LEV101 See [[LEV99]] Leviticus 11:3 may AMEMEI 74

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LEV103 The nineteenth-century rabbi, Samson Raphael Hirsch, put forth an interesting theory (Horeb, vol. 2, chap. 68. Trans. from the original German by Dayan Grunfeld (London: Soncino Press, 1962). He believed a person is what he or she eats. Since all the kashrut laws train a Jew to be less violent, he or she will become less violent. How does this work? Hirsch says the least violent food is vegetables. Therefore, all produce from the ground is kosher. The animals that eat vegetables and not other animals will be less violent animals; thus, a person who eats these animals will, in turn, be less violent. Similarly, animals that cannot run far and quickly will be domesticated animals and will be far less violent than wild animals. Therefore, only animals who chew their cud (all are herbivorous) and those who have split hooves that prevent them from running away are kosher. These domestic animals are less violent and thus permitted to be eaten. Although there is no specific formula for birds (the Torah just lists those that are kosher and those that are not [this and following verses], the Mishnah (Chullin 59a) discusses a case for someone who is in the desert and does not have his kosher list with him. How can he know if a bird is kosher? The Talmud answers that although no rule is stated in the Torah on birds as on meat, nonkosher birds attack other birds; if the birds "seize their prey," they are not kosher.... By eating less violent birds, Jews will be less violent. Finally, the fish. According to Hirsch, the kosher fish that have to have both fins and scales give them the means to swim closer to the bottom of the ocean and eat from the ocean’s vegetation, rather than eat other fish. Thus, kosher fish are less violent than non-kosher fish, and eating them will make a person less violent. While one may argue with the theory, one fact seems to be true. Sociologists have shown that during most of history, although Jews have (unfortunately) been involved in many types of crime, they have exhibited conspicuously much less violent crime (rape, murder, armed robbery, and the like) than other sociological groups. It has not been proven whether the reason Jews have been less violent is because they observed kashrut, but it is an interesting fact, in view of Hirsch’s theory. Like all mitzvot, there is no “one” reason or explanation for kashrut, and each person at each stage of life must try to make kashrut and any other mitzvah meaningful for him or her (See chapter on “Mitzvot“). But eating food does have a moral quality for the Jew and keeping kosher properly will lead to holiness.

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LEV126 Judaism raises the act of eating to something holy by selecting only those foods permitted by God and by acknowledging God each time a food is eaten in the form of a blessing. Of all the subjects Maimonides could have selected for his Book of Holiness (one of the fourteen books of Jewish law in his Mishneh Torah), he selected only two topics: the laws of permitted and forbidden sexual activity and the laws of permitted and forbidden food. Thus, Maimonides, too, is saying that one becomes holy by satisfying the physical for a spiritual purpose. Nowhere is this concept more apparent than in the Shabbat. Holiness is first mentioned in the Torah with regard to Shabbat (Gen. 2:3). Besides the Kiddush, there are specific actions that man must take to make the Sabbath holy. All of these things have one thing in common: they are fulfillment of physical desires performed for making Shabbat holy. In addition to the wine, man makes Shabbat holy by preparing and eating the best food of the week and by dressing up in the finest clothes of the week. The Talmud (Shabbat 25b) says that it is a mitzvah to wash one's body in preparation for Shabbat. This clearly shows that the Shabbat is made holy through actions that satisfy bodily needs for spiritual purpose. In the portion of Leviticus called Kedoshim, named for the commandment "Be Holy" that begins the portion, the rest of the commandments that follow are, by and large, everyday activities, which take place in the marketplace. These include "Love your neighbor", "Do not steal," "Do not withhold gifts to the poor," and so forth. According to one opinion (Bava Kamma 30a), a person achieves piety by learning the laws relating to the marketplace and damages. Thus, holiness, once again, seems to be achieved in the physical world, by making the physical activities spiritual, and not the other way around. This entire approach is encapsulated in one phrase from the Talmud (Yevamot 20a): "Make yourself holy through that which is permitted to you."

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LEV128 Most of the mitzvot in the Torah are open for speculation because the Torah does not give reasons. By kashrut, the Torah clearly states a purpose to be holy and separate between pure and impure. Can eating make someone holy? Yes. Judaism believes that a person can become holy by doing an action that seems mundane and physical, like eating, an action that is shared with every other creature in the world.

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LEV194 Man's need to use animals must be a legitimate and not a frivolous one. Thus, hunting for sport is not considered legitimate (Responsa of Noda B'Yehudah, Yoreh De'ah 10) and is not only discouraged in the Talmud, but is also prohibited in Jewish law (Avodah Zarah 18b). In fact, the two people depicted in the Torah as hunters, both Nimrod (Gen. 10:9) and Esau (Gen 25:27), are clearly characterized as evil. Yet, in another place, the Torah seems to permit hunting, using the word yatzud [this verse], the Hebrew term for hunting. Upon further investigation, however, it is clear that the Torah's permission to hunt is referring only to the capture of kosher meat for eating. The method the Torah speaks about, although similar to the general term for hunting, signifies in this case trapping with nets to capture the food, thereby minimizing pain to the animal (Mishnah, Betzah 3:1-2).

