Musing – Are you Kosher on the outside? And on the inside?

Hebraic Musing – Are you Kosher on the outside? And on the inside?

We see cartoons of cows saying "Eat more chicken"; can you picture a cartoon of pigs saying "I wish everyone was Jewish!" Why?  Because God set forth kosher rules, or mitzvot (good deeds) -- "Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean." —Leviticus 11:26. And now the pig is universally recognized as the most obvious non-kosher animal and not even classified as food by good Jews. So what is unique about the pig?

To be deemed kosher, or clean, an animal has to pass two attributes – (1) must have cloven or divided hoofs, and (2) must chew the cud. At first look the pig must be kosher, or clean, because it obviously has split hooves. The second attribute is not as readily discernible. Does the pig chew a cud?  No, so the pig is not kosher, deemed to be unclean.  The first sign was apparent from the outside. The second requirement is only discernible on the inside; hidden from view. If one of the attributes is missing, the animal is unclean.

Most animals either have both attributes or none at all. The pig is deceptive because it does have split-hooves, but it does not chew a cud. So, the pig looks kosher on the outside, but is not kosher, unclean, on the inside.

There is a symbolic lesson here. Some people look good on the outside, but not necessarily on the inside. I remember that the day before I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I called myself a hypocrite and could not shake that self-accusation. Even now, I still wrestle with the internal uncleanness that I do not allow family, friends and others to see. 

"People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). How many people look okay to the outside world, but lead a different private life or thought process? How many times are we like a pig – okay on the outside while God is looking at the inside?

How are we hypocritical? Are we always sincere?

Points to ponder

Could we pick a day to live as if
our every thought was broadcast on a TV-like screen on our forehead
and on the family and friends’ TV screens?

Does our inside match our outside?

Shalom to your body, soul and Spirit                        April 9, 2013

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd

Author “Hebraic Insights – 95 messages exploring the Hebrew Roots of Christian faith”

Author “Biblical Marriage” (to be published in June 2012)

Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”  to be added to distribution -- Yosef1@cox.net
www.InsightsByYosef.com

Inspired by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, April 4, 2013