Law #176 To examine the signs of animals to distinguish
between kosher and non-kosher
Lev. 11:2 “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These
are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.”
The command is to be mindful of the foods we eat and to make
sure they are the foods ordained by the Most High to consume.
Law #177 To examine the signs of the fowl to distinguish
between kosher and non-kosher
Deut. 14:11 “Of all clean birds ye shall eat….” (Lev. 11:13)
Law #178 To examine the signs of the fish to distinguish
between kosher and non-kosher
Lev. 11:9 “These shall ye eat of all that are in the
waters…”
Law #179 To examine the signs of the locust to distinguish
between kosher and non-kosher
Lev. 11:21 “Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping
thing…”
According to Maimonides, all three scriptures
command us to examine fowl (177), fish (178) and locusts (179) to determine if
they are kosher or non-kosher.
Law #180 Not to eat non-kosher animals
Lev. 11:4 “Nevertheless, these shall ye not eat of them that
chew the cud, or divide the hoof…”
Do not eat non-kosher animals or “beasts.” Verses 4-7 include the following beasts: Camel, coney, hare (and rabbit), swine. Although there are differences between the
hare and the rabbit, they are apart of the same Leporidae family and
significantly similar animals.
Law #181 Not to eat non-kosher fowl
Lev. 11:13 “And these are they which ye shall have in
abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination…”
Verses 13-20 include the following birds: Eagle, ossifrage,
ospray, vulture, raven, owl, hawk, cuckow, cormorant, swan, pelican, stork,
heron, lapwing, bat and fowls that creep on all fours.
Law #182 Not to eat non-kosher fish
Lev. 11:9-11 “They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye
shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination”
This command is more specifically found in vs. 9. The scriptural reference for this Law should
be changed. Verse 9 reads, “These shall
ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever has fins and scales in the
waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.” All other animals of the see are forbidden,
including shell fish.
Law #183 Not to eat non-kosher flying insects
Deut. 14:19 “And every creeping thing that flies is unclean
unto you: they shall not be eaten.”
This Law is regarding flying insects. You can also read Lev. 11:21, where we see
that indeed some flying creeping things are considered clean. It reads, “Yet these may ye eat of every
flying creeping thing that goes upon all fours, which have legs above their
feet, to leap withal upon the earth.”
Verse 22 goes on to list the following flying insects: Locust, beetle and grasshopper. These are the only kosher insects that can be
eaten. According to verse 23, “all other
flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto
you.”
Law #184 Not to eat non-kosher creatures that crawl on land
Lev. 11:41 “And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the
earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.”
Verse 29 is a better reference for the command regarding
creeping things. It lists the following
animals: Weasel, mouse, tortoise (turtle), ferret, chameleon (type of
lizard), lizard, snail and the mole.
**Law #185 Not to eat non-kosher maggots
Lev. 11:44 “…neither shall ye defile yourselves with any
manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
Per Maimonides, the command here is not to eat non-kosher
maggots. Creeping animals were addressed
in Law #184. Although the bible doesn’t
specifically list maggots, it is safe to assume it is one of the creeping
animals the command pertains to. There
are potentially hundreds of animals that creep that the bible doesn’t list but
are included in the forbidden foods list.
This Law should be changed to “Not to eat any manner of creeping thing.”
*Law #186 Not to eat worms found in fruit on the ground.”
Lev. 11:42 “Whatsoever go upon the belly, and whatsoever
goes on all four or has more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the
earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination
Per Maimonides, the Command is purposed to include the worm
with Law #185. However, #185 includes
all animals that creep the earth; crawl on their belly. This Law did not need to be created, as Law
#185 covers all belly-commuting animals.
**Law #187 Not to eat creatures that live in water other
than fish
Lev. 11:43 “Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any
creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with
them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
Per Maimonide’s, there’s a command here not to eat creatures
that live in water other than fish. However,
the actual scriptural reference for this command is found in Lev. 11:12 “Whatsoever has
no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.” Its scriptural reference must be changed.
