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From: Messianic Rabbi Edward Nydle
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: It's In the Blood

IT'S IN THE BLOOD!

" But DO NOT eat flesh with its life, its BLOOD." Bereshith 9:4 The Scriptures

In the Restoration of ALL things, and the calling of Ephraim back to the Torah of Yahweh, we are currently faced with a problem that seems to have plagued Ephraim since being scattered into the goyim (nations) and being assimilated into the pagan-heathen culture and religion of the goyim. The dilemma is:

THE EATING OF BLOOD AND THE FAILURE OF EPHRAIM TO KEEP THE TORAH OF KASHRUT! EPHRAIM NOT ONLY STRUGGLES WITH KASHRUT, BUT ALL OF YAHWEH'S COMMANDS PERTAINING TO THE BLOOD:

1) BRIT MILAH (CIRCUMCISION) AND
2) NIDDAH (THE LAWS OF SEXUAL RELATIONS DURING THE MONTHLY FLOW).

Since kashrut (the eating of clean animals and abstaining from blood), niddah are chukim (commands that seem not to have any rational logical meaning behind them), Ephraim is currently struggling to see any spiritual significance attached to these commands from Yahweh. This article is an attempt to elucidate and bring understanding to Ephraim of the significance of kashrut in all its aspects and implications. A later article will deal with niddah. Let me say, these blood commands are NOT a Yahudite problem, but an Ephraimite problem. I am also assuming that the readers are in agreement that ALL the Torah of Yahweh is binding upon ALL Yisrael as expounded by our Rebbe Melek Yahshua HaMoshiach in Mattttithyahu5: 17-20.

IN THE BEGINNING

In the beginning, Yahweh gave Adam and Chawah every seed bearing plant and tree to eat (Bereshith/Genesis 1:29). Before the man's fall into disobedience, man was a vegetarian. There was not any death, nor was he allowed to kill any creature and shed its blood. It was not until Yahweh sacrificed an animal to atone or cover Adam's sin that blood was shed- an innocent life had to be taken to pay the penalty for breaking Yahweh's instructions (Bereshith 3:21). The shedding of blood is always related to the DEATH of the victim and LIFE for the one that sheds its blood (dam).

According to the Torah, Yahweh MUST have revealed the Torah of Kashrut to Noach, as we see Him commanding Noach in Bereshith 7:2-9 to take seven pairs of the CLEAN beasts and only two of the UNCLEAN into the ark. We then read in Bereshith 9:3-4 that Elohim allowed Noach and his family to eat meat for the FIRST time-

WITH THIS STIPULATION ATTACHED TO IT-THEY WERE NOT TO EAT THE FLESH (MEAT) WITH THE BLOOD STILL IN IT! The blood reflected the LIFE of the animal that gave its life so man could survive by eating its flesh. I want you to note that the animals given to Noach and his family to eat HAD TO BE CLEAN ANIMALS AS ONLY TWO UNCLEAN ANIMALS WERE TAKEN INTO THE ARK AND IF THEY HAD EATEN THEM THEN THEY COULD NOT HAVE REPRODUCED AND HAD OFFSPRING.

TO PROPAGATE THE SPECIES. Noach was to sacrifice from the CLEAN ANIMALS (Bereshith 8:20) and was given the FREEDOM by TORAH to eat of the seven pairs he had saved from the flood. Naturally, since there were more pairs of CLEAN beasts and birds, they would breed at a higher rate to provide CLEAN MEAT for mankind to eat. Praise Yahweh for His provision for his man!

Now we have the understanding from the Torah that man was given CLEAN MEAT before the Torah of Mosheh, and the command to abstain from blood was given to ALL MANKIND BEFORE Mt.Sinai!

"And the sun rose on him (Yisrael) as he passed over Penu'el, and he (Yisrael) limped on his hip. That is WHY the Bnai Yisrael (children of Yisrael) to THIS DAY do not eat the SINEW of the hip, which is on the socket of the thigh, because He touched the socket of the thigh of Ya'akov, in the sinew of the hip." Bereshith 32:31-32

Here in Bereshith we read that ALL the Children of Yisrael, TO THIS DAY, will not eat the gid ha-nasheh or the displaced nerve running down the back of the leg of an animal. This nerve is known as the sciatic nerve.

