Hope everyone had a meaningful Passover Season as you left your own mitzraim (narrow place) for better time’s a head! During Passover we eat a lot of food, and in fact food is an important part of every Jewish holiday and celebration, so it only makes sense that we find food as a subject in Torah. After a week layoff we return to the book of Leviticus, a book we must remember has to do with Priestly concerns of tahor (pure) and tamai (impure) as this week we are in parasha Shemini that in part is concerned with the purity of food people eat. Here, my focus will be more so about the “why” as opposed to the “how,” but lets begin with a brief overview.
Shemini is divided into two parts; the continuation of the ordination of the Kohenim and the expanded Laws of Kashrut, or dietary issues in the written Torah. The section with the Kohenim that spans two chapters (Lev. 9 and 10) is about the culmination of the sacrifices that in the end reveals the presence of God in the Mishkan, only to be interrupted by the unfortunate deaths of Aaron’s two oldest sons and further laws regarding Priestly behaviors as well as the Minchah offering. The second part is about kosher laws (Lev. 11). In this section we find lists of what is permissible to eat and what is not, why it is and why it is not, as well as the reason; “You shall be holy, for God is holy” (v. 45). Both parts of Shemini are connected by the following, “for you must distinguish between the sacred and the profane, and between the impure and the pure” (10:10), applicable to both offering sacrifices and foods consumed.
Looking only at the kosher laws, a problem to contend with is justification, something that we will return to in a moment. What also sticks our is the use of words throughout that speak to the nature of the offence; impure (tamai) or abomination (sheketz), the former being “unclean” whereas the latter is compared to the “worship of an idol” or something “detestable.” In the case of “impure” it is in relationship to other land based animals that are not considered kosher whereas an “abomination” is tied into eating insects that fly in the air or creep on the ground, but also fish with no scales or fins. Rashi understands this to mean that kosher laws are about what it means to emulate God, “impure” is to remind us of what is pure for the body and an “abomination” is about defiling the soul (see Rashi on Lev. 11:43-44), thus Rashi also calls upon “You shall be holy, for God is holy.” The nature of "impure" and "abomination" makes this a purity issue, but how?
Above I said this section is an “expanded” teaching of kosher laws, because eating habits were first mentioned in Genesis 1:29 where every-seed bearing plant is for food both for humans and animals, followed by Genesis 7:1 that tells us a concession is made and meat became a part of the human diet. Kosher laws were important before the destruction of the Second Temple that were central to Jewish life and death (1 Macc. 1:47ff and 2 Macc. 6) with our early Sages cementing the separation of milk and meat into Jewish practice (Mishnah, Chullin 8:1). Okay, so kosher laws are important, but why? Maimonides answer's that question by saying “God knows that in all foods prohibited to the chosen people, elements injurious to the body are found. For this reason, God removed us from them so that the souls can do their function.” Well, is that so? A quick look at a medical site such as WebMD tells us the following about Catfish, a fish that is not kosher because it has no scales, yet it is low in calories and packed with lean protein, contains healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, particularly rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fats and vitamin B12. Likewise the consumption of too much red-meat (beef), which is Kosher, can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers, especially colorectal cancer. In short, Maimonides proposed teaching not only seems to fall short of a medical advantage, but if kosher laws are about an exclusive right to Jews, then what does that say about Maimonides perception of God?
The kosher laws, however, are considered an important religious commandment that is kept by practicing Jews regardless of denominational preference that is also about identity and tradition. But there are also other reasons to keep kosher as a ritual practice, thus like a hand and a glove or an outward ritual practice that is like clothing to the inner spirit, kosher laws can ritualize the need to stay separate from social ills and such that affects all people, hence why Pirkei Avot (1:1 and 3:17) talks about building a fence around the commandment to protect a person from transgression; for some it might be a white picket fence while for others it may be solid cast-iron. But others also see kosher laws in light of what is called Ethical Kashrut that speaks to the mistreatment of workers, mistreatment of animals and environmental laws. Some say this was intended in the kosher laws as spelled out in Torah while others say they were later additions to an already robust system. Either way since it about what people do in their spiritual lives kosher laws are about personal purity and impurity. But I want to suggest another reason for kosher laws.
I think kosher laws here in Shemini can also teach us about the idea of human entitlement. We learn from the story of Adam and Eve that they were entitled to everything that was permissible in the garden, although they were not entitled to whatever they wanted, hence the tree they could not eat from. We also see that in the story of King David, the prophet Nathan calls the King out for wanting what he was not entitled to since Bathsheba belonged to another man. Stories like these are a reminder that humanity is plagued with a sense of entitlement; I want what I want just because I can. In the same way kosher laws say that while this and that can be consumed not everything is ours to eat. I will admit that entitlement can be just as much a struggle for me, which is why I think it is a fair general characterization of the human condition. The Priests in the words of Leviticus presented the ritual of Kashrut to have a macro purpose that went beyond simply what we can and cannot consume, but was also a lesson to guard against presumed entitlement while at the same time being grateful for what is had, giving us some “Food for Thought.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adam
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