Law #188 Not to eat the meat of an animal that died without
ritual slaughter
Deut. 14:21 “Ye shall not eat of anything that died of
itself: thou shalt give it to the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may
eat it; or thou may sell it unto an alien: for thou art a holy people unto the
Most High…”
The command here is not to eat meat of an animal that died
without ritual slaughter. It is not
kosher.
Law #189 Not to benefit from an ox condemned to be stoned
Ex. 21:28 “If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die:
then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the
owner of the ox shall be quit.”
We are commanded not to eat the meat of an ox
that was stoned to death.
Law #190 Not to eat meat of an animal that was mortally
wounded.
Ex. 21:30 “Likewise shalt though do with thine oxen, and
with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou
shalt give it me.
The command is more specifically found in vs. 31 “And ye
shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of
beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.”
We are commanded not to eat the meat of an animal that has
been wounded by other animals. While
there is a specific law regarding eating oxen that has been stoned as
punishment for hurting a person. This
command is regarding any animal that has been killed by another animal.
*Law #191 Not to eat a limb torn off a living creature
Deut. 12:23 “Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for
the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.”
Per Maimonides, the command here is not to eat a limb torn
off a living creature. That is not
correct, the command is not to eat the blood of an animal with the meat of an
animal. The Law re: limbs has to be
omitted because it’s scriptural reference does not address limbs.
Law #192 Not to eat blood
Lev. 3:17 “It shall be a perpetual statute for your
generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.”
Law #193 Not to eat certain fats of clean animals
Lev. 3:17 “It shall be a perpetual statute for your
generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.”
Law #194 Not to eat the sinew of the
thigh
Gen. 32:32 “Therefore the children of
Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the
thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the
sinew that shrank.”
The Israelite nation is commanded not
to eat the sinew of the hip of any animal because this is where Jacob’s thigh
was touched; in the sinew of the hip. The definition of sinew is tendon, which
is a fibrous tissue that joins muscles and bones together. This portion of meat
must be removed during preparation. The scripture says after Jacob wrestled all
night with an angel, the angel touched the hollow of his thigh and disjointed
it, leaving Jacob with a limp. The importance of this event is that Jacob
persistently wrestled with him until the angel blessed him. He prevailed and
the angel changed his name from Jacob to “Israel” in vs. 28. Jacob named that
place Peniel. The Nation til this day, carries the title “Israelites” as a
reflection of Jacob’s name changing.
**Law #195 Not to eat meat and milk
cooked together
Ex. 23:19“…Thou shalt not seethe a kid
in his mother’s milk.”
**Law #196 Not to cook meat and milk
together
Ex. 34:26 “…Thou shalt not seethe a kid
in his mother’s milk.”
Both of these Laws fail to reflect the
scripture they are based on. The Laws
according to Judaism is not to cook meat and milk together or eat meat that has
been cooked that way. The scripture
specifically says not to cook an animal in its own mother’s milk or eat meat
cooked that way. If an animal is cooked
in the milk of animal that is not his mother, it is okay.
Compassion is the purpose of these two
commands. The purpose of a mother’s milk
is to nourish the kid or the young animal.
Boiling that kid in its own mother’s milk was not kosher. It has also been speculated to be a pagan
practice in hopes for rain.
Also see regarding compassion:
Lev. 22:27 animal must be with mother
at least 7 days prior to slaughter
Lev. 22:28 not to slaughter both a
mother and kid animal on the same day.
***Law #197 Not to eat bread from new
grain before the Omer
Lev. 23:14 “And ye shall eat neither
bread…
***Law #198 Not to eat parched grains
from new grain before the Omer
Lev. 23:14 “…nor parched corn…”
***Law #199 Not to eat ripened grains
from new gain before the Omer
Lev. 23:14 “…nor green ears, until the
selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a
statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”
The three Commandments are not to eat
bread, parched grains or ripened grains from new grain before the very first
harvested barley, which is the Omer. The
Omer or sheaf was to be taken to the Temple as the first fruits offering.
