We ran out of time for a number of questions asked in worship on May 14th. Here is the third installment on responses to those questions.
What is the purpose of the
complicated dietary restrictions of Orthodox Jews and Muslims?
The dietary code of Judaism, Kashrut, is one of the pillars of Jewish religious life and virtually every aspect of eating and preparing food implicates some Jewish dietary law. The dietary code of Islam distinguishes between halāl, lawful, and harām, unlawful, foods; these laws have both similarities and differences from Kashrut, but is equally important to the followers of Islam.
Why? By following a specific dietary code, one is forced to remember to act out one’s faith every day. By following a specific dietary code – especially when interacting with others who are not of the same faith tradition – the believer makes a public statement about their faith and its importance to the believer. The dietary codes of a religion turn a mundane act of everyday existence into a holy and reverent act of worship.
How these laws and codes came into existence is up for
debate. It may be that these codes came into existence for health
reasons; certainly the bottom feeders of the waters (shellfish, lobsters, scale-less
fish), or the flesh of animals that eat carrion (pigs, vultures) – all forbidden
by Kashrut – might pose a danger for the consumer, the allowed beef or goat can
just as easily carry tapeworm or other parasites. It may be that some of these codes were
developed to promote ritual purity; the food eaten by the believer might bring
the source-animal’s impure spirit into the consumer.
For those who follow these dietary restrictions, the reason
the holy writings mandate these are less important. The Quran and the Torah state that they are
the ways of their respective faiths; law is law and is to be followed as
faithfully as possible. And so they do.
What constant reminder of your faith do you need to keep you
seeing all of life through the eyes of God?
What discipline do you use to keep you ever mindful of the commandment
to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and your neighbor as
yourself? Do you have a daily discipline
to prompt your faithfulness?