Therefore, before ANY hindquarter of an animal may be eaten by a Yisraelite, this nerve, and all its branches, must be carefully removed. This is very difficult to do; so MOST Yisraelites will not eat from the hindquarters. This is where sirloin comes from in a cow. The sages teach us that this nerve is the place where evil has its strongest influence in a person. Also, this word -DISLOCATED-is the same term in Hebrew used for the punishment on Yisrael after the heresy at Ba'al Pe'or. It means to hang or impale.

Yisrael's thigh was hanging from the socket. Keeping this command reminds ALL Yisrael of the truth of the eternal survival of the Bnai Yisrael even though we must endure hard struggles in the exile at the hands of the goyim.

It teaches us also that any physical or spiritual handicap should not hinder or discourage us in our fight for survival and to "rule as Yahweh rules" as Yisrael!

FROM MOUNT SINAI

"Know Him in all your ways, and He will make all your paths straight." Mishle 3:6

"...I AM Yahweh your Elohim, Who has separated you from the peoples. And you shall make a distinction between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean birds and clean. And do NOT make yourself abominable by the beast or by the bird, or whatever creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be set-apart to Me, for I Yahweh am set-apart, and have separated you from the peoples to be Mine." Wayyiqra 20:24-26

Word definitions:

 Separated- # 914-BaDaL-to divide,distinquish,make different, make separate,select,differ

 Clean - # 2889 TaHoR -pureness,fair,clean from TaHeR-to be bright, to be pure,uncontaminated,purify

 Unclean - # 2931 TaMe -foul,defiled,polluted,unclean from Tame-contaminted,utterly unclean,polluted

 Abominable -# 8262 ShaQaTz -to be filthy,to loathe, abhor,utterly detest

 Holy - # 6918 QaDoSH- set apart, a sanctuary, a set apart one from QaDaSH to be clean,sanctify oneself wholly

In the Torah, Wayyiqra (Lev.) 11 is the chapter outlining what food is TAHOR or TAMAI or sometimes called trefah. Any one who has been in the Messianic Movement knows the Torah of what food we may or may not eat. Hopefully we are all aware of the simple dietary laws. If you are not then I advise you to read this chapter diligently to make yourself aware of what Yahweh requires of you. BUT, there is MORE to keeping kosher than just eating the right food. We MUST abstain from the BLOOD!

"And ANY MAN OF THE HOUSE OF YISRAEL, or of the STRANGERS who sojourn among you, who EATS BLOOD, I SHALL SET MY FACE AGAINST THAT BEING WHO EATS BLOOD, AND SHALL CUT HIM OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your lives, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the life. THEREFORE, I say to the children of Yisrael, " NO BEING AMONG YOU EATS BLOOD, NOR DOES THE STRANGER WHO SOJOURNS AMONG YOU EAT BLOOD." Wayyiqra (Lev.) 17:10-12 also see 17:14

THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE TORAH OF KASHRUT

You have to understand that in the Hebrew mind the words tamai and tahor NEVER describe physical cleanliness or uncleanness, but rather a spiritual or moral state of being! Tamai is used in relation to moral or religious defiencicies that CONTAMINATE THE SOUL OR BEING-EVEN THE CHARACTER OF A MAN, particularly incest, idol worship, and to characterize ritual impurity. It could be translated DEFILEMENT! Notice the animals declared CLEAN by Yahweh were also clean to be used for the sacrifices. Therefore we must view the words of clean and unclean as used in the sense of ritual defilement or purity. Notice also that all the laws of kashrut are in the context of becoming or being KADOSH or set-apart to Yahweh as the people of Yisrael!

To be Kadosh in the Hebraic mind DOES NOT MEAN TO BECOME ASCETIC, WITHDRAWN FROM LIFE AND THE WORLD. To be set-apart does not call us to practice self-denial of human pleasures or even the repression of bodily drives; YET being set-apart does not condone self-indulgence. The lack of self-control demonstrates a spiritual weakness and also moral decay. To be KADOSH means we are becoming masters over all our passions so that we are in command of them and we control them and not they control us!

The Torah teaches us to elevate the satisfaction of ALL basic urges-such as food, drink, sex- to a level worthy of a people set-apart to Yahweh. We also learn from the Torah to turn even the must mundane everyday activity into a religious experience to reflect WHO WE ARE AS YISRAEL!

