Leviticus 11 addresses the question of kosher and non-kosher food. It does not give a complete account of these matters; cheeseburgers and beef-and-cheese pizzas are not kosher, but the reason for that is not found in this chapter. Instead, it comes from Exodus: “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19, 34:25). A literal reading of those verses would seem only to prohibit cooking goat meat in one particular way; but Rabbinic tradition has extended the application of this dictum to any situation where meat and milk could be cooked together, or could be served as part of the same meal.

But for the meat of land animals, the rule is that the animal must chew the cud and have a divided hoof: thus beef, mutton, and goat meat are kosher (if properly slaughtered and prepared). But many other animals are not kosher: camels, badgers, hares, pigs (Leviticus 11:2-8). With regard to sea creatures, any fresh or salt-water fish is kosher if it has fins and scales (11:9-12); so no catfish or shark meat, no shrimp or lobster or clams. All birds are kosher, except for a long list of those that are not (11:13-19). No winged insects are kosher, except for locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers (11:20-23). All the crawly things, reptiles and insects, are not kosher (11:29-30, 41-42).

These rules are not presented as a matter of taste or preference. They are not presented merely as a matter of command. These non-kosher foods are repeatedly labeled as detestable (11:10, 11, 12, 13, 20, 23, 41, 42, 43). The children of Israel are not simply to avoid non-kosher food; they are to see it as detestable, with a strong emotional revulsion against it.

Why is this? It is because “I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that moves on the earth.  For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy” (11:44-45).

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Teach us, Lord Jesus, to recognize the food laws as a parable for us: to see that we are more likely to choose the good and turn away from the bad if we love the good and detest the bad. Give us grace to follow you always.

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