«And every animal that has a divided hoof and a split foot, that chews the cud, you may eat» (Deuteronomy 14:6). In this week’s Torah portion, the Torah discusses clean animals («that you may eat») and unclean animals («that you may not eat») and specifies the two signs of a clean animal: chewing the cud and having a divided hoof. The concept of eating, in general terms, implies that a person takes elements belonging to the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, incorporates them into themselves, and these elements become flesh and blood, becoming part of their body. In reality, this is the goal of all creatures: to rise and merge with the level above themselves. The goal of the mineral kingdom is to serve the vegetable kingdom; the vegetable kingdom rises to a higher level when it merges with the animal kingdom; and animals reach the pinnacle of their perfection when they serve the level above them—humanity.
What is man's goal? Man achieves his goal when he rises and merges with that which is superior to him—the Most High, Creator of the Universe. When a Jew serves his Creator and is an instrument of Him, he thereby achieves his perfection and rises and unites with the Divine dimension above him. The very term "man"— Adam – points this out: Adam derived from «"edame laElión" – like the Most High.
Man himself possesses aspects in which he is similar to minerals, plants, and animals. Man's material needs, such as eating, drinking, and sleeping, do not differ essentially from those of animals. And just as the goal of animals is to rise and integrate with man, so too must man direct his bodily behaviors (which are similar to those of animals) in such a way that they serve and are instruments for the "man" within him, and to be more precise, for the Adam that is in "man", that is to say, the Divine aspect of man.
But to direct the mineral, vegetable, and animal components toward the sacred within man, signs of «kashrut«"Man must carefully examine his actions and behaviors to ensure that they are indeed suitable for human consumption, that is, that they can elevate and sanctify him and do not contain characteristics that generate the opposite result, or even drag man down to the animal, vegetable, etc. levels.".
The first sign of satisfactory aptitude (kashrutIt is to have a cloven hoof. The hoof is divided in two directions: to the right and to the left. This signifies that a person's actions cannot be unidirectional. A person who always acts in only one direction—based on their natural personal tendency—even if they do what is right and do not contradict any Torah ruling, is prone to going astray and even to being subjugated by their natural inclination. They must ensure that they are able to objectively judge and analyze each situation and be prepared—when the correct action indicated by the Torah so requires—to act even in a manner contrary to their nature and their habitual tendency.
The second sign is to be "ruminant." Rumination means the repeated act of chewing. This is how a Jew should approach material matters: he should not act based on a single superficial check, but rather review things again to ensure that they truly align with the intended goal—serving the Most High.
Furthermore: just as before eating, the Jew must check the kashrut – if the element is ritually suitable for consumption – so too must he review his entire material life structure, to make sure that he does not act at the level of an animal, but as a man, whose actions are all directed to rise to the level above him – to Divine sanctity.
Adapted from www.jabad.org.ar