The Book of Zohar says that there is a general rule: similar to the ten upper Sefirot of faith there are ten Sefirot of dirty witchcraft below. All animals on the face of earth belong to either of these two parts.
The Scriptures allow us to consume animals that belong to the ten Sefirot of sanctity and prohibits eating those animals that are a part of the ten Sefirot of wickedness.
Naturally, we are not talking about witchcraft in this world since anything that is considered witchcraft here is just a psychological impact on people and nothing but that. A prohibition to consume certain types of animals stems from the spiritual roots.
The spiritual roots bear both egoistic and altruistic sides. The egoistic part is called impure or harmful, i.e., it is not cleaned of the egoistic filth. At the same time, inanimate, vegetative, animate, and speaking properties that are based on bestowal and love of our neighbors are called pure and corrected and are suitable for further use.
In corporeality, only certain types of imprints of the upper qualities are considered impure. However, all of them are just conditional. Let’s say it is prohibited to eat pork or camel meat because they are impure. This fact can be explained by the notion that the upper forces that correspond to these animals are of an egoistic nature.
Other upper forces that resemble, for example, a chicken, a goat, or a cow are altruistic. These animals have special signs that work as imprints of spirituality in them.
In the upper world, in order to turn a desire (Malchut, the property of reception) into an altruistic quality, this desire has to be attached to Bina (the intention to bestow).
That’s why digestive systems of the majority of ruminants symbolize receiving for the sake of bestowal. Intestinal tracts of these animals and the way they consume food consists of chewing-burping, chewing-burping. It is similar to “Malchut-Bina, Malchut-Bina.”
Obviously, there is nothing spiritual in these ruminants, but their way of food consumption is a physical consequence that stems out of the upper properties. This is the first point.
Secondly, the intention to bestow and the will to receive exist separately and represent the right and left lines. Our reception is limited to the amount of the intention to bestow we have. That’s why the cloven hooves of these animals represent a splitting of the right and left lines.
This explains why only those animals who have cloven hoofs and a specific type of digestive system are considered kosher in this world.
As to water animals, only fish that have fins and scales that symbolize the screen are considered kosher. There are certain restrictions on consumption of birds, and they also derive from the upper roots.
The Torah concretely lists the fauna representatives that carry a so-called “Godly seal” on them. It is said: “Know that I created them; I created nothing of the same type. You will never find it.”
Interestingly, the Torah is three thousand years old and whenever we try to find anything that is not mentioned in it, we do not succeed. Such a thing has never been found so far.
All inanimate, vegetative, animate, and speaking desires of the spiritual realm materialize in this world through physical objects or phenomena. Each of these levels is accompanied by specific requirements that are enhanced from level to level.
At the inanimate level, it is possible to consume anything at all. Practically, all that is used at this level is salt, water, and soil (there are certain types of soil that are suitable for consumption).
At the vegetative level, there also is a special type of Kashrut. Kashrut stands for the suitability of the products that symbolize different types of desires. Practically every plant is considered edible. However, there is a rule that prohibits eating fruit for three years after a tree begins to bear fruit. Only after three consecutive years of fruit bearing are people allowed to eat the fruit. Unripe or overripe fruit are prohibited to consume, etc.
The biggest restrictions apply to the animate level. It is extremely important to correctly drain blood out of animals and cut off the parts that are not good for eating. Next, it is essential to cook meat in a certain way and to a certain degree, not more, but not less. Everything is clearly explained in the Scriptures.
By the way, these rules are very good for establishing normal digestion in humans. The great Kabbalist Rambam, who attained the roots of these phenomena, wrote a cook book that is based on these rules. If we lived in accordance with these laws, our existence would be compatible with the upper world, the upper laws. Thus, we would benefit from everything around and so would our corporeal body.
If we put the above in Kabbalistic terms, everything is based on the connection between Malchut and Bina. Malchut is the property of reception, whereas Bina is the intention to bestow. When correctly connected, they represent receiving for the sake of bestowal. This type of food consumption is called kosher, since it means for the sake of bestowal, through the environment to the Creator.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 12/18/13
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