04-03-2017, 05:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-15-2017, 08:31 AM by Director Michael.)
There is a problem here from the outset, in that you are basing your ideas on the Hebrew scriptures, but you are misunderstanding the meaning of what you're quoting. The problem arises because the Hebrew terms do not have any proper translation in any other language. In this context, the word mistranslated as "unclean" is really "tahmeh" in Hebrew. This refers to the spiritual source from which the animal is created. There are some spiritual sources which are off-limits to Jews because of the unique task that G-d assigned to the Jewish people in His covenant with them at Mount Sinai, that they have to be an "am kadosh," which means a [more] "separated nation." G-d also told them they have to be a "momlekhet kohanim," meaning a "kingdom of priests." When they unanimously agreed, G-d gave them 365 prohibitions of things they have to separate from doing, which is more that the 7 Noahide prohibitions that they had up until G-d acquired them as His own servants through bringing them out of slavery in their Exodus from Egypt.
Thus, in regard to all the creatures listed in Leviticus 11 that Jews are forbidden to eat, G-d said to the Jews (to whom the Torah was given): "It is 'tameh' TO YOU," meaning: "it is 'tameh' to you (the Jews) only, but it is not 'tameh' for the Non-Jews." Thus, all of these distinctions of kosher FOOD or not-kosher FOOD do not apply at all for Non-Jews (except for the prohibition of eating meat that was removed from a living animal, which is one of the 7 Noahide commandments).
This is actually clear from G-d's word to Noah when he left the ark, which is the first time that G-d permitted human beings to eat meat. G-d told him (Genesis 9:3), "EVERY moving thing that lives shall be yours to eat; like the green vegetation, I have given you EVERYTHING" (subject to the qualification to avoid eating anything that would be immanently injurious to one's physical health, i.e. it's poisonous, or he's allergic to it).
Therefore, it is not alright to take upon yourself the Jewish commandment to *ritually* separate yourself from eating "tameh" animals, because you would be making a new, ritual commandment for yourself (with no logical, practical benefit) that G-d did not command you, which is equivalent to creating your own new, man-made religion. That is forbidden, for G-d warned in the Torah that one should not add to, or subtract from, the Divine commandments that He gave (7 for Gentiles, and 613 for Jews).
(But if one of the Jewish commandments has a logical, practical or moral benefit for a person or for his society, it is good for him to do it as an upright practice for the sake of that benefit, but not with the idea that he is fulfilling it because it's commanded upon him by G-d. Examples would be giving charity to help poor people, and honoring parents. And G-d will bless the person for choosing to do the "good deed.")
There is a different reason why G-d spoke to Noah before the Flood in Genesis 7:2 about gathering extra pairs of animals and birds that were "tahor," which is MIStranslated as "clean." It means that they are the types of creatures that are not "tameh" (i.e., they are created from a different spiritual source). The reason became clear after the Flood, when Noah brought burnt-offering sacrifices to G-d from all the "tahor" animals and birds. This teaches that when a Gentile brings a burnt-offering sacrifice to G-d, it must not be a "tameh" animal. "Tameh" animals are permitted for Gentiles to eat, but they are not permitted for Gentiles to sacrifice to G-d.
Separate from this, in regard to land mammals and birds, there is a justification, but not a requirement, for a Gentile to voluntarily restrict himself to only eating Jewish-certified kosher meat:
A practical consequence of the Jewish kosher-slaughter method is that there is no possibility that it could be forbidden as "meat from a living animal." It is also a very humane method for slaughtering livestock and poultry. So a Noahide is permitted to choose to eat only kosher-certified meat, if he wishes to go "beyond the letter of the law" in the observance of his commanded prohibition against eating meat that was removed from a living land mammal or bird. (But it is recommended that if he chooses to follow that restriction, he would do so "without a vow," which he needs to state verbally and explicitly. And this reason does not apply at all to other types of creatures, like fish or shellfish, because the Noahide prohibition doesn't apply to them.)
But practically speaking, eating regular non-kosher meat that comes from the large slaughter houses in the United States is not a problem for Noahides. Although the U.S. government regulations don’t require guarding against the specific issue of “meat from a living animal” (which is prohibited for Noahides to knowingly eat, by Torah Law), the regulations and guidelines that are in place make it highly unlikely that it ever happens, since the animals are almost always properly bled-out between stunning and butchering. The animal’s heart stops beating when it is bled-out. Therefore it is very unlikely that any given piece of commercial meat in the grocery store or restaurant was cut from a still-living animal. Even a fully-observant Noahide can therefore go ahead and eat the regular non-kosher meat, because Non-Jews are only held liable for knowingly doing something that has more than a 50% probability that a transgression is being committed. But with major U.S. slaughterhouses, there is only a very small probability of any "meat from a living animal" making it into the commercial meat supply.
