Shalom, everyone! The Almighty created all things, however, only a portion of His Creation is permissible for food to the Nation of Yisra’el. While most vegetation/plant life is permissible for food (Genesis 1:29), The Almighty only allows His people to consume certain species. These are outlined in the Torah, in the Books of Genesis and Leviticus. Any species that The Almighty forbids us to eat is NOT considered food.
All hybrid plants/trees and their products are forbidden to the Nation of Yisra’el for consumption. Fruit from cultivated trees less than five years of age are also forbidden to us for consumption.
The animals that The Almighty allows us to eat He calls “clean.” These animals are typically herbivores, eating only plants. The Almighty only requests “clean” animals for any animal sacrifices made unto Him. The animals The Almighty deems as “unclean” are typically carnivores (meat-eaters), omnivores (meat- and plant-eaters) or scavengers (eaters of animal/human waste, or carrion). The Almighty also forbids the consumption of hybrid animals.
Forbidden animals are off-limits to us, firstly, because, The Almighty said so, secondly, The Almighty wants us to be set-apart (holy) as He is set-apart, and thirdly because these animals eat blood and/or consume other rotting flesh and waste. Though “unclean,” these animals have a purpose in The Almighty‘s creation. They help balance out the ecosystem by controlling the population of herbivores thereby allowing natural vegetation to not be overly depleted; these animals help to keep the environment clean by consuming waste and carrion. We are not to eat them because doing so upsets the ecosystem.
The Almighty also forbids us from consuming any human flesh whatsoever:
“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it; and at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; swarm in the earth, and multiply therein,” ~ Genesis 9:5-7
The following are the foods permitted to the Nation of Yisra’el for consumption, as well as the species that are forbidden to us for food:
Seed-Bearing Plants and Trees with Seed-Bearing Fruits
All non-hybrid seed-bearing plants (grains, nuts, legumes, vegetables, herbs, grasses, weeds, etc.) and all non-hybrid trees that have seed-bearing fruits (fruits) and their products (juices, fats, oils, bark etc.) are permissible to eat, except, fruits and products from cultivated trees less than five years old:
Genesis 1:29 ~ God said, “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food.”
Leviticus 19:19 ~ “Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind; thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together.”Leviticus 19:23 ~ “And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as forbidden; three years shall it be as forbidden unto you; it shall not be eaten.”
Leviticus 19:24 ~ “And in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise unto the LORD.”
Leviticus 19:25 ~ “But in the fifth year may ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you more richly the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.”
If you eat a vegan diet (100% plant-based), or a vegetarian diet that completely excludes all products from hybrid plants/trees and “unclean” animals, you are safe in terms of adhering to Torah law concerning foods permitted to the Nation of Yisra’el. Everything, however, should be consumed in moderation. Torah requires us to eat meat (lamb or kid in its first year) at least once a year on the first night of Pesach (Passover).
Land Animals (Beasts of the Earth)
Permitted (Clean) Land Animals
The Nation of Yisrael are permitted to consume any land animal (beast of the earth) that has true hooves WITH split hooves AND chews the cud. This means that the animal’s entire hoof must be split AND the animal must chew the cud. Other characteristics these animals have include being plant-eaters, the ability to grow horns on their heads, having four-chambered stomachs and droppings with plant-matter. Examples of these clean land animals include: Cattle, ox, sheep, goat, deer, antelope, bison, buffalo, gazelle, ibex, giraffe, hart, elk, caribou and moose:
- Leviticus 11:1 ~ “And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them:”
- Leviticus 11:2 ~ “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: These are the living things which ye may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.”
- Leviticus 11:3 ~ “Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is wholly cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat.”
Examples of Clean Land Animals – Those which have wholly-cloven hooves and chew the cud: Cattle, sheep, goat, deer etc.
