“Al t’shaktzu (you shall not make yourselves detestable) with any swarming thing that swarms, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you shall be defiled thereby…” (Vayikra 11:43-45).
“The Kodesh Baruch Hu said, ‘If I had brought up Israel from Egypt only for the reason that they do not defile themselves with swarming things, as do the other nations, that would have been enough for them…(Rashi 11:45).
This is the “dyainu” that Hashem says about the Jews; it is enough that I brought them out of Egypt not to eat bugs!
But if eating swarming things is so terrible, why did Hashem wait until we left Egypt to make them forbidden? Furthermore, eating bugs in and of itself is so disgusting why do we have to be told “bal tshaktzu”? The answer is that when we were in Egypt we did not find eating bugs disgusting because we were on such a low level. It is only after we were redeemed that we began moving up the ladder of spirituality and therefore a different set of physical and spiritual laws now applied to us
At this point Hashem said, “It is enough for Bnai Yisrael now that they are on a higher level than the other nations, to forbid them from eating bugs in order to maintain this difference.” Once we left Egypt our physical and spiritual needs changed. Bugs became harmful for the Jew on all levels.
However, the drive to behave despicably still exists in the form of the evil inclination. Since we once ate bugs we may think it’s not so bad to do so, after all there was a time when it was not considered repulsiveand even now the majority of the world eats bugs with little hesitation. There’s even a name for it: entomophagy. Therefore, to counter the drive to become subhuman Hashem gave us the commandmentof bal tshaktzu to teach us that what was once permitted is now a disgusting act.
We can take this idea one step further. As a person grows in spirituality he becomes more sensitive to people around him and his surroundings. Often times people mistake sincerity in service of Hashem for weakness. For example, modesty; as a person becomes more modest in his or her life, it will become more uncomfortable to be around those who dress, act or speak in an immodest way. This sensitivity stems from a greater level of spiritual awareness, not from a fear of regressing. As a person grows closer to Hashem, that which did not bother him in the past actually becomes repulsive in the present. This is because once a person makes a change his spiritual needs change too.
Over the years people have asked me if I would ever draw cartoons depicting some of the cases found in Yora Daya. Well, the answer is yes! I recently published a sefer called The Great Game of Kashrut. Click on the link to find out more: The Great Game of Kashrut
If you would like to dedicate a Davar Torah in honor of a special occasion or in memory of a beloved family member please contact Yisroel Simon at yisroel@judaism613.com.
Good Shabbos,R’ Channenjudaism613.org