The other justification that an individual Gentile may have for not eating a particular type of animal, is if he dislikes the taste, or if it nauseates him, or he's disgusted by it. In regard to any food, a Gentile can choose on any particular day to eat what he enjoys, and not eat what doesn't enjoy, on account of his personal tastes and appetites at that time.
Thus, in regard to all the creatures listed in Leviticus 11 that Jews are forbidden to eat, G-d said to the Jews (to whom the Torah was given): "It is 'tameh' TO YOU," meaning: "it is 'tameh' to you (the Jews) only, but it is not 'tameh' for the Non-Jews." Thus, all of these distinctions of kosher FOOD or not-kosher FOOD do not apply at all for Non-Jews (except for the prohibition of eating meat that was removed from a living animal, which is one of the 7 Noahide commandments).
This is actually clear from G-d's word to Noah when he left the ark, which is the first time that G-d permitted human beings to eat meat. G-d told him (Genesis 9:3), "EVERY moving thing that lives shall be yours to eat; like the green vegetation, I have given you EVERYTHING" (subject to the qualification to avoid eating anything that would be immanently injurious to one's physical health, i.e. it's poisonous, or he's allergic to it).
Therefore, it is not alright to take upon yourself the Jewish commandment to *ritually* separate yourself from eating "tameh" animals, because you would be making a new, ritual commandment for yourself (with no logical, practical benefit) that G-d did not command you, which is equivalent to creating your own new, man-made religion. That is forbidden, for G-d warned in the Torah that one should not add to, or subtract from, the Divine commandments that He gave (7 for Gentiles, and 613 for Jews).
(But if one of the Jewish commandments has a logical, practical or moral benefit for a person or for his society, it is good for him to do it as an upright practice for the sake of that benefit, but not with the idea that he is fulfilling it because it's commanded upon him by G-d. Examples would be giving charity to help poor people, and honoring parents. And G-d will bless the person for choosing to do the "good deed.")
There is a different reason why G-d spoke to Noah before the Flood in Genesis 7:2 about gathering extra pairs of animals and birds that were "tahor," which is MIStranslated as "clean." It means that they are the types of creatures that are not "tameh" (i.e., they are created from a different spiritual source). The reason became clear after the Flood, when Noah brought burnt-offering sacrifices to G-d from all the "tahor" animals and birds. This teaches that when a Gentile brings a burnt-offering sacrifice to G-d, it must not be a "tameh" animal. "Tameh" animals are permitted for Gentiles to eat, but they are not permitted for Gentiles to sacrifice to G-d.
Separate from this, in regard to land mammals and birds, there is a justification, but not a requirement, for a Gentile to voluntarily restrict himself to only eating Jewish-certified kosher meat:
A practical consequence of the Jewish kosher-slaughter method is that there is no possibility that it could be forbidden as "meat from a living animal." It is also a very humane method for slaughtering livestock and poultry. So a Noahide is permitted to choose to eat only kosher-certified meat, if he wishes to go "beyond the letter of the law" in the observance of his commanded prohibition against eating meat that was removed from a living land mammal or bird. (But it is recommended that if he chooses to follow that restriction, he would do so "without a vow," which he needs to state verbally and explicitly. And this reason does not apply at all to other types of creatures, like fish or shellfish, because the Noahide prohibition doesn't apply to them.)
But practically speaking, eating regular non-kosher meat that comes from the large slaughter houses in the United States is not a problem for Noahides. Although the U.S. government regulations don’t require guarding against the specific issue of “meat from a living animal” (which is prohibited for Noahides to knowingly eat, by Torah Law), the regulations and guidelines that are in place make it highly unlikely that it ever happens, since the animals are almost always properly bled-out between stunning and butchering. The animal’s heart stops beating when it is bled-out. Therefore it is very unlikely that any given piece of commercial meat in the grocery store or restaurant was cut from a still-living animal. Even a fully-observant Noahide can therefore go ahead and eat the regular non-kosher meat, because Non-Jews are only held liable for knowingly doing something that has more than a 50% probability that a transgression is being committed. But with major U.S. slaughterhouses, there is only a very small probability of any "meat from a living animal" making it into the commercial meat supply.
The other justification that an individual Gentile may have for not eating a particular type of animal, is if he dislikes the taste, or if it nauseates him, or he's disgusted by it. In regard to any food, a Gentile can choose on any particular day to eat what he enjoys, and not eat what doesn't enjoy, on account of his personal tastes and appetites at that time.