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Food plays an important role in our lives. Eating not only keeps people alive but influences how they feel. Therefore, God gave us many rules to elevate our eating from a mundane activity to an expression of divine values. Following the kashrut rules provides us with the strength to be righteous and just, and to add blessing and goodness to the world. It also helps us develop self-control and avoid becoming gluttonous or cruel (tendencies which can accompany the desire to eat).
By following the dietary laws, we also convey the message that the Jews are different and unique. This is why food prepared by non-Jews may not be eaten by Jews, as we will explain below (section 22). Thus, we read, “You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you. For it is because they did all these things that I abhorred them and said to you: You shall possess their land, for I will give it to you to possess, as land flowing with milk and honey. I the Lord am your God Who has set you apart from other peoples. So you shall set apart the clean beast from the unclean, the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not degrade yourselves through beast or bird or anything with which the ground is alive, which I have set a part for you to treat as unclean. You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and I have set you apart from other peoples to be Mine” (Leviticus 20:23-26).
We will now survey the food prohibitions.
