G-d instructed the Jewish people: “You may only eat animals whose feet are completely split (into two) hooves, and chew the cud-those you may eat.” (Shemini 11:3)
At the end of Parasha Shemini H”S tells us which animals we are allowed to eat and which we cannot. The Jewish diet is fundamental for our spiritual wellbeing.
Everything we eat gets absorbed in our system and eventually becomes part of us.
The first sign of a kosher animal is it’s split hoof. The foot both touches the ground and separates us from the ground. This alludes to the notion that in our involvement with the physical world, we must walk over it but at the same time remain separate from it. Just like the split hoof allows a space between the hoof, we ourselves must create also a space inside of us that allows it to be permeated with holiness.
The other sign of kosher mammals is its chewing cud, the animal must ruminate. This alluded to the importance that we always strive to be proactive and not reactive. First we need to weigh our intentions, making sure that they are aligned with H”S will for us, extricating our egocentric agendas from us and thinking about what is important as a whole.
This can only be achieved when we train ourselves to STOP, PAUSE, and then PROCEED.
By eating animals that have within them this two signs we are able to ingest these qualities within us.
Personally, I used to be not kosher. I grew up as a very traditional Jew, but very ignorant about our laws.
One of the things that had the greatest impact in me on my Teshuva Journey, was the change of diet. Suddenly I felt a thick curtain had been removed from my perceptions and understanding of life. I began to feel and see things I had never felt and had seen before.Finally I was not clogged. The ability to understand Torah begins with intake of food. Our make up has a very sophisticated system. Just as you can’t fill up a Ferrari with cheap gas, for it will clog its motor and make it malfunction. For a Jew, it’s of primary importance to eat kosher food, so it’s mechanism will be able to work in a pristine way.
#wearewhatweeat #kosher
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