The breakdown in the keeping of kashrut and abstaining from blood among Messianic Yisrael was and is a factor to the assimilation of Yisrael into the nations and adopting their pagan life-styles and diet! Remember that this law is a Chukat, one without a seemingly logical reason behind it. These are the laws that Ephraim struggles with in its Torah observance. It was a major hindrance in the early congregations also, as we will see in Acts 15. The eating of BLOOD would result with the man being CUT OFF from his people! This is exactly what happened to Ephraim. He was CUT OFF from theOlive Tree of Yisrael and the land of Israel because of his non-Torah observance! It is only by BELIEF (a Torah based life-style that reflects our belief in the Word of Yahweh concerning Moshiach Yahshua) not faith, that we can be grafted back into the Olive Tree and return to the land.

Look at the words Yahweh uses to describe His actions towards ANYONE who eats ANY blood (this law does not refer just to the blood of the sacrifices but to ANY blood of ANY ANIMAL slain for food) -Yahweh says that He will "SET MY FACE AGAINST". This term is a Hebraic idiom that means that He will stop whatever He is doing and turn all His attention towards that person to punish him. Do you still think that Yahweh does not take the eating of blood seriously? This may help you to understand why the returning Ephraimites were a MAJOR stumbling block to the Yahudim Brethren in Acts 15.

ACTS 15, KASHRUT AND BLOOD

"That you ABSTAIN from what is offered to idols, and BLOOD, and what is strangled, and whoring. If you keep yourselves from these, you shall do well. Be strong!" Acts 15:29

Ephraimites are always quick to quote from Acts 15 whenever confronted with Torah observance or circumcision. I have come to understand that they really do not know nor understand what actions the "Council" was demanding of them just so the Yahudim could have them enter the synagogues or have table fellowship with them. Let us look deeper at the "very minimal" commands they were to keep.

 Abstain from BLOOD-This refers to the Torah command we looked at in

Wayyiqra 17. The returning Ephraimites were not to eat ANY MEAT THAT HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY KASHERED, OR HAD THE BLOOD DRAINED OUT OF IT BY PROPER SLAUGHTERING METHODS OR BY SALTING THE MEAT! We have to remember that the drinking of blood was a very important part of idol worship in the temples were the meat sold in the market place was offered to false deities.

 What is strangled - They were not to eat meat that WAS NOT SLAUGHTERED IN THE WAY THAT ALLOWS THE BLOOD TO FLOW OUT.TRUE KOSHER MEAT WILL BE PROPERLY SLAUGHTERED AS YAHWEH COMMANDED YISRAEL. SH'CHITAH requires an animal to be killed by one single stroke across the neck. The animal dies instantly, painlessly, and the BLOOD is drained very quickly. Devarim 12:21 says, " When the place where Yahweh your Elohim chooses to place His Name is too far from you, then you shall SLAUGHTER from your herd and from your flock which Yahweh has given you, AS I HAVE COMMANDED YOU, and you shall eat it within your gates as much as your being desires."

 That which has been offered to idols- The returning Ephraimites were not to eat or partake of ANY meat offered to false gods. When someone blesses the food to "GAD-god" has it been offered to a false idol? Please read Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:11(You who prepare a table for GAWD).

The question of Acts 15 is about table fellowship and ritual purity between Yahudah and Ephraim. How can the Two Houses ever come together around the table when Ephraim still has a kosher food and BLOOD problem? Has this become major stumbling block again in the Reunification of ALL Yisrael?

Is Ephraim willing to pay the price to be joined around the table with his brother Yahudah? Remember Acts 15 is stating the very bare "minimum" requirements for Reunification of the Two Houses in the synagogues and congregations.

PRACTICAL THINGS EPHRAIM CAN DO

This is a list of some practical rules Ephraim can look for in meat to begin to observe KASHRUT .I admit that kosher meat is more expensive due to the costly and time-consuming steps involved in the breeding, slaughter, and processing. But we need to ask ourselves if we are willing to pay the price for the higher assurances that kosher meat and kosher certification brings SHALOM to our minds and beings as a set-apart people to Yahweh. We are talking about becoming a KODESH PEOPLE TO YAHWEH! By observing this commandment of Yahweh, we will maintain our ritual purity before Him and be pleasing to Him.

 The meat must come from a CLEAN one listed in Wayyiqra 11. It must be in good health. Any diseased animal is automatically considered nonkosher.

