Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel, (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. Leviticus 11 discusses Jewish dietary laws. In typical Abravanel fashion, he dives
into the subject of kashrut with fundamental questions. Here are two:
- Why did the Creator ban certain foods, as outlined in our chapter?
- Do dietary laws promote good health?
“And God spoke unto Moses and Aaron, saying unto them. Speak unto
the Children of Israel saying, these are the living things which you may
eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.”
Abravanel sharpens his queries, by telling Bible students that Jewish dietary laws can’t possibly be
about nutrition and health. Why? Everyone can observe the simple facts on the ground. Gentiles eat
nonkosher food, and yet are not the worse for it. Actually, they’re quite strong and hale.
And if our chapter intends to outlaw foods that are toxic or harmful, well, that simply isn’t the case. How
many deadly animals should have been written about explicitly, on account of the danger they present
to man – abundantly more dangerous than rabbits, camels, and swine – which the Torah does mention.
Abravanel strongly censures some Bible commentators for theorizing that Jewish dietary laws are about
good health. Patently false, he asserts. Heaven save us from such ludicrousness, Abravanel lambasts.
He continues. If the holy and divine Bible can be reduced to a medical digest or nutrition guide
companion, then it would dwarf in size and scope in comparison to other secular medical treatises or
texts. Again, the animals, fowl, and fish prohibited to Jews do not relate to healthy eating. Gentiles
freely partake of these banned animals, and yet they’re well-built, fit as a fiddle.
Abravanel’s entire essay on the topic of Jewish dietary laws may be found in Abravanel’s World.
However, for our purposes here, let us advance the following.
The holy Torah is not interested, per se, in healing or promoting man’s body, physicality. Instead, the
essential thing is to provide divine instruction on protecting and strengthening the soul. Hence, the
Torah forbids those foods that undermine the well-being of a Jew’s eternal inner being.
In sum, the all-important thing about Jewish dietary laws centers on purifying the soul, shielding it from
spiritual pollutants.
