The Torah explains all the types of kosher and non-Kosher animals and directs us to which ones we are permitted to eat. “Any one among the animals that has a split hoof, which is completely separated into double hoofs, and that brings up its cud that one you may eat”. The Torah describes the non-kosher animals; it first presents the kosher aspect of the animal, and then expounds why it is nevertheless not kosher. The Kli Yakar asks why does the Torah need to state the kosher part of the non-kosher animal, is it not sufficient to just state the non-kosher aspect that renders the animal as non-kosher? The Torah first explains that the camel, the hyrax, and hare chew their cud but do not have split hooves. By the pig it is reversed and states that it has a split hoof but does not chew its cud. Why does the Torah present the kosher aspect first, and then explain the non-kosher aspect after?
The Kli Yakar explains that the kosher sign on each of these animals only increases the impurity in them. This is because the signs might appear to show how they are pure and really they are not pure. Eisav is compared to a pig as stated in Bereishit Rabba (65-1) who displays his hoofs as if he is kosher. Eisav too flaunts his purity as the son of Yitzchak but really he is not pure at all. As Yaakov prayed “save me from the hand of my brother the hand of Eisav” which means, he may claim he is my brother but really he is Eisav the wicked one. His inner being is nothing like his external expression. He is a farce.
In contrast the brothers of Yosef could not contain their ill feelings toward Yosef and they expressed it. They did not put on a false front and make believe all is well. This real expression, although it compromised the midot of the brothers, nevertheless exposes them as people who were real.
The Midrash states that the “gamal - camel” is symbolic of the Babylonian Empire, the “shafan - hyrax” of the Persian Empire, the “arnevet - hare” of the Greek Empire, and the “chazir - pig” of the Roman nation. These nations’ internal being is contrary to their external nature. They are all in essence living a lie, something not being real and therefore, that made them even more impure. A lion is a lion; it never claims to be something else, and the same is true for all the animals of the world.
As Am Yisrael we are compared to sheep that are kosher with both signs of Kashrut. Have you ever wondered how is it possible that a fellow Jew can sink to such a low level rachmanu letzlan, which is worse than any non-Jew? According to the view of the Kli Yakar, the higher a person appears to be the uglier his misdeeds are. When a drunken homeless man picks from the garbage it is not as appalling as when a president would do the same. When we are corrupt from our elevated status it is uglier than one who was never prominent at all.
May we all merit maintaining our true G-dly image and continue to be a light onto the nations.
