Chapter 11.12
Kosher
What
is considered clean and unclean?
What
is the REASON
for the distinction?
What is Kosher?
Originally
it meant good and proper and later became “something fit” for ritual use
and even applied to witnesses who “were competent” to testify.
Ester asked the king do her a favor if he
found it “good and proper” (kosher).[1] Later it evolved into dietary laws NOT for health reasons, but whose purpose was to
bring holiness and unity to the Jewish people. The Bible gives no reason for the distinction between the
clean and the unclean.
A Shochet, who is trained in the laws of the
Shechita (Kosher slaughtering), does the
killing. I include more scripture here
than you want to know.
Leviticus 11:2-47 – A distinction between clean
and unclean.
2 Say to the Israelites:
`of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat:
3 You may eat any
animal that has a SPLIT HOOF completely divided and that CHEWS THE CUD.
4 "`There
are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but YOU MUST NOT EAT THEM. The camel,
though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean
for you.
5 The Coney,
though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
6 The rabbit,
though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
7 And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does
not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
8 You must not
eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
9 "`of all the
creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any
that have FINS and SCALES.
10 But all
creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales--whether among all the
swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water--you are to detest.
11 And since you
are to detest them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their
carcasses.
12 Anything living in
the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.
13 "`These
are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable:
the eagle,
the vulture,
the black
vulture,
14 the red kite,
any kind of black
kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the
screech owl, the gull, any
kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
19 the stork,
any kind of heron,
the hoopoe
and the bat.
20 "`All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be
detestable to you.
21 There are,
however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those
that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground.
22 Of these you may eat any
kind of locust, katydid, cricket- or grasshopper.
23 But all other
winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest.
26 "`Every
animal that has a split hoof not completely divided or that does not chew the
cud is unclean for you; whoever touches [the carcass of] any of them will be
unclean.
27 Of all the
animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for
you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.
28 Anyone who
picks up their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till
evening. They are unclean for you.
29 "`Of the
animals that move about on the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any
kind of great lizard,
30 the gecko, the
monitor lizard, the
wall lizard, the skink and
the chameleon.
31 Of all those
that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them
when they are dead will be unclean till evening.
39 "`If an
animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be
unclean till evening.
40 Anyone who
eats some of the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till
evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be
unclean till evening.
41 "`Every creature that
moves about on the ground is detestable; it
is not to be eaten.
42 You are not to eat
any creature that moves about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly
or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is detestable.
43 Do not defile
yourselves by any of these creatures.
Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them.
44 I am the LORD
your God; consecrate
yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves
unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.
45 I am the LORD
who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am
holy.
46 "`These
are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in
the water and every creature that moves about on the ground.
47 You must
distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living
creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.'"
NIV
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