“Do not make yourselves abominable by means of any swarming thing; do not defile yourselves through them lest you become defiled through them” (Vayikra 11:43)
Rashi expounds, “Do not make your souls abominable by eating them, lest you make yourselves impure through them. If you make yourselves impure through them on earth, I, too, will make you impure in the World to Come and in the Heavenly assembly.”
The Midrash (Sifra, Kedoshim 20:26; Seforno, Devarim 12) says, “When you desist from eating these things, do not say they are abominable to you. A person should never say he cannot stomach swine. Rather, he should say he would love to taste it, but he is resisting the urge, because thus decreed his Heavenly Father.”
The prohibition to eat specific foods is not in order to preserve one’s health. We find that the Torah forbade camel meat, which the Arabs eat in quantity, yet they do not suffer ill effects. The prohibitions of the Torah are to preserve sanctity, so that Am Yisrael should maintain their status as a holy nation of priests (Rabbi Shmuel Luzzato, Sefer Mishtadel on the Torah, Vayikra 11:2).
The reason for the prohibition of these foods is not due to the damage that they cause the body, but because they defile and contaminate the soul of a person. They stuff up one’s intellect and cause confusion, as well as igniting foreign, beastly passions which destroy him and ruin the intention of Creation. There are other creatures whose destructive powers are well-known, such as the viper and other deadly snakes and scorpions. Hashem knows, though, that the impurity that they confer is not as severe as the spiritual damage brought about by other, sometimes healthful, animals (Akeidat Yitzchak, Shemini 60:33b; 38b).
The Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzvah 166) states: Since the body is a tool of the soul, by which it operates and without which it can never accomplish its task, it is created to serve the soul in truth. Hashem wants only to benefit His creatures. The body is in the hands of the soul like tongs in the hand of a blacksmith, with which he accomplishes his work. When the tongs are strong and are directed correctly to hold a vessel, the artisan can achieve great things. But if the tongs are not of good quality, the workmanship will never be perfect.
When the body has any sort of deficiency, the mind becomes flawed, as well. For this reason, the Torah warns us to distance ourselves from anything which can cause bodily damage. Thus, it is understandable why we are forbidden from eating various foods. If there is something which the scholars of medicine cannot comprehend, do not be surprised. The faithful Doctor Who warns us against these foods is wiser than both you and the healers. How foolish are those who think that only something that he understands is damaging is truly so!
You must know that it is for our benefit that we are not made aware of the reasons for, and damaging qualities of, prohibited foods. This is in case people who claim that they are specialists will arise and refute the Torah’s explanations. They might state that the reasons given by the Torah are invalid. Gullible people are likely to be convinced by such “experts”. Therefore, in order to protect us from this obstacle, the reasons why various foods are damaging were not revealed.
The pasuk says, “People of holiness shall you be to Me” (Shemot 22:30). Until now, the nation was reminded of the mitzvot, and warned against things which are disgusting. The prohibition against eating forbidden foods opens with this injunction. The reason for prohibiting forbidden foods is in order to maintain the sanctity of the soul. We are exhorted to eat clean, pure foods so that we do not cultivate coarseness of the spirit. Hashem tells His nation, “You shall be people of holiness” in order that they merit cleaving to Him, for He is holy. Therefore, they should not sully their souls with disgusting foods (Ramban, Shemot 23:30).
