Dietary Living: Foods for Consumption

In the Jewish ordinances is a set of dietary laws. The term Kashrut refers to these laws of what is commonly called Kosher or acceptable to eat. A food classified as Kosher by the several Jewish authorities has met Kashrut. The question then becomes is Kashrut Biblical? And, are we bound to it today?

The answer is not a simple yes or no, but rather both yes and no for both aspects. Kashrut is a complex set of laws and rules. Biblically acceptable eating is less complex, but can be confusing at times. In attempting to cover all bases of the Biblical directives, Kashrut expands and codifies them in ways possibly not meant in the original text of the Bible. Yet, the Biblical directives are contained in and the basis of Kashrut.

An example of this expansion commonly referred to would be the meat and cheese combination. Kashrut expressly forbids the mixing of meat and cheese, plus it goes on to list and codify the necessary hours of separation in the eating of the two items before or after one another. The Bible never forbids this mixing of meat and cheese. One Scripture (Ex. 23:19), used as the basis for this set of Kashrut laws, says to “. . . not boil a kid [young goat] in its mother’s milk.” Essentially, don’t cook a young goat in the milk from its mother. This is similar to the Scripture forbidding taking both the eggs and mother birds from the nest.

First of all, most cheese today does not come from goat’s milk. Cheese itself is no longer milk, but an aged & processed derivative of spoiled milk. Because most cheese comes from cow’s milk, the Biblical directive becomes a moot point as it refers to goats. American cheese is made mostly from vegetable products (only 51% real cheese is required); thereby, distancing it from the debate. Secondly, hardly anybody would think of cooking meat in milk today. Even if milk and/or cheese is used in the recipe, the meat is cooked separately then added to the mixture. Thirdly, the likelihood of the meat being from the same cow as the milk or cheese coming from its mother is almost astronomical considering the global economics that imports beef from Venezuela, cheese from Europe, and waters down the milk in America to 2%, 1%, or ½%. By the way, did you know the milk producers add 30% to 50% water to whole milk to get 2% milk? They don’t remove the milk fat, they just water down the real product until it meets the necessary percentage. So ½% milk is probably 80% water anyway.

Unclean meats, as Brother Meyer pointed out recently, are NOT FOODS. They were never meant to be FOOD; hence YaHVaH’s reasons for saying DO NOT EAT THEM. Unclean meats does include many things that some cultures, including Americans, eat today (regardless of YaHVaH’s prohibitions to do so). Does it make it right just because everybody else eats them? NO! I cannot stress enough that there is a lot of unbiblical things society does which we are called to not participate in.

OK, let’s deal with the lowly pig, or swine as referred to in the Bible. Nowhere, and I mean absolutely Nowhere, in the Bible will you find that YaHVaH specifically says it is now OK to eat the swine (pork). You will find the exact opposite. Numerous times swine is mentioned to not be eaten or in a very negative sense; whereas, other meats are listed only once or less frequently. People wake up and smell the coffee (or swine in this case), if the Bible mentions something several times, then YaHVaH really sees this as very important knowledge for us to know and follow. Here’s the Scripture that really made His Will clear to me: “Those who prepare and purify themselves [to go] to the gardens¹, going one [group] after another to its midst, and those who eat the flesh of the swine, the abominable creature, and the mouse will all be consumed together – the Word of YaHVaH” (Isaiah 66:17, Tanach, (emphasis mine)).

Did you understand what the Word just said? It called the swine the abominable creature. Very few creatures are called abominable in the Bible, and an abomination carries a higher connotation to YaHVaH than just unclean. It also said that all of the idol worshippers, pig eaters, and mouse eaters would be consumed together. WOW! I would not want to be consumed with the idol worshippers, would YOU?

Other unclean meats are fairly self-explanatory in not eating them, because the major portions of them are scavengers anyway. We generally do not eat scavengers, such as mice, rats, vultures, and the like. However, other scavengers are eaten when they should not be, such as oposums, frogs, and shellfish. YES, THAT’S RIGHT, ALL SHELLFISH are forbidden/unclean meats. No lobster, no shrimp, no mussels, no crab, no clams, and much more. I know, these are part of the American menu, but so is pork and you see what that gets you. We shouldn’t eat things that YaHVaH forbids as unclean for us to consume.

OK, so what can we consume? Beef, oxen, goats, sheep, a large majority of birds (no birds of prey or scavenger birds) such as chicken, wrens, and turkey, vegetables, fruits, breads, and herbs are consumable and Kosher by Biblical standards. This list is not extensive, yet the majority of our foods we consume would be considered Kosher. We just need to stay away from pork, scavengers, shellfish, birds of prey, and the majority of insects (known as creeping things). Interestingly, there are some insects we can eat: the locusts and grasshoppers. I presume this is because they eat vegetation, unlike the cricket which eats other insects (including cannibalizing their own) and scavenges.

