Parshas Shemini

Parshas Shemini

This week’s parsha talks about the laws of Kosher. Kosher is a term that refers to food that is good for Jewish people to eat. There are different types of food in this world, some which are healthy for our bodies, like vegetables, meat, fruit and breads. There are other types of food that is less healthy like candy and fried foods. Kosher food is food that is healthy for our neshama (soul.)

Parshas Shemini discusses the different animals that are Kosher. You can notice that Kosher animals are generally peaceful animals that eat plants, not other animals. One of the reasons for this is that what we eat spiritually affects how we act. We want to be peaceful and happy just like the peaceful animals that we eat.

Hashem tells Moshe to tell the Jewish people about the animals that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten. Kosher animals, have two signs: they chew their cud and have split hooves. Kosher fish must have fins and scales. We are given a list of the non-kosher birds, and a list of four types of locusts which are kosher; the Torah tells us that all other insects are not kosher.

Kosher Song:

All the animals that I eat chew their cud and have split feet.

Kosher meat just can’t be beat, I want only Kosher!

So every time I’m in the market, I only buy food with a kosher sign on it,

It’s good for me and it’s good for you,

And what do you know? Hashem loves it too!