Dietetic Reasons

[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.
These laws, being addressed to both the civil and ecclesiastical rulers in Israel. A dietetic reason for the flesh of many of the animals here ranked as unclean, is everywhere, but especially in warm climates, less wholesome and adapted for food than those which were allowed to be eaten. These laws, therefore, being subservient to sanitary as well as religious ends, were addressed both to Moses and Aaron.
The laws for eating relating to the clean and unclean food prescribed for the Jewish people included two requirements; 1. Its hoofs had to be split, and 2. It had to chew its cud (meaning it ejects food from its stomach and returns it to its mouth in order to chew and grind it fine. Basically, only those 10 species listed in the Torah (Deut. 14:4, 5) are permitted to be eaten. Thee include; the ox (bull and cow), the sheep (ram and lamb), the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
Ruminating animals by the peculiar structure of their stomachs digest their food more fully than others. It is found that in the act of chewing the cud, a large portion of the poisonous properties of noxious plants eaten by them, passed off by the salivary glands. This power of secreting the poisonous effects of vegetables, it said to be particularly remarkable in cows and goats, whose mouths are often sore, and sometimes bleed, in consequence. Their flesh is therefore in a better state for food, as it contains more of the nutritious juices, is more easily digested in the human stomach, and is consequently more easily assibilated. Animals that do not chew the cud, convert their food less perfectly; their flesh is therefore unwholesome, from the gross animal juices with which they abound, and is ape to produce, scorbutic and scrofulous disorders. But animals that may be eaten are those which part the hood as well as chew the cud, and this is another means of freeing the flesh of the animal from noxious substances. In the case of animals with parted hoofs, when feeding in unfavorable situations a prodigious amount of fetid matter is discharged, and passes off between the toes; while animal with undivided hoofs, feeding on the same ground, beco9me severely affected in the legs, from the poisonous plants among the pasture all experience attests this, and accordingly the use of ruminating animals (that most countries though it was observed most carefully but the people who were favored with the promulgation of G-d’s Law.
It is forbidden to eat of any animal that does not possess both signs described in previous law. It is also forbidden to deal in business with any nonkosher food for profit. Traditionally, it is believed that it is forbidden to even raise a pig in a Jewish home. The penalty for this was lashes. The reason given for the Torah prohibiting certain foods is because they defile the purity of the soul by contaminating the individual spiritually. This is much like a test emphasizing the health of the soul rather than to promote physical health. There are four animals that only have one of the two sign given for kosher eating. These (camel, rabbit, hare, and pig) are listed so as not to be mistakenly eaten, since they partly qualify with one of the two kosher signs. The Talmud mentions a curse on the man who raises a pig.
The camel it does to a certain extent divide the hoof, for the foot consists of two large parts, but the division is not complete; the toes rest upon an elastic pad on which the animal goes; as a beast of burden its flesh is tough. An additional reason for its prohibition might be to keep the Israelites apart from the descendants of Ishmael.
The coney - not the rabbi, for it is not found in Palestine or Arabia, but the hyrax, a little animal of the size and general shape of the rabbit, but differing from it in several essential features. It has no tail, singular, long hairs bristling like thorns among the fur on its back; its feet are bare, its nails flat and round, except those on each inner toe of the hind feet, which are sharp and project like an awl. It does not burrow in the ground but frequents the clefts of rocks.
The hare - two species of hare must have been pointed at; the Sinai hare, the hare of the desert, small and generally brown; the other, the hare of Palestine and Syria, about the size and appearance of that known in our own country. Neither the hare nor the coney are really ruminating. They only appear to be so from working the jaw on the grasses they live on. They are not cloven footed; and besides, it is said that from the expel these, they eat poisonous plants, and if used as food while in that state, they are most deleterious.
The swine – It is a filthy, foul feeding animal, and it lacks one of the natural provisions for purifying the system, it chews not the cud, in hot climates indulgence in swine’s flesh is particularly liable to produce leprosy, scurvy, and various cutaneous eruptions. It was therefore strictly avoided by the Israelites. It prohibition was further necessary to prevent their adopting many of the grossest idolatries practiced by neighboring nations.
