VOLUME 122 NUMBER 4
Av 24, 5786
August 7, 2026
Parshas Re’eh
Candlelighting Time 7:48
The end of the parsha deals with animals that we are prohibited to consume. The commentators intertwine the theme of sanctity which defines the nation with the ban against those forbidden animals. Nachmonides and others explain that the essence of the proscribed animals is antithesis to the very nature of the Jewish people. Their lifeblood contains elements that are oppositional to the very being of our people. Therefore, the Torah doesn’t allow us to eat them. It is interesting to note that after the flood mankind was allowed to consume all types of animals and there was no prohibition of any kind. Although Noach was aware of this principle and took into the ark more of the ‘kosher’ animals his intent was to use them for sacrifices after he would emerge from the ark. Nonetheless the distinction was known. And now that we received the Torah and became a nation with a clear purpose to become close to Hashem, consumption of those types of animals would be detrimental to our goal. It would almost seem that since these types of animals are appropriate for the sacrificial order, therefore that is why we are permitted to eat them.
Indeed, the Talmud states that when they were in the desert they were not allowed to eat meat unless it was first offered as a sacrifice. Only later once they entered into Israel were they allowed to eat meat whenever they wanted even though it was not first offered on an altar. The Talmud elucidates this that when it was convenient then they were required to offer on the altar only later when they were dispersed in the land and it became difficult to offer on the altar were they allowed to eat meat without the protocol of sacrificing it first on an altar. Rav Meir Simcha explains further that it wasn’t just a matter of accessibility, rather since they were close to the altar in the desert and there was an incredible opportunity to merit that their food had been sacrificed, therefore they were actually consuming food from the very table of Hashem. Only once that became arduous was it permitted to eat the flesh not from the altar.
The Talmud refers to consumption of meat when it is not sacrificed as meat of lust. The terminology is very interesting since in any event the person was going to consume the meat. However, based upon the above it is clear that when we eat from the table of Hashem it is automatically deemed to be of a higher order, rather than just the regular act of eating. And this theme actually personifies the essence of our nation. We don’t live in order to eat, rather eating gives life a delineation, a purpose within which to pursue one’s ambitions and intentions. The idea of making a blessing over the food that we eat clearly defines the nature of the act of eating.
As we begin our ascent to the crucial time of the year when we assess not only how we live but more importantly why we live, all the factors that identify our lifestyle become examined and analyzed. The realm of that discussion is pertinent to the very fabric of our being and our essence. We are a sacred nation and attempting to perfect our conduct truly is what determines why we are different from the other nations.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
When a person is involved in activities that promote the goodness of that person, then he instills in himself that characteristic in a strong fashion. Therefore, even though we are commanded to kill the inhabitants of a city that served idols, the Torah guarantees us that we will not acquire the trait of being a murderer, rather we will be people of stature and only wanting to do good. CHOFETZ CHAIM
GOOD SHABBOS
