short sample for this point for this article. It is beyond the scope of this article to thoroughly explore this subject. There are, however, a plethora of writings regarding relations between the Jewish people and the nations (both good and bad).

Understanding the context, however, both statements were about preserving life: preserving ones spiritual life from all forms of idolitry, and preserving ones physical life from possible harm.

The Table

Traditionally speaking, in the temple and later talmudic times, the table that one ate and drank at was connected to worship. The rabbis state that just as the priests are given their portion of food in the service of avodah/worship, so should our tables be like an altar, where we share words about the Torah and Mitzvot. However, it was taught that joining in meals with non-jews was seen to be comparable with stepping into idolatry. Why?

 

 

(consuming food sacrificed to idols)

In History much of the nations that Israel dealt with were pantheists/worshipped many gods, and many would give their portions of food to idols (by and large). The implication in all of this was that the Gentiles and the Jewish people were to remain separate.

 

However,in Acts 10, Adonai was commanding Peter to seemingly break from the tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been taught in the Church that G-d was commanding Peter to eat unclean things (and thus violate Torah, G-d forbid!). However, there’s a clue in the statement declared to Shimon Kefa. 

 

This word ve’echol relates to the command in Parashat Ekev.

וְאָכַלְתָּ אֶת־כׇּל־הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ לֹא־תָחוֹס עֵינְךָ עֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא תַעֲבֹד אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶם כִּי־מוֹקֵשׁ הוּא לָךְ׃ {ס}        

You shall destroy all the peoples that the LORD your God delivers to you, showing them no pity. And you shall not worship their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
-Deuteronomy 7:16

Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, relates in his commentary the nuance behind the word v’achal’ta in our text:

The word for “destroy” is v’achal’ta ‎וְאָכַלְתָּ‎. The root word is o’chel ‎אוכל‎, which means food, ‎or to eat/consume/devour. So in this passage,‎ ‎”You shall consume all these nations, etc.” This is a positive commandment. Moses ‎continues that this commandment applies to the nations whom G’d delivers into our hands ‎‎(the seven Canaanite tribes). There is a clear implication that if the Israelites were to be ‎tardy in carrying out this commandment this would be tantamount to despising a divine ‎gift.‎
‎-Ohr HaChayim

Rabbeinu Bahya gives a fascinating detail connecting the concept.

ואכלת את כל העמים‎, “you will consume all the nations.” When you will utterly destroy them ‎the result will be as if you had eaten them as one eats bread. This is in line with what Calev ‎had said when he came back from the spying mission 38 years earlier when he told his ‎compatriots that the Canaanites “are our bread” (Numbers 14,9).‎
‎-Rabbeinu Bahya

 

With this in mind, lets reexamine his statement. Again, what was the interpretation given by Simon Peter of the vision?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The animals in/on the Tallit Gadol were simbolic of the nations. Biblically, each nation has characteristics resembling those of different animals. Likewise, the same case is made with regard to Israel. Regarding the nations,  G-d had cleansed them, purified them, and in effect changed them. He made them Kosher!

 

By this we can see the hidden context of the vision. Hashem was telling him that the nations that will go before him are like those prepared for consumption. Shimon would consume the house of Cornelius like bread. Yet by the words of life from his lips, they are forever changed.

 

He changed their nature, and began a work in both Jew and Gentile to be conformed to the image of Mashiach Yeshua. This is what is to be understood by Kefa’s vision. This is also what is implied by the passage at the end of Leviticus chapter 11

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the Yaavetz, R’ Yaakov Emden wrote in his Seder Olam Vezuta,

 

 

 

 

 

In a sense, to reduce kashrut only to that which we put in our mouth becomes a way of self-indulgence.

Hashem sometimes speaks to us in small ways. In His Torah, He instructs us to do good things, that sometimes to us do not make much sense. Interestingly, the Iggeret of Bar Nabba or Epistle of Barnabas (not to be confused with the Gospel of Barnabas) goes straight to the point concerning some of the laws of Kashrut.

 

 

 

“Concerning meats then Moses received three decrees to this effect and uttered them in a spiritual  sense; but they accepted them according to the lust of the flesh, as though they referred to eating.”