The manner in which the animal dies is also very important. The animal must be slaughtered by human hand, that is, with a sharp knife that severs the trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries and jugular veins in one smooth cut, causing instant loss of consciousness, minimal pain, and severe loss of blood bringing about quick death. The animal must be drained completely of its blood. This is achieved by washing and salting the carcass. The animal should also be inspected for disease. We are not permitted to consume blood. We are not permitted to eat any part of a living animal, the animal must be slaughtered prior to consuming any part of it (Genesis 9:4). Prior to consumption, the animal must be confirmed dead. We are not permitted to eat any animal that died of natural causes, or disease, or was killed by another animal.
- Leviticus 11:39 ~ “And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die, he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.”
- Leviticus 11:40 ~ “And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; he also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.”
Forbidden (Unclean) Land Animals
Animals that have partially split hooves are not permitted for food. Animals which have split hooves but do not chew the cud are not permitted (for example, swine (pigs, boar etc). Animals which chew the cud but do not have wholly split hooves are not permitted (horse, camel, donkey, mule, zebra, elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, llama, alpaca etc.). Animals with paws are not permitted for food (canines (dogs, wolves, foxes, hyenas, jackals etc.), felines (cats, lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, panthers, jaguars, cougars, lynxes etc.), bears, apes, monkeys, marsupials, etc.):
- Leviticus 11:4 ~ “Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only part the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:5 ~ “And the rock-badger, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:6 ~ “And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:7 ~ “And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:8 ~ “Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:26 ~ “Every beast which parteth the hoof, but is not cloven footed, nor cheweth the cud, is unclean unto you; every one that to toucheth them shall be unclean.”
- Leviticus 11:27 ~ “And whatsoever goeth upon its paws, among all beasts that go on all fours, they are unclean unto you; whoso toucheth their carcass shall be unclean until the even.”
- Leviticus 11:28 ~ “And he that beareth the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; they are unclean unto you.”
Water Animals (Water Creatures)
Permitted (Clean) Water Animals
Any water creature that has both fins AND scales. Any fish with scales will have fins. The scales must also be visible to the naked eye, present in the adult form of the fish, and can be easily removed by hand or a scaling knife. Though a fish is considered slaughtered once it has been removed from the water, we are forbidden from eating the fish while it still alive – it must be confirmed dead:
- Leviticus 11:9 ~ “These may ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them may ye eat.”
Forbidden (Unclean) Water Animals
Any fish that does not have fins AND scales are not permitted for food. Examples of these forbidden creatures include fish without scales (sharks, marlin, swordfish, sailfish, eels, sturgeon, rays, catfish), sea mammals (whales, dolphins, seals, otters, walrus, etc.), shell-fish (shrimp, prawns, crabs, lobsters, crayfish, conch, clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, etc.), soft-bodied creatures (jellyfish, squid, octopus, cuttlefish etc.):
- Leviticus 11:10 ~ “And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that swarm in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are a detestable thing unto you,”
- Leviticus 11:11 ~ “and they shall be a detestable thing unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses ye shall have in detestation.”
- Leviticus 11:12 ~ “Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that is a detestable thing unto you.”
Fowl of the Air (Birds)
Permitted (Clean) Birds
The Torah permits us to eat domesticated birds that are not birds of prey, that is they are herbivores. These birds include poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants, doves, pigeons, quails etc.) These birds have an extra toe that is above and behind their other toes. They also have a crop (a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion) and a gizzard that can be peeled.
Examples of Clean Birds: Chickens, Turkey, Ducks, Geese and Pheasant
Forbidden (Unclean) Birds
The Torah forbids the consumption of any raptors, birds of prey or scavenger birds. These fowl of the air eats other animals and/or carrion. Examples include eagles, falcons, hawks, kites, owls, ospreys, vultures, buzzards, pelicans, cormorants, gannets, boobies, storks, herons, ravens, ostriches, hoopoes, and bats:
- Leviticus 11:13 ~ “And these ye shall have in detestation among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are a detestable thing: the great vulture, and the bearded vulture, and the ospray;”
- Leviticus 11:14 ~ “and the kite, and the falcon after its kinds;”
- Leviticus 11:15 ~ “every raven after its kinds;”
- Leviticus 11:16 ~ “and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds;”
- Leviticus 11:17 ~ “and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl;”
- Leviticus 11:18 ~ “and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture;”
- Leviticus 11:19 ~ “and the stork, and the heron after its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.”