Lev. 23:5-1 says, “…when you have come into
the land which I give you and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the
sheaf…”
Being that there is no Temple or harvest, this Law can no longer be kept. The point of these 3 Laws were to honor the first fruits by not eating
them. However, there is no Omer to honor him with if there is no harvest.
Law #200 Not to eat fruit to a
tree during its first three years
Lev. 19:23 “And when ye shall
come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then
ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as
uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.”
We are commanded not to eat the newly produced fruit of a
tree in its first three years. In the 4th
year the fruit is to be offered to the Most High as first fruits offerings and
in the 5th year, the fruit can be eaten. This Law in its context was regarding the
Israelites establishing new produce in the land of Canaan upon their
arrival.
The Israelites were on their way to the land of Canaan. Once there they would plant trees for fruit
produce such as figs, grapes and olives.
For the first 3 years, they were commanded not to eat the fruit from
these trees because it was considered uncircumcised or unclean. They would not allow the fruit to ripen but
removed it and threw it away. Today, gardeners
has also adopted this practice. It’s
been found that doing this actually causes the tree to grow stronger and bear
more fruit the following year. It has
also been confirmed in studies that fruit produced in the first 3 years is not
as nutritious. According to scripture,
in the 4th year, all the fruit (considered the first fruits) were to
be offered to the Most High (see verse 24). In the 5th year, the
fruit was ready for consumption (verse 25). However, trees that were already planted which
once belonged to the Canaanites were free from the Law. This Law only pertained to newly planted
trees. They were also free to utilize
what was planted for timber.
Law #201 Not to eat diverse seeds planted in a vineyard
Deut. 22:9 “Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with diverse
seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy
vineyard be defiled.”
We are commanded not to sow different seeds together, as it
becomes defiled. If the produce from
that seed be defiled, this means we are also commanded not to eat foods produced
from hybrid manipulation.
Diversity was an issue for the Most High. Not necessarily for discriminative purposes,
but for clarity and order. How can one thing be truly defined less it stand
alone? Seeds planted together were considered
an improper mixing of dissimilar things.
This was done to preserve order and distinction. Today, we see food is genetically modified,
producing hybrid versions of original foods.
Hybrid; the offspring of two animals or plants of different
breeds, varieties, species, or genera, especially as produced through human
manipulation for specific genetic characteristics. (dictionary.reference.com)
It is of great debate rather or not such food production is
wise or harmful to the body. The wisdom
of the scriptures suggest we avoid foods that have been mixed in production, as
they become “defiled” or unclean.
Law #202 Lev. 22:15 “And they shall not profane the holy
things of the children of Israel, which offer unto the Most High.”
The command was for the Priests to not allow strangers to
eat of sacred things or else that which was sacred became profaned and common. The word stranger in this context meant
anyone who was not a Priest. (see Lev 22:10) They were reminded that they too can become
defiled just as any other member of the Nation.
Purity was mandatory for those heading the sacrifices. If a Priest approached unclean, he was cut
off from the Most High’s presence (Lev. 22:3).
In today’s context, we must remember the purity of the Most
High’s holiness should be just as protected as the holiness of the Priests. To this day it is the responsibility of the
Nation to defend the holiness of the Most High and let no man defile it. We are as Priests in a world that seeks to
incorporate pagan practices in the worship of the Most High. We must reiterate that which is not
acceptable so that the righteousness of the Most High remains sanctified and
undefiled by pagan practices.
Law #203 Deut. 32:38 “…which did eat the fat of their
sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings?...”
We are commanded not to partake of offerings made to false
gods.
In this Law’s context, we see the Most High points to a
corrupt, perverse and crooked generation (vs. 5), who sacrificed to devils and
not to the Most High (vs. 17). Verse 16
says they provoked the Most High to jealousy with strange gods. Verse 28 says they are a nation void of
counsel and void of understanding. They
consumed the offerings put up towards false gods. We are commanded not to do so.
In today’s context any ritualistic practice that originates
in the worship of a false god is to also be avoided. In partaking in that practice, it is as if we
are worshiping that god as well.
