Bereshit-Food
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Tanakh versions:
Throughout this site I will
use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917),
2. Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF).
Colour coded details of
the - TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History &
Law, 2. Nevi’im =
The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song
of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and
Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ having been corrected as it once was, pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following three
truth’s from our beloved Scriptures!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, neither shall ye diminish
from it, that ye may keep the commandments
of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (the LORD
your Eloleichem) which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2.
“This is My Name FOREVER, and this is My Memorial to ALL Generations”. Shemot - Exodus 3:15. (JPS).
“I am יְהוָה, that is My Name; and My glory will I not give to another”. Yeshayahu - Isaiah 42:8. (JPS).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
In the beginning:
After creating
humans, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) blesses them that
they should be fruitful and rule the ‘earth’, ‘fish’, ‘birds’, and ‘animals’.
Elohim spoke of diets for both man and animal.
Bereshit - Genesis 1:24-25, (JPS-1917
version):
וַיֹּאמֶר
אֱלֹהִים,
תּוֹצֵא
הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ
חַיָּה
לְמִינָהּ,
בְּהֵמָה
וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ,
לְמִינָהּ;
וַיְהִי-כֵן
“And אֱלֹהִים said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so”.
וַיַּעַשׂ
אֱלֹהִים
אֶת-חַיַּת
הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ,
וְאֶת-הַבְּהֵמָה
לְמִינָהּ,
וְאֵת
כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ
הָאֲדָמָה,
לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא
אֱלֹהִים,
כִּי-טוֹב
“And אֱלֹהִים made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and אֱלֹהִים saw that it was good”.
Among the food
listed are ‘fruits’, ‘vegetables’, and ‘grasses’, but, no meat. How can
this omission to be explained? Simple they were to eat the ‘fruits of the
earth, meaning that everything would be herbivores?
Bereshit - Genesis 1:27:
וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בָּרָא אֹתָם
“And אֱלֹהִים created אָדָם – Adam (Man) in His own image, in the image of אֱלֹהִים created He him; male and female created He them”.
זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה (zachar u’nekevah) = “male and female.” This phrase indicates sexual differentiation, the duality of humanity, and the completeness of creation.
Meaning of Male and Female:
Collective Humanity: The verse shifted from the singular (“created him”) to a plural (“created them”). This reveals that “Adam” (Man) is not just one man but represents humanity as a whole. Humanity is created in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s image, and that image is expressed in both male and female together.
Complementarity: The text emphasizes that the Divine image is not limited to one gender. Both male and female equally bear the image of Elohim. This was radical in the ancient Near Eastern context, where later often only kings or males were seen as divine representatives.
Unity in Diversity: The pairing “male and female” is a Hebrew idiom for wholeness. Just as “heaven and earth” or “day and night” express totality, “male and female” expresses the fullness of humanity. The image of אֱלֹהִים is reflected in the totality of human existence.
Bereshit - Genesis 1:28-29:
וַיְבָרֶךְ
אֹתָם,
אֱלֹהִים,
וַיֹּאמֶר
לָהֶם
אֱלֹהִים
פְּרוּ
וּרְבוּ
וּמִלְאוּ
אֶת-הָאָרֶץ,
וְכִבְשֻׁהָ;
וּרְדוּ
בִּדְגַת הַיָּם,
וּבְעוֹף
הַשָּׁמַיִם,
וּבְכָל-חַיָּה,
הָרֹמֶשֶׂת
עַל-הָאָרֶץ
“And אֱלֹהִים blessed them; and אֱלֹהִים said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth’.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כָּל-עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ, וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ פְרִי-עֵץ, זֹרֵעַ זָרַע: לָכֶם יִהְיֶה, לְאָכְלָה
And
אֱלֹהִים
said: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the
face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding
seed to you it shall be for food’”.
Thus the meat issue is
now past, for all Adam and his soon female partner knows that their food is
that which is made by the land, for all animals and creatures were created as
living things!
Contrasting Command:
The omission of meat in the above command to Adam
is even more striking when one compares it with the very similar one given to
Noach in the aftermath of the flood. There, too, אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, blessed be
His Sanctified Name, promises Noach dominion over the animals and then speaks
of his diet:
Bereshit - Genesis 1:3:
כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ
אֲשֶׁר
הוּא-חַי,
לָכֶם
יִהְיֶה לְאָכְלָה:
כְּיֶרֶק
עֵשֶׂב,
נָתַתִּי
לָכֶם
אֶת-כֹּל
“Every moving thing that liveth shall be for food for you; as the green herb have I
given you all”.
Here, אֱלֹהִים appears to expand man’s food needs, being an intake to include all living creatures. Elohim warns, though, that the permission to kill for food does not extend to killing humans; shedding human blood is prohibited!
How does this command relate to the earlier
one? Does it represent a new directive, undoing an earlier prohibition?
If this is indeed a new permission, what led to
the change? If not, why was meat explicitly not included in the command to
Adam?
יְהוָה - the LORD, says nothing to Noach about a revised diet for
animals. The question could also be asked; were some of the animal’s
predators? Not according what we were told earlier, as they could eat only
grasses and other vegetation, just as we understood from Bereshit chapter 1.
What do the varying commands suggest regarding
the ideal diet and the Torah's perspective on killing animals for food?
Obviously vegetarianism at the beginning would
have been the ideal, and that meat was only allowed after the Flood as a
concession to human frailties. According to his position, in the future, the
meat factor will be greatly altered.
Others suggest that although meat might not have
always been permitted, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with killing for
food. Thus, that would have been because at the beginning killing animals
was prohibited for practical reasons, lest a species become extinct, It was even said that eating meat was saved to be a reward
for Noach. It is
also suggested by who else certain rabbies, that
although Adam was allowed to eat meat, he lost the privilege when he sinned by
eating of the Tree of Knowledge, and it was restored only after his sin was
atoned for though the Flood. Well that is a Kabbalistic
opinion, and I would not believe this mystical occultic sect, they were, and
still are not men of Elohim!
A closing prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for all You have done, for Your love is always there for all those
who love You and obey the Mitzvoth! Yet even for those who disobey You, yet they can still repent and as You said, “Return
again unto Me”. Thank you יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵינוּ - the LORD
our Eloheinu.”
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said
the following, via a number of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. MEC).
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In
Conclusion, a Question to Deepen the Conversation:
Which part of the Tanakh study, or possibly a
particular line or statement within it has touched you the most? And
how do you feel about spending more time studying our beloved Tanakh? I pray
that you are doing well as a faithful Hebrew, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim willing you are
upholding as many of our blessed Mitzvoth’s?
Dear reader, please remember
this, pray for peace and solitude in your life, and then work on keeping
as calm as possible and learn to improve your life, for אֱלֹהִים - בָּרוּךְ
אֱלֹהִים - Bless Elohim, He
is always there and ready to help and guide you!
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PLEASE NOTE: If you need any assistance, just ask, I help, and I can also send an email to you, special items to help you with whatever you may need! Just email me and I will send it to your email, There will no follow up’s whatsoever, or any requests from me, unless you wish further information, (use the email s further down this page).
This site was originally
created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith.
Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day
(if possible) and always seek אֱלֹהִים -
Elohim’s guidance! For interest, as you may have
discovered, this site has become very much a teaching one!
And Remember ...
Enjoy
your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה (the LORD your Eloheichem); walk in My statutes,
and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall
be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - YHVH your Eloheichem”. Yechezkel
- Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
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“Hebraic Studies” motto is as
follows;
For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,
He is the one who gave us our Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with
you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your
daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and
regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and
drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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