 Kosher poultry MUST be raised without hormones or growth stimulants.

 Animals cannot be artificially stunned before slaughter. Nor can they be slaughtered mechanically, but must be slaughtered by a shochet. They should be slaughtered in the manner prescribed by Yahweh and as humanely as possible.

 The internal organs are checked by a trained inspector, called a bodek, for any abnormalities or disease.

 Certain blood vessels and nerves, and lobes of fat are removed from the meat.

 After slaughter, all the remaining blood must be extracted from the carcass. This is done by the kosher butcher or at home by the consumer by soaking the meat in salt water.

 All meat must be koshered within three days of slaughter because after 72 hours blood becomes coagulated and cannot be removed.

 The meat is tagged and labeled as kosher.

I believe that with all the diseases in the regular meat you by at the market, we as Yisrael will only find safety and security in the perfect Torah of Yahweh. Keeping KOSHER in these last days may save the lives of Yisraelites during the plagues that will be coming upon the earth. Yisrael can also receive HEALING in the Torah of KASHRUT as Yahweh said in Shemot (Ex.) 15:26, "If you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your Elohim and DO what is right in HIS eyes, and shall LISTEN to His commands and shall guard ALL His laws, I shall being on you NONE of the diseases I brought on the Mitzrites, for I AM YAHWEH ROPHE'EKA (who heals you)."

PARTING THOUGHTS

Yahweh is an Elohim of LIFE, and teaches us through the Torah of Kashrut, to abstain from things that eat of the dead. He wants to separate us from DEATH (sin) and have us honor the being that forfeits its life so that we may live. A life is taken to give us life. We learn to control our impulses and desires by eating kosher meat and food. Our diets actually distinguish us as a set-apart people, separate from the pagan nations. The food we eat actually become a part of our being and can render us unclean or an abomination before Yahweh. Our temple of the Ruach HaKodesh can become DEFILED by unclean food. Like all the commands in the Torah, KASHRUT has spiritual applications. We must have both the physical letter of the law AND the spirit of the law (spiritual application) coming together for it to be TRUE TORAH!

We read in Wayyiqra 11:4-7 we are forbidden to eat of the "camel, the coney or badger, the hare or rabbit, and the swine or pig. Our sages teach us that these 4 animals symbolize the 4 Empires found in the book of Dani'el. The sages teach that the camel is Babylon, the coney is the Medes-Persia Empire, the rabbit is Greece, and the pig is ROME. This teaches us that we as Yisrael are not to eat of the culture, religion, and ways of these 4 enemies of Yisrael. It will make us TAMAI before Yahweh.

All the commands of the Torah are like a foundation of the house (just as Yahshua taught). In and of itself it is NOT the house itself. You cannot live in the foundation. BUT, on the other hand, a Dwelling Place built upon weak or poor foundations or WITHOUT ANY FOUNDATION has not the ability to stand nor is it permanent. It will easily collapse with the slightest wind, rain, or storm. Likewise, KASHRUT, by itself does not make for the Dwelling Place, BUT ANY ATTEMPT TO BUILD THE DWELLING PLACE WITHOUT KASHRUT OR ANY COMMANDS OF THE TORAH IS BUILDING UPON SAND OR A WEAK FOUNDATION, AND GREAT WILL BE THE FALL OF THAT HOUSE. WITHOUT THE PROPER FOUNDATION OF ALL THE TORAH OUR DWELLING PLACES WILL BE IN DANGER OF COLLAPSE.

This is the time for ALL Yisrael to return to Yahweh and His perfect Torah, the only perfect and peaceful solution to the chaos in the world. It is the blueprint of ALL creation, and for building our Dwelling Place for Yahweh. If we are going to build so He can dwell (shakan) in the midst of Yisrael, then the foundations must be laid on solid ground and with the right materials. It MUST be according to the pattern given on the Mount-Mt.Sinai-YAHWEH'S TORAH! Ask yourself this question: If Yahweh wants us to follow the pattern He has given, and these tamai foods were forbidden as sacrifices upon His table (the altar) in His Dwelling Place, should not we as His children follow His pattern for our tables in our Dwelling Places?

Should not we as Yisrael strive to be a set-apart people and priesthood before Him? There is an old saying, "You are what you eat." Think about it.

May Yahweh bless your wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of this teaching from the Torah.

Rabbi Edward Levi Nydle B'nai Avraham

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