TORAH PORTION

Super-Conductors
Of God's Spirituality

Shabbat Mevarechim, Parshat Shemini:
Leviticus 9:1-11:47; 11 Samuel 6:1-7:17.

T

it very easily, which is why a lot of
he laws of kashrut, given in
electrical wire is made of copper.
this week's Torah portion,
Rubber and plastic don't conduct it
permit the Jewish people to
at all; that is why they are used to
eat certain foods while forbidding
coat wires, as they block
others. The pig and camel
the
hurtful current of the
are two of the non-kosher
flowing
electricity from
animals explicitly men-
shocking
anyone. Then
tioned in the Torah.
there
are
super-conductors
While you won't find
that provide electricity
camel meat in your local
with an entirely impedi-
grocery store, pork prod-
ment-free flow.
ucts are very common and
The Torah is teaching us
often look very desirable.
that since we are what we
Millions of people consume
eat, and our bodies need to
these products without neg-
Rabbi
host the holy soul within
ative effects, (providing it is
Avraham S.
us, we must consume only
prepared properly, like any
Cohen
foods that are spiritually
meat or fish product), so
Special to the
conducive to the flow of
what could be the rationale
Jewish News
spirituality through us.
behind the Jewish people
God, the creator of man
being forbidden to eat non-
— and the creator of all foods — has
kosher products?
revealed to us in the Torah which
In this week's portion, the Torah
foods will allow us to be supercon-
indicates to us that by eating non-
ductors and which will be like rubber
kosher food, a Jewish person creates
in our systems, blocking our soul
a spiritual blockage within himself.
from freely expressing its spirituality.
This spiritual blockage prevents him
All kosher foods are conducive to
from seeing spiritual matters in a
spirituality, but non-kosher foods
clear way. How are we to understand
clog the system and prevent us from
this esoteric idea?
Currently, society is very conscious reaching our spiritual potential.
The Jewish nation was created to
of the concept that "you are what you
eat:' Since the food that we eat is bro- represent God in this world — to be
the role models of a spiritual people.
ken down to form the very cells that
Therefore, it is our duty to achieve
comprise our bodies, the healthier
the maximum spiritual level that
the food we consume, the healthier
we can by ensuring that we eat only
our bodies are.
foods that will enhance our spiritual-
We learn in Genesis that God
ity. This is the idea behind kosher
created man from the dust of the
food as explained by our sages.
earth and then breathed into him
May we use the laws of kashrut to
the breath of life, his soul. Thus, the
become the spiritual super-conduc-
human being is made of a miracu-
tors we were created to be! ❑
lous synthesis between an earthy
body and a spiritual soul. The physi-
Avraham S. Cohen is director of the Weiss
cal body serves as the host for the
Family Partners in Torah program of
spiritual soul.
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Southfield.
We can compare the relationship
of the soul to the body to that of an
electric current in a copper wire. In
What are some examples of
the same way that the copper wire is
things that we ingest that impair
a host or conductor for the electric
our judgment? What common
current, the human body is the con-
trait
do all kosher animals have?
ductor for the spiritual soul.
What
could be the significance
Different materials conduct elec-
of this?
tricity differently. Copper conducts

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April 8 • 2010

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