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LEV198 Clearly, part of Judaism itself is to strive to remain separate and unique as a Jew, apart from the surrounding culture. One of the 613 commandments is not to imitate or adopt the customs of the surrounding nations [this verse]. less than two chapters later, this commandment is repeated (Leviticus 20:23-24), but there is an added phrase: "I am the God who has separated you from all the other nations." While the literal verses apply only to the seven Canaanite nations present in the land when the Jews conquered Israel, the rabbis have shown that the customs of all non-Jewish nations may not be practiced by Jews (Maimonides, Hilchot Akum 11:1, based on Avodah Zarah 11a and Sanhedrin 52b). The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De'ah 178:1) codifies this idea, stating that one may not adopt a non-Jewish custom if it is religious in origin or if its source is unknown, even if it is not practiced today in the same context (See the chapter "Jews in a Non-Jewish Society" for an expansion on this idea).

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LEV199 Many explanations for anti-Semitic feelings and behavior have been put forward. The best place to begin is in the Torah itself. Why was the first Jew, Abraham, hated so much as a Jew? The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 38:13) says that Abraham was called a Hebrew because the whole world was on one side and he was on the other side (ever). Therefore, we see that because Abraham was different (in his belief), he was hated. This is somewhat understandable, as it is natural to be uncomfortable around anyone who is a little different. This natural reaction does not make it morally correct or justified, but understandable. Being different is not unique to Abraham, but it has become a characteristic of the Jewish people of all ages. When most nations would assimilate after being conquered, the Jews held fast to their religion, by and large. This is most clearly expressed in the Purim megillah when, at first, Mordechai was different by refusing to bow to Haman. Then, when convincing the king to destroy the Jewish people, Haman's argument was that their laws and religion are different from any other religion. (Megillat Esther 3:8). In fact, the Jewish people are supposed to remain different [this verse] (see chapter "Being Jewish and Being Different"), which causes much anger and hostility by the surrounding non-Jewish community.

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LEV201 The Torah clearly wishes the Jews to keep some distance from the non-Jewish community by explicitly commanding Jews not to copy the customs of the non-Jews [this verse]. What does this commitment precisely mean and how is it performed? Although this verse seems to be referring specifically to the customs of Egypt and of Canaan, two chapters later the same commandment is repeated (Leviticus 20:23-24) without a reference to any specific nation, but with an "explanation" that God has made the Jews different from all other nations. The commentaries have emphasized this general concept and have not restricted this mitzvah to the customs of any particular non-Jewish society. For example, the Sefer Hachinuch (Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzvah #2) explains that one of the main purposes of the brit milah, in the first mitzvah given to all Jews, is to keep Jews separate from other nations, both in name and in physical demarcation. Maimonides (Hilchot Akum 11:1) in explaining the mitzvah of not following non-Jewish customs, says that a Jew should be distinctive from non-Jews through distinctive dress as well as through knowledge and understanding.

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LEV207 There has been much debate as to whether or not there are individual reasons for each commandment. Even if there are reasons, many question if man should seek out these reasons in order to give the mitzvot more personal and individual meaning. Clearly, the main reason to perform any commandment is simply because God commanded these actions. This is reflected in [this] verse in Leviticus and in the word "commandment" itself. Even though many commentaries have given explanations and reasons for individual commandments, is important to note, however, that all these commentaries have also stressed that reason alone cannot be the motivation for the performance. Rather, it is God's word and command in the Torah that compels the Jews to do the mitzvot. The reasons offered are only to give man more meaning once he has decided to obey and practice God's commandments. The Torah itself did not give individual explanations for commandments precisely because man would then practice each commandment depending only on whether each person would feel that that particular reason applied to him or her.

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LEV236 In a number of statements, the Talmud demonstrates how important having children is in Jewish thought. Without children, a person is considered dead (Nedarim 64b). The reason for this, according to Eliyahu Kitov (The Jew and His Home, trans. Nathan Bulman (New York: Shengold Publishers, 1963), pp. 200-201) is that a person can continue to live on even after physical life has ended through his or her children, if they continue the values and life-style of the parent (see the chapter "Purpose of Life"). One may never sell a Torah except in two instances: to obtain money in order to learn Torah (an equivalent mitzvah to having or writing a Torah] and to marry, that is, in order to eventually have children (Megillah 27a). [Compiler's note: Also, see Bava Batra 8b and later commentaries thereon regarding selling a Torah to redeem captives in order to save lives]. There is no other mitzvah that merits the importance of having children. One who does not have children is equated to a murderer one who diminishes the image of God (Yevamot 63b). This comparison may be understood since refusal to create life maybe compared to destroying (potential) life, and since each person is born in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), denying children to come into the world denies more of the image of God in the world. Of course, ultimately, all successful births of children are due to the help of God. Sometimes, for reasons unknown, parents who want children cannot do so, but if they try and are unsuccessful in their attempt to have children, they are blameless both in the eyes of Judaism and of God. Despite this lack of culpability, nevertheless, the inability to have children is grounds for divorce in Jewish law after ten years (Maimonides, Hilchot Ishut 15:10), in order to allow the spouses to remarry and bring children into the world. The Torah itself reverses one of the most stringent prohibitions of adultery in order to allow children to come into the world. Normally, he brother-in-law is forbidden to marry a sister-in-law and this is considered an act of adultery, even after the death of the spouse [this verse]. However, if the husband dies and a couple was childless, the Torah says (Deuteronomy 25:5-6) that it is mandatory for the brother-in-law to married the widow. This is one of the 613 commandments of the Torah--all for the purpose of having a child (See Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzvah #598). Having children is so important in Jewish life that immediately after death, when a person is judged in heaven, one of the first questions that person will be asked is "Did you involve yourself with having children?" (Shabbat 31a). This demonstrates the prominence that this act plays in Jewish belief.

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