An Ounce of Prevention
By: Rabbi Asher Block, Upper School Judaic Studies Teacher
"And every thing that creeps upon the earth shall be held abominable" (Parshat Shmini 11:41)
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 204) rules that one who needs to eat non-kosher food to save their life not only must do so, but a bracha is also recited on that food as they are performing a sacred mitzvah with that eating. The Mishna Brurah quotes from later Halachic authorities that rule if the food that is eaten is physically repulsive to the person, then no bracha is said.
Suppose a person needs to eat a certain bug to save their life, and they aren't necessarily repulsed by eating that creature per se. I would like to suggest that they will not be able to recite a blessing on this crawling creature since the Torah in the above verse labels this type of item inherently abominable and disgusting. In other words, even though it is permissible to eat this bug and no prohibition is violated, it still retains its Biblical label of being a repulsive item to consume.
I am pretty certain that I have never met an individual in my life who has a temptation to knowingly consume bugs. What then is the relevance of this verse prohibiting one from consuming them? Rabbeinu Bachya explains that the prohibition isn't necessarily to knowingly consume bugs, but to be cognizant when eating fruits and vegetables (where bug infestation can be prevalent) to check and make certain that no bugs are present. There are many prohibitions in the Torah that we wouldn't commit consciously, but without proper safeguards, we would stumble and violate them nonetheless. The Torah is teaching us with the prohibition of consuming bugs that it is not enough just to follow the letter of the Torah law, but also to create proper measures in our daily lives that the Torah will be kept in all circumstances.
Shabbat Shalom!