Leviticus 11:17-20
17 the screech owl, the cormorant, the barn owl (see Figures 15-17),
18 the bat, the pelican, the magpie (see Figures 18-20),
19 the stork, the various species of heron, the hoopoe (see Figures 21-23), and the ataleif. All other fowl are permitted for consumption.
Flying Crawling Creatures Permitted and Prohibited for Consumption
20 You must consider loathsome—and therefore not eat—any crawling creature that also flies and walks on four legs—such as flies, wasps, mosquitoes, and forbidden species of grasshopper.
Figure 15. Screech Owl
Figure 16. Cormorant
Figure 17. Barn Owl
Figure 18. Bat
Figure 19. Pelican
Figure 20. Magpie
Figure 21. Stork
Figure 22. Heron
Figure 23. Hoopoe
CHASIDIC INSIGHTS
17 The cormorant: The belief in Divine providence is a fundamental precept of Judaism. However, there are different schools of thought regarding the extent of God’s involvement in the intricacies and minutiae of nature. According to some classic Jewish philosophers, God merely supervises the special survival of each vegetative and animal life form; His direct, detailed involvement in every aspect of the life of each individual in the species, however, is limited to human beings.
The Ba’al Shem Tov, on the other hand, taught that all the myriad events constantly happening in our world are Divinely executed, in essence forming the ultimate choreographed ballet of existence. Every leaf turning in the wind, taught the Ba’al Shem Tov, is doing so by design; it may very well be on its way to a specific location to provide shade for a lowly worm.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi cited the following passage from the Talmud in support of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s thesis: “When Rabbi Yochanan saw a cormorant, he exclaimed [addressing God by quoting the following verse from the Psalms]: ‘Your justice is carried out even in the depths of the sea.’”
Rashi explains that Rabbi Yochanan was referring to how “God judges even the fish of the sea, arranging that the cormorant catch and devour those deserving punishment.” Thus, the Talmud states unequivocally that the specific fish the cormorant eats is Divinely chosen.
Homiletically, it is instructive to note that the Hebrew word for “nature” (טבע) is related to the verb “to submerge” (לטבוע), implying that the Divine vitality that is the true source of all life is concealed from our perception by (i.e., “submerged within”) the forces of nature that God set into effect. God’s intimate involvement in everything that takes place is hidden from us by the seemingly independent functioning of the laws of nature.
In this context, the hunting of the cormorant not only demonstrates God’s providence over all reality but also serves as an allegory for it. As it draws fish from the sea, the cormorant reminds us that our task in life is to reveal the Divine providence that is submerged within the ocean of nature.
A CLOSER LOOK
[19] The ataleif: The sages describe this bird as a nocturnal, egg-laying fowl that also nurses its young. There is no flying creature known today that fits this description.
All other fowl: Thus, once the identities of prohibited fowl are known, all other fowl are theoretically permitted. However, since, as stated above, not all the translations of the names of prohibited fowl are known to be precise, this rule can no longer be reliably applied. Therefore, the only fowl permitted for consumption are those for which there is an established tradition of their being so. Among such fowl are the chicken, sparrow, pigeon, dove, duck, turkey, and certain types of quail, geese, and pheasant.
[21-23] Permitted grasshoppers: Rashi notes that there are many types of grasshoppers that possess the requisite signs, but we no longer know which of these are encompassed by the names by which they are referred to in the Torah. However, certain Yemenite communities have preserved traditions regarding which varieties of grasshoppers are permitted, so members of those communities are allowed eat those grasshoppers even today.
