Many people have come to the conclusion that their diet consisting of pork, catfish, shrimp, lobster and the like is not biblical and want to follow the food laws found in Lev 11. They were on one extreme and now are trying to walk in a biblical lifestyle as described in the Torah. The problem is some go from one extreme to another. In their excitement they become over scrupulous and they actually “add to” the Torah which is just as bad as “detracting from” it (Deut 4.2). This can be a trap if we are not careful. Yeshua rebuked the Pharisees from Beit Shammai for adding things to their observance and teaching others to do the same. What we will present here is our opinion on this as we see it at this point, and we are not the final answer on this subject, but hopefully we can give some insight on this subject.
In Matt 23.24 Yeshua says that some Pharisees strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel. He was commenting on the fact that they used to strain their wine for gnats so that they would not accidently swallow one, and he used this practice to illustrate a spiritual principle. This implies that if something was smaller than a gnat they were allowed to drink it. This is the prevailing view in Orthodox Judaism today, and they are really serious about not eating unclean things. They realize that kosher food may contain a small insect or rodent hair because it is impossible to prevent it from happening, even in foods that are certified “Kosher.” Even the US Government health standards for processed food allows for some of it because it just cannot be stopped. Anyone who thinks their food does not contain these things at some point is wrong.
In Israel there have been times when certain crops had tiny bugs in them and the Rabbis told the people not to worry about it. One has to be pragmatic about things. What about enzymes and other ingredients derived from unclean sources? Some will say they are not allowed, but are they? We should avoid certain additives if it is a health issue or something, but does the Scripture actually forbid it?
We wouldn’t throw a piece of pork into something for flavoring, but if a substance has changed through processing so that you could not tell what it is through a microscope, that is another issue. An example of this is gelatin. It can come from pork or beef but some Rabbis consider Jell-O kosher because gelatin is not meat. When a substance goes through processing it actually changes and is called “Davar Chadash” or a new thing or substance. The same thing happens in a garden. Unclean animals, bugs, worms, insects, die in the soil and decomposes and becomes part of the soil. This not to mention animal dung in the garden. People will take dead fish that is not kosher and put them into their gardens to decompose. Everyone has heard of a compost pile. The squash seed you plant transforms the soil as it is absorbed into a squash. When you eat the squash you aren’t eating decomposed animals, bugs, worms or insects. It has changed substances, or have become “Davar Chadash.”
You have heard of the commandment to not eat blood in a piece of meat. Does that mean you can’t have one molecule of blood? No matter what you do you will always have blood in a piece of meat. Kosher slaughtering does not remove it either. You can drain it, salt it, soak it and wash a piece of liver all you want and it will still have blood in it. If you kept the letter of the law then you cannot eat a piece of liver, or any meat, or any vegetables from the soil. The spirit of the law requires that we do not eat raw meat, drink blood or use it in soups like so many do today in different cultures. We should be diligent in following what the Lord had commanded concerning food but never over scrupulous about it, thus adding to the Torah. We can get so concerned about tracing down the source of everything that has been molecularly changed anyway we miss the whole point of the dietary laws. We get concerned about things that aren’t even an issue with the Lord and we lose our peace.
So, the basic rule to look at is this. If something is smaller than a gnat we are not going to worry about it. With that said, it is our opinion, and the prevailing opinion of those who should know, that it is allowable to take medications that may have been derived from an unclean creature, especially in the matter of health, because of the concept called “Davar Chadash” that says the substance has changed because of processing. But we want you to follow your own conscience in the Lord and we do not have the final say on this subject. Hopefully, we have presented some concepts so that you can do some research on your own.
Leave a Reply