“Of all the things that live in the water, you may eat these: anything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in seas or in rivers — these you may eat. But everything in the seas and rivers without both fins and scales, of all the small water-creatures and of all the living creatures […]

“These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals: any that has a separate hoof which is completely divided and chews the cud — these animals you may eat. But you are not to eat those that only chew the cud or only have a separate hoof. For example, the camel, the […]

“Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals.””-Leviticus 11:1 The first verse of Leviticus chapter 11 is revolutionary and represents something unprecedented. This was the first time in human history that YHVH began setting restrictions on exactly what types of […]

Of the many scholarly subjects that have been tackled by the Rabbis, Bible scholars, and sages over the centuries, few topics are as challenging as comprehending and coming up with a proper Scriptural definition of “holiness”. The mere contemplation of this seemingly inscrutable aspect of God’s nature instantly raises a number of difficult questions.  What […]

In sharp contrast to the modern believer who doesn’t concern him or herself with the fundamental issues of holiness, purity, and cleanness, the ancient Hebrews were obsessed with purity and cleanness. Why is this?  The reason is because they were acutely aware that their status of being holy could be lost. If they sinned by […]