Should Gentiles keep kosher, or not?

Read the transcript below, or watch a video of the teaching by Yehuda Bachana.

Today we talk about eating and keeping kosher, and this time we answer the following questions:“What happens when God brings the Gentiles to Israel to serve Him?Because they outnumber us, does that mean that in the future, Israel should become the home of pork and shrimp?Doesn't the scripture say that in those days the Torah will go forth from Tzion?”

The second question is similar, but more general:“Isn’t pork an unclean animal when a gentile eats it?”I understand this question as follows: “if a specific food is unclean to Jews, isn’t it also unclean to other nations?”

Dear friends,

These are great questions!Food is a subject that has caused many discussions throughout history, including within the Messianic world. If we speak honestly, most of the Messianic world does not watch what enters the mouth.

The answer to these questions is short and clear, as the New Testament is very clear in stating that gentiles – meaning non-Jews – are welcome and may eat everything.

That being said, immediately the question arises why then, God commanded the dietary laws at all.Over time, many options arose, including:- lust and restraint- spirituality- morality and ecological balance- health- preserving identityEach of these make a good and convincing point. And yet, I tend to understand this commandment as a protective mechanism for the Jewish identity, because keeping kosher, preserved Israel from assimilating.

If we take a look at the past 500 years, we immediately notice that homes that kept kosher, also managed to keep their Jewish identity in the diaspora, even during extreme hardships like the inquisition.

God called the People of Israel to be separated from the rest. And the Jewish food culture has been the most effective protective mechanism, throughout history.

One of the more known sayings associated with the Jewish food culture and holidays, is: “They tried to kill us. God saved us. Let's eat.”This sentence is amusing, because it pretty much sums up the Jewish food culture, seeing how the Jewish or Biblical Feasts are centered around the table, and every feast has its own special dishes.

As food preserves a memory.the eating of 'matza' preserves the memory of the People of Israel having escaped quickly from Egypt.

At other times, food represents an idea, like the oil-fried Sufganiya’ during Chanuka, as a symbol of the jar of oil in the Temple, in the days of the Hasmoneans.

Every feast and time has its own suitable food, and that’s part of our culture. We could bake hallah-bread whenever we wish, but it won’t be the same thing as baking it on Friday.

We could even fast and not eat whenever we want to, but it won’t be as powerful as fasting on Yom Kippur.

Food is meaningful.In fact, it’s so meaningful that it was the first topic talked about with man. Many get confused and think that the first conversation between God and people was for us to be ‘fruitful and multiply’. And yes, God did say those words earlier on, but that wasn’t a conversation, but rather a blessing, as it says:

And so, the first conversation evolves around food:

As part of creation, God plants two special trees, which is the tree of the knowledge, and the tree of life. And here follows the first commandment, and I’m sure that by now you suspect that is about food - and it is!It deals specifically with the food we’re allowed to eat, and that which we’re prohibited to eat:

The next conversation between God and man, is when Adam and Eve hide and are ashamed:

From this conversation, we continue to the punishment, which is also connected to food:

From creation on, we can see the importance of food, and understand why the topic of dietary laws is so emphasized in the Jewish culture.

What enters the mouth is very important.Actually it’s so very important that Paul warns us:

The Lord’s Supper is the eating of bread and wine together in unity, in His memory.While food can separate, it also has the power to connect and unite:

Yeshua teaches us that if we watch what enters our mouth; all the more so, we should watch what comes out of our mouth like gossip and slander.

The first question was:“What happens when God brings many gentiles to Israel to serve Him. Should Israel become the home of pork and shrimp?"

The answer is: even if non-Jews don’t have to, in Israel, especially in a Messianic or public framework, it’s advised to keep kosher in a way that is commonly accepted by the Jewish public.

And, if we’re interested to bring the international Messianic community closer to Judaism, I would also advise to do so for Messianic gatherings outside of Israel.

The second question was:“Isn’t pork an unclean animal when a gentile eats it?”

I’d like to counter that question with another question: Does whatever makes one unclean, perse also make someone else unclean? No, not necessarily.

If we stick to the subject of food, bread has a central role in the Israeli cuisine. And yet, during Pesach, it is forbidden to eat bread. So is bread in itself unclean?

There are commandments that depend on a specific time, identity or place.Let’s look at the relations between husband and wife. Those relations aren’t unclean, but the same relations with a third person, would be sinful.The relations themselves are not the sin, the question is: with who?

The eating of pork is forbidden for Jews. as Leviticus 11 says:

But the question is: who was that spoken to? To the People of Israel. Someone who isn’t from the People of Israel, could eat pork and shrimps, and it wouldn’t affect his purity.

And yet, someone – even if he isn’t obligated to, can come closer, closer to God and to the People of Israel.Can, but doesn’t have to.

You are more than welcome to continue this discussion in the comments below, and we also invite you to send in more such important questions which we will address anonymously.