Swarming Creatures
Permitted (Clean) Swarming Creatures
Of the swarming creatures, we are only permitted to eat winged swarming creatures that crawl on all fours and have large jointed legs. These include locusts, crickets and grasshoppers:
- Leviticus 11:21 ~ Yet these may ye eat of all winged swarming things that go upon all fours, which have jointed legs above their feet, wherewith to leap upon the earth;
- Leviticus 11:22 ~ even these of them ye may eat: the locust after its kinds, and the bald locust after its kinds, and the cricket after its kinds, and the grasshopper after its kinds.
Forbidden (Unclean) Swarming Creatures
All rodents (weasels, squirrels, porcupines, rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, beavers, chipmunks, etc.), amphibians (frogs, toads, salamanders etc.), reptiles (snakes, lizards, chameleons, alligators, caimans, crocodiles etc.), and other insects (ants, bees, wasps, hornets, beetles, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, all other swarming things etc.) not previously mentioned are forbidden:
- Leviticus 11:20 ~ “All winged swarming things that go upon all fours are a detestable thing unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:23 ~ “But all winged swarming things, which have four feet, are a detestable thing unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:24 ~ “And by these ye shall become unclean; whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until even.”
- Leviticus 11:25 ~ “And whosoever beareth aught of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.”
- Leviticus 11:29 ~ “And these are they which are unclean unto you among the swarming things that swarm upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the great lizard after its kinds,”
- Leviticus 11:30 ~ “and the gecko, and the land-crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand-lizard, and the chameleon.”
- Leviticus 11:31 ~ “These are they which are unclean to you among all that swarm; whosoever doth touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even.”
- Leviticus 11:41 ~ “And every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth is a detestable thing; it shall not be eaten.”
- Leviticus 11:42 ~ “Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all fours, or whatsoever hath many feet, even all swarming things that swarm upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are a detestable thing.”
- Leviticus 11:43 ~ “Ye shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarmeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.”
Additional Considerations – Best Practices
Not only are we forbidden to consume animals the Torah declares unclean, we are not permitted to touch their carcasses when dead. We are also not permitted to eat from any vessel or utensil that has touched their carcasses when dead. As a best practice, we should refrain from eating at any eatery that serves any forbidden creature on the menu, even if they also serve permitted creatures. This is because it is highly likely that these eateries use the same vessels and utensils to cook the flesh of both the permitted and forbidden creatures. This causes cross-contanimation. For example, an eatery that serves shellfish or pork, yet serves poultry or beef should be avoided:
- Leviticus 11:32 ~ “And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherewith any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; then shall it be clean.”
- Leviticus 11:33 ~ “And every earthen vessel whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean, and it ye shall break.”
- Leviticus 11:34 ~ “All food therein which may be eaten, that on which water cometh, shall be unclean; and all drink in every such vessel that may be drunk shall be unclean.”
- Leviticus 11:35 ~ “And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces; they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:36 ~ “Nevertheless a fountain or a cistern wherein is a gathering of water shall be clean; but he who toucheth their carcass shall be unclean.”
- Leviticus 11:37 ~ “And if aught of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.”
- Leviticus 11:38 ~ “But if water be put upon the seed, and aught of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean unto you.”
- Leviticus 11:39 ~ “And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die, he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.”
- Leviticus 11:40 ~ “And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; he also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.”
- Leviticus 11:43 ~ “Ye shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarmeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.”
We must always remember that The Almighty wants us, the Nation of Yisra’el, to be set-apart (holy) because He is set-apart (holy). He sets boundaries for us so that we can maintain the set-apart nature He desires. The Almighty always knows what is best for us:
- Leviticus 11:44 ~ “For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy; neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of swarming thing that moveth upon the earth.”
- Leviticus 11:45 ~ “For I am the LORD that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
- Leviticus 11:46 ~ “This is the law of the beast, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that swarmeth upon the earth;”
- Leviticus 11:47 ~ “to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.”
