By: Head of School, Rabbi Jordan Silvestri
Parshat Shemini is one of my favorites because it reminds me of my elementary school days, where I learned about the rules of identifying kosher and non-kosher animals. I remember discussing with our teachers the various animals and trying to determine if they had completely split hooves and chewed their cud. I think I was more fascinated by the notion that there are animals that regurgitate and grind down their food in order to digest it smoothly.
As a kid, I was full of wonder and awe. As an adult, relearning the parshiot week after week, I find myself wondering about the depth of these laws and the messages behind them. After the Torah reviews the kosher qualifications of animals, fish, and birds, it then explores the manner of ritual purity that arises when we interact with a non-kosher animal, especially a dead one. We are given a qualifier in two phrases that, if not given a second thought, we would miss out on its critical importance to us as Jews:
כִּ֣י אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָה֮ אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֒ וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם֙ וִהְיִיתֶ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י קָד֖וֹשׁ אָ֑נִי וְלֹ֤א תְטַמְּאוּ֙ אֶת־נַפְשֹׁ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכׇל־הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ הָרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ כִּ֣י ׀ אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֗ה הַֽמַּעֲלֶ֤ה אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִהְיֹ֥ת לָכֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִ֑ים וִהְיִיתֶ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י קָד֖וֹשׁ אָֽנִי׃
[One is to follow these laws of Kashrut and Ritual Purity:] For I am Hashem your G-D, and you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy, and you should not defile your souls through any of the creepy crawlers that roam the earth. For I am Hashem who took you out of the land of Egypt in order to be a G-D for you. You shall be holy, for I am holy.
Vayikra 11:45–46
In no fewer than six instances over these two phrases, we are reminded to be holy, not to defile ourselves, all because Hashem Himself is holy. On the most basic level, I understand the idea of attempting to emulate Hashem. After all, we are indeed fashioned in the image of G-D. We are working toward reaching a higher level of consciousness that more closely resembles Hashem Himself. What, then, does the word קדושים/holy really mean?
The Sforno, in his commentary on this pasuk, explains that we are being called on by Hashem to reach a level that approaches Hashem’s sanctity. How do we begin to reach that lofty goal? By refraining from ingesting food items—in turn, we are making a conscious effort to imbue our essence with sanctification. As explained in the Gemara in Yoma Daf 39, “If you sanctify yourself a little, it is as if you have sanctified yourself many times over.”
Is the Sforno simply trying to explain this rationalization as it applies to the laws of kashrut? Yes—and I think there is something deeper here as well. Coming off of Pesach, the holiday celebrating individual and national freedom, there is a debate in how we define freedom. Is freedom defined as freedom to, or freedom from? Are we free now from Egypt so we can do whatever we want, whenever we want, with no accountability for how those actions impact us and those around us? Are we now free because we are no longer under the rule and exposure of a lewd and lawless society that supported the right of might over just and fair practices? Is our freedom an act of self-limitation—that, through small intentional actions, we rise higher and higher?
The question that Hashem is posing to us at the end of this week’s parsha is a moral dilemma. When we choose to restrict ourselves from eating particular foods, follow a code of law, engage in daily rituals, and choose to live a life defined by purpose—is that a form of oppression? Did we simply trade servitude to Pharaoh for another form of servitude under Hashem?
The Sforno argues that true freedom isn’t a life without structure, without accountability, without rhyme or reason. True freedom, true morality, is when we have every option possible in front of us, and we still refrain from indulging because that choice to limit brings us closer to Hashem in our pursuit of ritual purity.
The next time we think about choosing to eat kosher, attending daily/Shabbat minyanim, thinking about dress code, and all the myriad other Jewish ritual practices, I hope that we do so with a sense of pride—a sense of deep connection with Hashem. In doing so, we are answering the call He made of us since leaving Egypt and to every generation thereafter.