The law of Moses placed no restriction on eating fruits or vegetables. There were, however, severe
restrictions on eating the flesh of animals. Animals that were not to be eaten were “unclean”. There
were hundreds of species of animals around in Moses’ time available for food. But the Jews were
by the law restricted to a small number. The amazing thing is that, nearly thirty-five centuries later,
experience and science have led us to the same conclusions.
Under the law of Moses, only certain types of flesh could be eaten.
These restrictions applied to:
meat
fish
birds
fat
blood
a) Meat
Leviticus 11 lays down the basic principle:
Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the
cud–that you may eat.
Leviticus 11 v 3
Sheep and cows – permitted food
Meat was permitted from animals
which had cloven hoofs and which
also chewed the cud. This meant
that sheep, cows and deer could all
be eaten.
This rule excluded all
meat-eating animals. With the
exception of pigs, we generally
follow the same rule today.
We can safely eat pig meat in many countries today,
but only because strict regulations protect us from
becoming involved in the life cycle of the pig tapeworm
or the pig roundworm. This can happen when people
eat raw or undercooked pork or bacon containing the
larvae of the tapeworm or roundworm. The results can
include blindness, paralysis, epilepsy and even death.
Pigs also transmit a number of other infections,
including the well-known salmonella bacteria. An even
more serious infectious disease known as “pig-bel” is
sometimes seen in the highlands of New Guinea
following ritual pig kills and pork feasting.
Eating of unsafe meat was restricted
Eating of meat we now know to be safe was
permitted
b) Fish
Leviticus 11 v 9 and 10 gives the guidelines:
These you may eat of all that are in the water:
whatever in the water has fins and scales,
whether in the seas or in the rivers – that you
may eat. But all in the seas or in the rivers that
do not have fins and scales … they are an
abomination to you.
Leviticus 11 v 9 and 10
Cod – permitted food
Of all the animals living in water, only fish with fins and scales could be eaten. This excludes all
other aquatic animals, including shellfish and crabs.
Most sea-food poisoning today comes
from eating shellfish and crustaceans
(shrimps, crabs and lobsters), which
were forbidden under the law of
Moses. If we look closely at these
animals we can understand why. Their
favourite habitats are shallow tidal
waters and estuaries, where they
survive by filtering out the suspended
organic matter. This will often include
products of sewage outfalls, which
contaminate the shellfish with bacteria
and viruses, causing dysentery,
typhoid and hepatitis. Shellfish grown
in cool water passed through filtration
tanks are safer. But viruses cannot be
filtered out, so the restriction of the law
of Moses is still the best guide.
Bacteria and viruses are killed by
thorough cooking, but shellfish
poisoning can also come from other
sources.
Crabs, crayfish and shrimps were all “unclean.” It
is now known that they transmit several different
species of lung flukes, which are parasites that
live in our lungs. Again, it is safer to follow the
regulations of the law of Moses!
The law of Moses
Permitted eating only fish with fins and scales
Prohibited eating fish we now know can be harmful
c) Birds
Again we find the guideline in Leviticus 11:
These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle,
the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the
horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the
great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the
hoopoe and the bat.
Leviticus 11 v 13 to 19 (NIV)
One or two of these birds are difficult to identify precisely, but it is
clear that all of these forbidden birds are carnivorous or carrion-eating.
This again is the accepted standard today – we do not eat
birds such as vultures, but we do eat the birds which are mainly
vegetarian, such as chickens and turkeys.
The vulture – not permitted as food
The law of Moses:
Permitted eating of grain-eating birds
Prohibited eating of carnivorous birds
d) Fat
The regulations God gave to Moses were very clear about eating fat:
Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘You shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat,… the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove; and the priest shall burn them’…
Leviticus 7 v 23, 3 to 5
This prohibition of animal fat, especially abdominal fat, is
interesting. This fat from which suet and tallow are made is
highly saturated and unhealthy. It is significant that the unsaturated fat of fish and vegetable oils is not mentioned
here. Again the law given by Moses agrees exactly with
modern medical advice that we should eat unsaturated
vegetable oils and fish rather than saturated animal fats.
Low fat steak – a permitted food
The law of Moses recommended:
No animal fat to be eaten
No restriction on fish and vegetable fat
e) Blood
Leviticus 17 v 14 forbids eating blood:
... for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of
Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood.
Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’
Leviticus 17 v 14
Blood has a high cholesterol content and so it is good health practice not to eat it. In addition, meat
keeps better if it has been drained of blood. For this reason animals killed for meat are always
drained of most of their blood after being killed.
