בס"ד

Our week’s parasha is called “Shemini,” the eighth day of the dedication of the Tabernacle – the place where the Divine Presence ministered within this world. What is so special about the number eight?

The number 7 symbolizes the frame of nature and the world. This is the Divine light that clothes itself within the world. The number 8 symbolizes the infinite light which is beyond nature. It is precisely in the parasha that deals with the high degree of “Shemini,” that the Torah details the laws of food. For Noahides, the central commandment in this context is the prohibition of eating a limb from a living animal.

The prohibition of a limb from a living animal means that a Noahide is forbidden to eat a part that is torn off from an animal while it is alive. The basic condition for meat to be permissible is that the animal must be dead. An animal is considered permissible the moment it dies in any way (natural death, suffocation, or killing). It is forbidden to cut off a part of an animal as long as the animal’s heart is beating. Only after the heartbeat has completely stopped, the meat will be permissible.

In industrial slaughterhouses abroad sometimes the speed means that the animal is dismembered immediately after the electric shock while the animal’s heart is sometimes beating. The problem is that meat that is cut at this time is considered a limb from a living animal and it remains prohibited even after the animal is completely dead. Noahides are permitted to buy meat in their place of residence, as after the animal dies, it becomes permissible for them. However, it is recommended, although not a requirement, to obtain information about the industrial slaughter process in that place and to ensure that there is no problem with the meat produced in that place.

The animal lives according to its nature (“seven”). It is focused on the earth, on eating and on survival. When it eats, it lowers its head to the ground. Man belongs to a much higher level of “eighth”. He has the ability to raise his eyes, recognize that there is a Creator to the world. When a Noahide refrains from eating forbidden meat, he is essentially saying: I am a person with a soul, and I choose to connect with G-d who is above the limitations of the world. When a person refrains from this, he proves that he is not only a part of nature and its survival, but also a spiritual being who is able to do his role and serve G-d.

Door Rabbijn Moshe Bernstein

Source: “Only flesh with its soul and blood you shall not eat” (Genesis 9:4). Maimonides in Halachos Malachim Chapter 9. Likutei Sichos Vol. 7 page 65.





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