Clean versus Unclean טהור versus טמא

“You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”-Leviticus 11:4

In Hebrew, the word "tamei" is used to denote uncleanliness and its opposite is "tahor".  Concerning the Kosher laws that G-d set down in Leviticus 11 concerning clean and unclean foods, contrary to popular opinion, they are actually quite simple.  First of all, the kosher laws only apply to animate living creatures.  Any kind of vegetable may be eaten and except on certain occasions when the yeast must be removed, any kind of grain-based food such as pasta or bread may be eaten.  Hence, the kosher rules only apply to land, sea and air animals and can be broken down as follows:

Permitted Land Animals:

1) Must have a divided hood

AND

2) Must chew the cud

A “divided hoof” refers to a hoof that is split into two fully separate parts.

“Chew the cud” refers to the process where an animal only chews its food partially, swallows, but then brings it back up again and chews some more before swallowing it again.

Permitted Sea Animals:

Any sea creature that has BOTH fins and scales

Permitted Air Animals (Birds):

Any feathered wing creature EXCEPT the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

Permitted Insects:

Any four-legged insect that has jointed legs. Locusts, katydids, crickets or grasshoppers are all okay.

AND THAT IS IT!  Of course there is a little more elaborate detail concerning how these are to be applied in Scripture and Rabbinic Judaism has also created its own intricate set of rules concerning what is and is not okay to eat.  However, scripturally speaking, this is it.  So, yes, cheeseburgers are okay!  But bacon cheeseburgers are ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Now I’m going to tackle the $64,000 question.  What is the underlying reason behind this particular division that G-d has ordained?  This issue has caused a flurry of furious debate throughout the ages that can be summed up as follows: 

①   The laws are ancient and have no practical application to modern day man.

2) The laws are for health and hygiene reasons.

However, both are wrong!  So what is the real reason behind these kosher laws?  Well, let’s go to the Scriptures to find out.  In Chapter 11 of Leviticus where the kosher laws are established, in verse 44 G-d states His reason as follows:

“For I am Yehoveh your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy; do NOT defile yourselves…..”

So there is your answer.  We are to distinguish between clean and unclean because the kosher laws follow a certain pattern of holiness.  Period!!  That’s it and that’s the answer.  Actually, think about the word Kosher.  Does it not ring a bell somewhere?  Do you recall that the word for holy in Hebrew is “kodesh”.  The Hebrew word “Kadesh” also means “Holy” or “Sanctified”.  Notice the similar sound between these words and Kosher?  In other words, they all have the same root which means Holiness. 

However, this leads us to our next $64,000 question.  How exactly does this selection of what is permitted and not permitted to be eaten conform to G-d’s established pattern of holiness?  The answer is as follows:

The creatures that G-d allows to be eaten are only those animals THAT ARE CAPABLE OF BEING DOMESTICATED!  The pattern is this.  In terms of mankind, G-d’s holiness only extends to those people who will submit to G-d by obeying His commandments.  Along the same lines, only animals that are capable of submitting to man’s rule are considered biblically clean. 

At this juncture, I can hear the objection being raised.  “Yeah, what about pigs?  They’re domestic animals, aren’t they?  Look at the multitudes of pig farms the world over.”  My answer to that question is simply, “I don’t know.”  All I know is that for G-d’s own good reasons, he has determined that pigs are not clean and are to be considered as an undomesticated wild animal.  Maybe along strict categorical lines, they shouldn’t be considered as domesticated animals.  Here is an interesting excerpt taken from http://www.hogstoppers.com/hogfacts.html.

“The difference between the wild and domestic animals is largely a matter of perception; both are usually described as Sus scrofa, and domestic pigs quite readily become feral.”

Feral means not domesticated or cultivated; wild.  So maybe pigs really shouldn’t be categorized as domesticated animals after all.  But I will admit that I am just speculating.  Nevertheless, I will choose to trust G-d in the matter.  If He has decided that pigs are unclean, then they are unclean.

Finally, I will address the last $64,000 question that is probably on everybody’s minds at the moment.  Are Christian Gentile believers obliged to keep the kosher laws as laid down in Scripture?

In answer to that particularly contentious question, I leave you with the following foundational Biblical principles and will trust you to make a proper decision on your own. 

Principle One

The Torah was given only to Israel

Principle Two

Foreigners are allowed to join Israel

Principle Three

Natural born Israelites and adopted Israelites are equal in G-d’s eyes

Principle Four

Romans 11: Believers are grafted into Israel and NOT vice versa.

Principle Five

On a spiritual level, believers have become one with Israel.

Principle Six

Diet was at the center of holiness and purity for Israel

L-rd, I pray that every believer in Messiah, would carefully and prayerfully come to a proper conclusion regarding whether Your laws concerning food are to be applied in one’s life or not.

Amen.