Shemini parsha: Jewish ritual is pathway to an ethical life | Commentary
In some circles, it is assumed that the laws of kashrut (the dietary laws) are related to health. While there may be some truth to this argument, it is not a central factor. The Torah states that the reason for kashrut is kedushah (holiness), “You shall be holy [kedoshim], for I am holy [kadosh]” (Leviticus 11:45). In fact, every time the Torah discusses the dietary laws, it gives as its underlying reason kedushah. (See, for example, Deuteronomy 14:21.) An analysis of this term offers a deeper understanding of the dietary laws.
On one level, kedushah means “separation.” Thus, when someone contributes something to the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple), it is called “hekdesh,” for it can be used for no other purpose other than the Temple. From this perspective, the Torah insists that the everyday activity of eating have the stamp of Jewishness.
Another approach to kedushah comes to mind when evaluating the dietary laws together with other major Jewish ritual observances – in particular, the Sabbath and the laws of family purity. It is not a coincidence that these observances correspond to the three major physical drives of the human being: to gain power, to engage in sexual relations, and to eat.
In each case, the Torah does not insist that we abstain; rather, it channels the fulfillment of these desires in a way that gives them more ethical meaning. This, too, is a goal of kedushah.
The Torah understands the human quest for power but asks that on the Sabbath we abstain from all work, allowing for time to consider the purpose of this quest. Such evaluation has the potential to foster ethical self-growth.
Similarly, the Torah sees the sexual encounter as central to life. Onah (sexual pleasure) is a cornerstone of marriage. Here again, the Torah introduces the laws of family purity as a way of intensifying love between spouses, who form their own family-community, showing the way to improve ethical relations within the larger community.
Finally, the Torah wishes for people to enjoy food. Through such laws as humane slaughter of animals and the prohibition against consuming blood (the essence of life), the laws of kashrut lift the eating process to a higher level, showing reverence for the life of the animal taken. Also, the prohibition against mixing meat and milk originates from the biblical text enjoining against the “seething of a kid in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19). A mother’s milk nourishes and nurtures. To use that very medium to cook its young is morally inappropriate. In this way, kashrut laws are meant to show ethical concerns for the animal world and, more broadly, for the whole of creation.
No wonder the term kedushah is inextricably connected to these rituals. Shabbat is referred to as Shabbat kodesh. The betrothal ceremony is called kiddushin. And as we sit down to eat, we wash our hands, reciting the blessing with the words “Who has sanctified us [kiddeshanu] with His commandments.”
There are other beautiful approaches to understanding the deeper message of these three rituals. Our analysis yields the idea that Shabbat, family purity, and the dietary laws can be understood as moving from the inner to the outer, helping ethicize ourselves, our relationship to other humans, and the larger world. Thus, observance of Jewish ritual is not solely an act that connects us to God. It is a means through which life can be ethicized; it is nothing less than a pathway to kedushah.
Candle lighting:
Shemini parsha
April 5 at 7:22 p.m.