Teaching Team
Eating biblically? Let's chew the fat.
Many people get the feeling that rabbinic kosher laws are complicated and overly stringent, but the biblical kosher laws are as simple as "these are the animals you can eat, and these are the ones you can't."
But the Bible's food laws actually go far beyond this. The Scriptures go so far as to limit what parts of the animal may be eaten. For example, certain fat portions called chelev are forbidden. This does not mean that all fat is prohibited, but only certain lobes of fat that were to be offered on the altar:
Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food offering to the LORD its fat; he shall remove the whole fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering to the LORD. (Leviticus 3:9-11)
Of course, these verses only apply in a sacrificial context. However, the chapter concludes with a clear, overarching directive:
It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood. (Leviticus 3:17)
Fat (chelev) is defined very clearly in the context as specific sections of fat that must be removed from a sacrifice. And yet the commandment not to eat fat applies everywhere--not just at the altar--for all time. That fat is just as forbidden as a pork chop. The punishment for a Jewish person who eats it is severe:
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat. The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the LORD shall be cut off from his people." (Leviticus 7:22-25)
This poses a problem for people who want to follow a "Leviticus diet" but only limit their consumption to clean animals. Let's ruminate on this for a second. Those prohibited fat portions are not removed from cuts of meat by a secular butcher. Maybe you feel comfortable removing the slabs of fat around your steak by hand, but what about ground beef? Even extra-lean ground beef will contain some of this fat. Ground beef without kosher certification does not rise to the level of "biblically kosher."
This is only one of numerous problems with non-kosher beef. Some of the other issues we could point to include the sciatic nerve (prohibited in Genesis 32:32), the proper removal of blood, and the animal's manner of death, considering the USDA-recommended practice of stunning the animal before slaughter. Add to this that investigations have found that ground beef at the supermarket is often supplemented with other species of animals in order to make the meat look more appealing. All of these issues are discussed at length in the book Biblically Kosher.
This post is not meant to condemn anyone, but rather to encourage you to take a step forward. Sanctification is a life-long process, and you can do it a step at a time. In fact, taking too many steps forward at once can be destructive and unsustainable. But every now and then we should ask: Is now the time to make a move?
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Visitor Feedback:
This is awesome. Thanks Aaron.
Jacob Fronczak | February 9, 2012 5:53 PM
Aaron:
From my reading over the years of Milgrom's commentaries, I had the idea that the prohibited fat is the suet (organ fat). Isn't it true that the fat on a steak is permitted? And if you say the fat on ground beef could include the prohibited suet, do you have a source confirming that meat houses put organ fat into hamburger?
Derek Leman | February 10, 2012 6:18 AM
Derek, thanks for your clarifying questions. You are correct that the suet is prohibited as well as the caul fat. Much of the fat on steak is OK, but some thick layers of fat on steak are prohibited, particularly in the hindquarters, such as the fat on the flanks.
I do not mean to suggest that suet is specifically put into hamburger. But considering that removing the prohibited fats completely is such a difficult part of the nikkur process, and that ground beef can come from any cut of the animal, it is natural to assume that some prohibited fat is going to be in the product. Also, it is not unthinkable that some percentage of organ meat could end up in ground beef.
As I mentioned in the post, this fat is only one of several reasons that non-kosher ground beef is problematic.
It is also worth noting while I'm at it that beef tallow, which is made directly from suet, is a common flavoring and shortening. McDonald's used to cook their French fries in it until recently, which makes me suspect that other restaurants still do.
Aaron Eby
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February 10, 2012 10:47 AM
Actually some of your information is not entirely accurate. If one buys ground beef as opposed to hamburger, no additional fats may be included by Federal law. Also no offal(organs) may be included by federal law.
Extra-Lean ground beef may only contain 15% fat(and again no fat not attached to the cuts may be included by federal law).
If one buys ground chuck(made from the chuck roast(front shoulder)) or ground sirloin, Federal law prohibits any other fats or meat cuts from being used in the grind.
FDA Guy | February 15, 2012 5:35 AM
Aaron - I so appreciate your clear explanations on these topics, the grace with which you teach these truths. I can hardly wait for my copy of thebook to arrive. A few years back, in response to a question I asked about eating a Rally burger, your answer was so helpful. You said (basically) the same as you stated above: "Sanctification is a life-long process, and you can do it a step at a time." This has been a key tenant for me and my family over the past few year. BTW - those Rally burger have been "off the menu" for quite some time now. Thanks for your continued ministry to us and the Family of G-d in general. Shalom achi.
David Van Sandt | February 16, 2012 5:34 AM
FDA Guy:
Fair enough, although I maintain that some of the fat attached to the cuts may be included in the category of prohibited chelev. Federal law may limit which fats that are permitted for inclusion, but they are not determining this based on Jewish or Biblical dietary laws.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that federal law is helpful, but it can only be relied upon to the extent that there are inspections and enforcement. There are some cases where it can be considered reliable (such as in the case of trusting that cow milk comes from cows). In other cases, it's iffy. For example, consider the fish fraud issue covered by Consumer Reports and the Boston Globe (http://www.biblicallykosher.com/blog/news/investigations-find-widespread-fish-fraud). Just because it is illegal doesn't stop it from happening. The book Biblically Kosher cites a similar media investigation regarding ground beef:
"Dateline NBC conducted an investigation in 1998 to determine if what was being sold as pure ground beef was really that. They submitted 100 samples from different stores to an USDA recognized lab with 29 of those samples testing positive for meats other than ground beef. Even health food stores like Fresh Fields and Wild Oats sold adulterated ground beef." (The Michigan Daily)
Perhaps things have changed in the last 14 years, but if "ground beef" can even contain meat other than beef, what's to say it won't have a certain amount of federally prohibited parts?
True enough, I did not make a distinction between regular ground beef, ground chuck or sirloin, and hamburger. People might also consider these issues with beef sausages and franks.
Finally (and I realize that you did not contest this) I will reiterate that fat is only one of several problems with the kosher status of ground beef.
Aaron Eby
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February 16, 2012 10:11 AM