Shabbos Parashas Shemini - 5780

Shabbos Parashas Shemini - 5780

Rabbi Hal Miller

And they shall be an abomination to you. You shall not eat of their flesh and you

shall abominate their carcass. [Vayikra 11:11]

Chapter 11 in our parsha list many kinds of creatures, some of which we may eat

and some we may not. It seems to break the latter group down into two categories,

tamei and sheketz. Neither of those concepts translates well into English, but we

typically call them impure and abominable. The Torah does not use different words

or phrases for the same thing without reason, so why are there two categories, what

are their differences, and what is the practical impact to us?

Some say that these are levels of unhealthfulness to humans. Abarbanel shuts this

down by noting that there are noxious creatures not on either list. Akeydat Yitzchak

supports this, adding that non-Jews who eat these are not ill-affected. This is shown

by the "to you" attached to these prohibitions. Nechama Leibowitz summarizes with

the statement, "There is nothing intrinsically unclean about the forbidden living

creatures" and adds, "Dietary laws do not relate to the body but to the soul." This

applies to both categories.

Ramban indicates that the tumah animals are listed regarding touching, and the

abomination ones regarding eating. Thus we are prohibited from the abominable

ones, but merely warned of a spiritual contamination should we touch, or even eat,

the tumah ones. Anothe way to look at it is that the abominable ones are prohibited

as a class, but the tumah ones are only problematic in individual situations, where

they have become impure, otherwise these latter animals would not be forbidden.

Not everyone agrees.

Bechor Shor sees the difference in potential holiness of the creature. The ones that

may become tamei are of a class that could be used on the Altar, thus are holy

themselves, and the ones that are abominable cannot ever be offered. This is

difficult when, say, lookiing at a pig or camel.

Torah Temimah lists a few reasons to separate sheketz and tumah. Detestable

means to include derived products, their mixtures do not get nullified, and the

prohibition to trade in them.

Rav Hirsch gives us a direct answer. "We are warned in our verse against two

effects of eating prohibited food, sheketz and tumah. But the objects affected by

them are not identical. Mentioned next to tumah, which refers to the whole personality

in general, is nafshoteichem (your souls), thus impacting our nefesh, our will aspiring

to great heights. Sheketz would affect our will to anything directly opposed to God's

will, and would be towards purposes which are abominated by Him, our moral energy."

Thus tumah prevents us from achieving our perfection, applying to us, while sheketz

applies to opposing God's will directly.

Rav Moshe Feinstein writes, "The merit of avoiding abhorrent creatures suffices to

make the Exodus worthwhile." Combining this with Rav Hirsch, we see the purpose

of the division into two categories. Some foods impact us negatively as individuals,

some contradict our nationhood within God's purposes for His creation.