In this series, we are examining some of the 613 Mitzvot (commandments) contained in the Torah (the law of Moses as revealed in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible).  It is our aim to understand them better and to be able to answer critics.  We are considering these topically.

1.  Clean and Unclean Food.  The law of Moses divided animals into two broad categories: clean and unclean (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14).  These animals are sub-divided into types of animals: (1) Land animals (Leviticus 11:3-8; Deuteronomy 14:3-8); (2) Water animals (Leviticus 11:9-12; Deuteronomy 14:9-10); (3) Birds (Leviticus 11:13-17; Deuteronomy 14:11-18); (4) Insects and creeping things (Leviticus 11:20-23; Deuteronomy 14:19).

Why are the animals divided into clean and unclean categories?

Health    Part of the reason may have been for physical wellness.  Consider some of the animals listed as unclean: (1) Swine (Leviticus 11:7-8; Deuteronomy 14:8).  “The ‘pig is a scavenger and therefore will eat almost anything.  In doing so, on occasion it ingests the parasite, Trichinella Spiralis, which is the cause of trichinosis in humans.  Left untreated this disease can be debilitating or even deadly. Pigs are also known carriers (as intermediate hosts) of the tapeworm Taenia Echinococcus Granulosis, which causes tumors in liver, lungs and other parts of the body.  Raw or undercooked pork can be quite dangerous when consumed by humans.  Pigs can provide safe meat if they are fed properly and if the muscle tissue is cooked correctly.  But such conditions often did not prevail in ancient times” (Bert Thompson, Rock-Solid Faith, Vol. 1, p. 236).

(2) Shellfish and fish without fins and scales (Leviticus 11:9-12; Deuteronomy 14:9-10).  “Although shellfish are edible today there are inherent dangers in eating ill-prepared types such as oysters… the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has produced a twelve-page tract warning people about the dangers of eating raw or partially cooked oysters [Carlos’ Tragic and Mysterious Illness: How Carlos Almost Died by Eating Contaminated Raw Oysters (2003)].  In the tract, the FDA warns that some raw oysters contain the bacteria Vibrio Vulnificus… Eating oysters if they are not cooked properly can be potentially fatal.  Thus the wisdom of the Mosaic prohibition is evident to the honest observer.  In a time when properly handling and preparation procedures were difficult to achieve, the best course of action simply would have been to avoid the risk of eating potentially contaminated foods, especially since the contamination cannot be detected by smell or sight” (Kyle Butt, Flawless Food Laws, apologeticspress.org).  However, it is not only shellfish.  The commandment would keep them from certain poisonous/venomous fish such as the blowfish and the lionfish.  All poisonous fish have no scales.  It would also keep them from toxic sea creatures such as jelly fish, sea anemones, and octopi (Kyle Butt, Science and the Bible, apologeticspress.org; Eric Lyons, God knew All Along, apologeticspress.org). 

(3) Bats (Leviticus 11:13-19; Deuteronomy 14:11-18).  “While it is true that many animals are susceptible to rabies, bats are especially so.  The American College of Emergency Physicians documented that between 1992 and 2002, rabies passed from bats caused 24 of 26 human deaths from rabies in the United States” (Kyle Butt, Flawless Food Laws, apologeticspress.org). 

(4) Reptiles (Leviticus 11:29-31).  “Interestingly, reptiles have a much higher rate of carrying salmonella bacteria than do most mammals, especially those listed as clean in the Old Law.  The Center for Disease Control has repeatedly warned people about the possibility of being infected with Salmonella passed through reptiles” (Kyle Butt, Flawless Food Laws, apologeticspress.org).

God’s Laws were meant for man’s good (Deuteronomy 6:24; 10:13).  There may be intended health benefits to some of these commandments. 

Other Reasons

There may have been other reasons for these commandments.  Some believe that these commandments were given to test Israel’s obedience.  Others believe that these commandments were given to separate Israel from other nations.  J.M. Fuller suggested, “The basis of the obligation to maintain the distinction was the call of the Hebrews to be a peculiar people of Jehovah.  It was to be something in their daily life to remind them of the covenant which distinguished them from the nations of the world” (ed. David Brown, The Southwest Lectures – The Books of Leviticus and Numbers, p. 94). 

Critics

Critics have problems with how some of these animals are listed, and how they are described.  We will consider these criticisms in another article.

2.  Milk and Meat.  They were not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21).

Why?  This may be given because of pagan worship practices.  James Burton Coffman comments, “For generations men could discern no reason whatever for such a prohibition… However, the mystery was unlocked in 1930, when the reason for this pagan practice was discovered in Ugarit literature.  The pagan used such a broth to increase fertility of their crops” (Coffman, Deuteronomy p. 160).  Wayne Jackson writes, “It is now known… that boiling a kid in milk to appease certain deities was a common Canaanite ritual… Some Jews, even today, misunderstanding the nature of this injunction, will not eat dairy and meat products at the same meal.  Actually, though, the original command was simply designed to inoculate Israel against mimicry of heathen religion” (Wayne Jackson, Biblical Studies in the Light of Archaeology, p. 24). 

Were there other reasons?  Some think so.  Dennis Prager suggests, “It is wrong to boil an animal in the substance with which its mother gave it life… The purpose of the prohibition must… be to affect us – specifically to refine human character… there is something mocking and even cruel about boiling a kid in the milk of its mother… Philo wrote: ‘It is grossly improper that the substance which fed the living animal should be used to season or flavor it after its death’ And Milgram… ‘A substance that sustains the life of a creature (milk) should not be fused or confused with a process associated with its death (cooking)… Mother’s milk, the life sustaining food for the kid, should never become associated with its death” (Prager, Exodus, p. 345-347).