Fish - The fins and scales are the means by which the excrescences of fish are carried off, the same as in animals by perspiration. Eating fish without fins and scales cause, in hot climates, the most malignant disorders, in many cases they prove a mortal poison. It is forbidden to eat any of the non-kosher type of fish.
No fins or scales - under this classification frogs, eels, shellfish of all descriptions, were included as unclean; many of the latter (shellfish) enjoy a reputation they do not deserve, and have when plentifully partaken of, produced effects which have let to a suspicion of their containing something of a poisonous nature.
13-19 among the fowls - all birds of prey are particularly ranked in the class unclean; all those which feed on flesh and carrion. No less than twenty species of birds, all probably then know, are mentioned under this category, and the inference follows that all which are not mentioned were allowed; that is fowl which subsist on vegetable substances. From our imperfect knowledge of the natural history of Palestine, Arabia, and the contiguous countries at that time, it is not easy to determine exactly what some of the prohibited birds were; although they must have been all well known among the people to whom these laws were given.
This refers to the non-kosher species of fowl, which the Torah does not give the distinguishing marks: The Torah does list some 24 non-kosher birds because they are in fewer number than the kosher ones. All birds not listed in the Torah are permissible to eat. All predatory birds that grasp their prey with their talons and kill it are not kosher.
Vulture - the word so rendered in our version means more probably the kite or glede and describes a varying but majestic flight, exactly that of the kite, which now darts forward with the rapidity of an arrow, now rest motionless on its expanded wings in the air. It feeds on small birds, insects, and fish.
Raven - including the crow, the pie.
Owl - it is generally supposed the ostrich is denoted by the original word.
Night hawk - a very small bird, with which, from its nocturnal habits, many superstitious ideas were associated.
Cuckoo - evidently some other bird is meant by the original term, from its being ranged among rapacious birds. Some think it is a sea mew, sea fowl?
Hawk - the Hebrew word includes every variety of the falcon family - as the goshawk, the jerhawk, the sparrow hawk etc. Several species of hawks are found in Western Asia and Egypt, where they find inexhaustible prey in the immense numbers of pigeons and turtledoves that abound in those quarters. The hawk was help pre-eminently scared among the Egyptians; and this, besides its rapacious disposition and gross habits, might have been a strong reason for its prohibition an a article of food to the Israelites/
Little owl - or horned owl, as some render it. The common barn owl, which is well known in the East. It is the only bird of its kind here referred to, although the word is thrice mentioned in our version.
Cormorant - supposed to be the gull.
The great owl - according to some the Ibis of Egyptians. It was well know to the Israelites, and so rendered by the Septuagint (Deut. 14:16 Isa. 34:1).]
Swan - found in great numbers in all the countries of the Levant. It frequents marshy places - the vicinity of rivers and lakes. It was held sacred by the Egyptians, and kept tame within the precincts of heathen temples. It was probably on this account chiefly that its use as food was prohibited. Some confiders it the goose.
Pelican - remarkable for the bag or pouch under its lower jaw which serves not only as a net to catch, but also as a receptacle of food. It is solitary in its habits and, like other large aquatic birds, often flies to a great distance from its favorite haunts.
Gier eagle - being here associated with waterfowl, it has been questioned whether any species of eagle is referred to. Some think, as the original name racham denotes tenderness affection, the halcyon or kingfisher is intended. Others think that it is the bird now called the rachami, a kind of Egyptian vulture, abundant in the streets of Cairo and popularly called Pharaoh’s fowl. It is white in color, in size like a raven, and feeds on carrion; it is one of the foulest and filthiest birds in the world.
Stork - a bird of benevolent temper and held in the highest estimation in all Eastern countries; it was declared unclean, probably, from its feeding on serpents and other venomous reptiles, as well as rearing its young on the same food.
Heron - the word so translated only occurs in the prohibited list of food and has been variously rendered - the crane, the plover, the woodcock, the parrot. In this great diversity of opinion nothing certain can be affirmed regarding it. Judging from the group with which it is classified, it must be an aquatic bird that is meant. It may as well be the heron as any other bird, the more especially as herons abound in Egypt and in the Hauran of Palestine.
Lapwing - or boopoe; found in warm regions, a very pretty but filthy species of bird. It was considered unclean, probably from its feeding on insects, worms, and snails.