Of course, YaHVaH in His ultimate wisdom knew these things should not be food for us because they are detrimental to our health as well. Pigs carry trigonosis, a muscle worm that does not die unless cooked at high temperatures for a long period of time, and bypasses our own digestion to implant itself in our muscles. First of all, why would a worm be able to cross species and still be viable? Mainly because the pig’s anatomy and our own are similar in composition, which is why they are growing human organs inside live pigs for possible transplants into humans one day. Secondly, because some worms can cross species, just as some insects found in other animals we should not eat. Shellfish contains a high possibility for food poisoning, salmonella, and Hepatitis A virus, not to mention the lead and iodine levels.

No, it is not necessary to follow all Kashrut laws to meet Biblically acceptable foods to eat. However, if you buy Kashrut (Kosher) foods marked as such, you can rest assured you are eating Biblically acceptable foods that meet stricter Kashrut laws. Look for foods marked with the letter K (English or Hebrew) inside another symbol or with a letter U inside a circle. Here are some examples:

Other examples of clean meats: antelope, buffalo (bison), caribou, deer (venison), elk, and moose. Other clean birds are: dove, duck, goose, guinea, partridge, peafowl, pheasant, pigeon, prairie chicken, quail, sagehen, and most songbirds.

Other UNCLEAN meats are: felines (cats), canines (dogs & wolves), equines (horses), armadillo, badger, bear, beaver, camel, kangaroo, monkey, porcupine, rabbit, raccoon, skunk, snails, squirrel, worms, abalone, crayfish, prawn, scallop, jellyfish, octopi, eel, catfish, marlin, shark, squid, sturgeon, dolphin, otter, porpoise, seal, walrus, whale, and all forms of reptiles and amphibians.

What about all of the objections that say it is OK now in the New Testament? Read them in a Jewish context and you will see that it never actually states it is OK to eat meat forbidden as unclean. A Jew would have no need to reiterate the NOT eating of unclean meats to another Jew, which is who most of the New Testament is written for. The subject of eating or not eating in the New Testament refers to meats offered to idols, and in Peter’s vision they referred to the Gentile people not actual eating of the meats. Peter understood that YaHVaH was showing him the unclean meats as a sign to go to the Gentiles (also seen as unclean by Jews to associate with) and preach the Good News of the Messiah.

Truthfully, if we go all the way back to Genesis, YaHVaH meant for us to only eat the produce from the land (vegetables, fruits, and nuts) in the beginning. Yet, in His mercy, He allows for us to consume meats. We should be thankful for the meats provided by YaHVaH, instead of trying to subvert His commandments of Biblically acceptable foods. Remember, they are commandments, just like His other commandments. Also remember, breaking of only ONE is enough to SIN!

Repent, and ask YaHVaH’s forgiveness if you have been eating unclean meats or unclean foods. Begin eating within the Biblically acceptable foods and I guarantee you will feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Whoa! I almost forgot these Scripture verses, “. . . Any fat of oxen, sheep or goats you shall not eat. The fat of an animal . . . you shall not eat it. For anyone who eats the fat of animal species from which one may bring a fire-offering to [YaHVaH] – the soul that eats will be cut off from its people. You shall not consume any blood, in any of your dwelling places, whether from fowl or from animals. Any person who consumes any blood – that soul will be cut off from its people” (Lev. 7:23-27, Tanach).

I have seen people relish in the eating of both fat and blood. Both are prohibited by YaHVaH (why Jews use Kosher salt on meat to extract out the blood). Medically speaking, it is healthier for a person not to consume animal fats because it causes arteriosclerosis of the arteries (a buildup of plaque in the arteries restricting blood flow). YaHVaH, in His wisdom, already knew this. He created us. Vegetable oils are alright, but not animal fats. So, cut off all of that fat around your meats, whether red meat or poultry, and throw it away. Use Kosher salt to extract excess blood. You’ll be healthier and YaHVaH will rejoice in your following of His commandments.

I know it sounds like a lot of prohibitions, but think of it like this: YaHVaH knows what is healthy for us more than we do, and He has provided us with a bountiful harvest of foods from the ground, along with limited meats and lots of fish. It is we, in our arrogance, who believe it is necessary to consume prohibited things and try to call them foods because we believe we need an even larger variety. The lust of the eyes is never satisfied.

YaHVaH wishes to BLESS us, but we need to learn to be satisfied with His provisions only, and not trying to find ways around His commandments. Shalom and blessings to you all.

May His blessings of Peace and long life always be yours. Mazel Tov!

First published 10-2008, © 2008, 2018 Min. Dr. Donald H. Garrett and Odon Obadyah Ministries, Inc.

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