 

 

“…Again Moses saith; Ye shall everything that divideth the hoof and cheweth the cud. What meaneth he? He that receiveth the food knoweth Him that giveth him the food, and being refreshed appeareth to rejoice in him. Well said he, having regard to the commandment.
What then meaneth he? Cleave unto those that fear the Lord, with those who meditate in their heart on the distinction of the word which they have received, with those who tell of the ordinances of the Lord and keep them, with those who know that meditation is a work of gladness and who chew the cud of the word of the Lord. But why that which divideth the hoof? Because the righteous man both walketh in this world, and at the same time looketh for the holy world to come. Ye see how wise a lawgiver Moses was.”

 

 

 

Leviticus 11:3 says…

 

“Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat.”

 

 

 

What do we learn from these signs?
What makes this animal aspect kosher or not? If the intention of our actions is for G-d’s sake, to help others, to grow spiritually and reveal G-d’s Kingdom in the world, then it is “kosher”. When our actions are not for a higher purpose, and, in fact, interfere with the above goals, it is “not kosher”.

 

 

Cloven hooves,again, what is the meaning of ‘with cloven hoof’? It means that the one who cleaves to righteousness walks in this world yet cleaves to the expectation of the set-apart age to follow.

 

 

The second sign is chewing of the cud. Animals that “chew the cud” are those that partially digest their food, and then regurgitate it from their first stomach (most have a four chambered stomach) and chew it. In daily life, it is imperative to think twice, check and double check, if what we are about to do is correct or not. Especially as believers. We hold every thought captive to Mashiach. Every action that we take is prepared by preparation in His Word. No one would ever consider giving his hard earned money to a stranger, no matter how lucrative a deal is offered, without doing extensive investigation. How much more so with the spiritual relationship to the physical! It is important that we act cautiously guarding ourselves, and our families from inappropriate actions.

 

 

And what about the Chazir/pig?

 

 

 

“The pig, because he has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, he is unclean to you.”
Leviticus 11:7

 

“Now, in that Moses said, “Ye shall not eat swine, nor an eagle, nor a hawk, nor a crow, nor any fish which has no scales on itself,” He mentioned the swine for this reason: you shall not consort, he means, with men who are like swine, that is to say, when they have plenty they forget the L-rd, but when they are in need they recognize the L-rd, just as the swine when it eats does not know its master, but when it is hungry it cries out, and after receiving food is again silent.”
– BarNabba 10:1,3

 

 

 

They have split hooves, but do not chew the cud…they have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof. ( 2 Tim. 3:5) On the exterior they appear to do what is right (have split hooves), but internally; spiritually they don’t consider their Maker (don’t chew the cud).

 

The Ramban, R’ Moshe ben Nachman, comments,

 

 

“The birds and many of the mammals forbidden by the Torah are predators, while the permitted animals are not. We are commanded not to eat those animals possessive of a cruel nature, so that we should not absorb these qualities into ourselves.”
Nachmanides Deuteronomy 4:3

 

 

 

In other words, “you are (begin to be like) what you eat.”

As R’ Tzvi Freeman says,

 

 

 

“Some of these animals reflect this spiritual negativity in their actual nature and behavior. So Nachmanides speaks of the negative character traits imbibed with the flesh of non-kosher species. In many cases, what is not healthy for the soul is also clearly not healthy for the body, as well.”
-Why Do We Keep Kosher? Tzvi Freeman, Chabad.org

 

 

 

In many passages, Gentiles (or Nation) are likened to animals who surround Israel and those who surround and attack Israel. Now, through faith in the Mashiach, the Gentiles have the opportunity to “become kosher.” R’ Ari Kahn notes an incredible tradition about a change that will happen to the pig,

 

 

 

“Various authorities have mentioned a teaching that in the Messianic age the pig will become kosher. The ultimate symbol of treif becoming acceptable would surely be a sign that the eschatological age (endtimes) has begun.”
R’ Ari Kahn, M’oray HaAish: When Pigs Fly citing Sefer Sha’arei Tzedek, Rav Tzadok Hakohen, Machshavot Charutz chapter 11

 

 

 

According to R. Mordechai Becher, the theme of kosher food is more than what is consumed.

 

 

 

“The main theme of the kosher food laws is self-control.”
-Soul Food, R. Mordechai Becher, Ohr.edu

 

 

 

The idea is self control and good conduct.

Paul identifies self control as one of the fruits of the Spirit,

 

 

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23

 

 

 

 

This is the purpose of kashrut. To set us apart. To distinguish us from the world, to be like Messiah our Master and Teacher, Yeshua of Nazareth. As it is written,

 

 

 

“For I am HaShem your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy…”
Leviticus 11:44