Bat - the great or Ternate bat, known in the East, noted for its voracity and filthiness/
That creep - by fowls here are to be understood all creatures with wings and going upon all fours, not a restriction to animals which have exactly four feet, because many creeping things have more than that number. The prohibition is regarded generally as extending to insects, reptiles, and worms.
[21-22 nothing short of a scientific description could convey more accurately the nature of locust after its kind. They were allowed as lawful food to the Israelites, and they are eaten by the Arabs, who fry them in olive oil. When sprinkled with salt, dried, smoked, and fried, they are said to taste not unlike red herrings.
All locust and grasshoppers must be examined to see if they have the kosher signs given in the Torah. The general idea today is to eat only those that have an uninterrupted tradition that is kosher.
Every beast ...not clovenfooted - the prohibited animals under this description include not only the beast which have a single hoof, as horses and asses, but those also which divided the foot into paws, as Lions, tigers ect.
Weasel - rather, the mole.
Mouse - from its diminutive size it is placed among the reptiles instead of the quadrupeds.
Tortoise - a lizard, resembling very nearly in shape, and in the hard pointed scales of the tail, the shake tail.
During the Temple period it was forbidden to come into contact and thereby become contaminated with the carcass of the 8 creeping animals (reptile or rodents) listed in the Torah. The 8 creeping things listed in this group known as primary sources of uncleanness were: the weasel, the mouse, the toad, the hedgehog, the chameleon, the lizard, the snail and the mole. The primary source of uncleanness is that which contaminates people, vessels and foodstuffs and liquids. A person who touches one of the 8 species was forbidden to enter the Temple or eat holy food. He became completely clean only after immersing himself in a mikveh and waiting until evening. The same law applied to any vessel or clothing that came into contact with one of the 8.
[Ferret - the Hebrew word is thought by some to signify the newt or chameleon, by others the frog. Chameleon - called by the Arabs the warral, a green lizard.
Snail - a lizard which lives in the sand, and is called by the Arabs chulca, of an azure color.
Mole - another species of lizard is meant, probably the chameleon.
31-35 these regulations were extremely useful and salutary, especially as enforcing attention to cleanliness. This is a matter of essential importance in the East, where venomous reptiles often creep into houses and are found lurking in boxes, vessels, or holes in the wall; and the carcass of one of them, or dead mouse, mole, lizard, or other unclean animal, might be inadvertently touched by the hand, or fall on clothes, skin bottles, or any article of common domestic use. By connecting, therefore, the touch of such creatures with ceremonial defilement, which required immediately to be removed, an effectual means was taken to prevent the bad effects of venom and all unclean or noxious matter.
During the Temple period it was a command to observe the laws regarding the ritual of uncleanness of solid and liquid food. Contaminated food can not be purified through immersion in a mikveh, as is the case with vessels and clothing. Certain conditions had to be met before any food became contaminated. One such specification was that the food had to come into contact with one of seven liquids; wine, honey, oil, milk dew, blood or water. From this command we get the law that one must wash his hands before eating any food that came into contact with these seven liquids. This is seen in the washing of hands on the Seder night before eating the karpas (celery or radishes), which is dipped in salt water.
If an individual touched the carcass of a dead animal it was considered a primary cause or source of contamination and he had to be immersed in a mikvah both his body as well as his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
It was forbidden for G-d’s chosen people with their special identification laws to eat any creeping animal (reptiles and rodents) found on dry land or in water. The penalty for violation was lashes.
This is a similar law regarding all crawling things. This also applied to worms. This was not to be taken lightly, because in transgressing it one was actually in violation of five different prohibitions.
This applied to any creatures that swarmed in the water except the kosher fish. The penalty for transgression of this was lashes.
This had to do with eating any swarming creatures that qare generated from decay.
Make a difference between animals used and not used for food. It is probable that the laws contained in this chapter were not entirely new, but only gave the sanction of divine enactment to ancient usages. Some of the prohibited animals have on physiological grounds, been everywhere rejected by the general sense or experience of mankind; while others may have been declared unclean from their unwholesomeness in warm countries of from some reasons, which are not imperfectly known, connected with contemporary idolatry.