In the wilderness of Sinai, the Israelites huddled around their spiritual leaders, Moses and Aaron, awaiting instruction. The Lord Jehovah spoke to these leaders with divine guidance on the upkeep of the Israelites’ health and their spiritual purity. Jehovah clearly outlined detailed dietary laws, defining which animals were clean or kosher, suitable for the Israelites to consume, and which ones were unclean and unsuitable.

Now, the Israelites were instructed that they could eat any animal that has a divided hoof and chews the cud. However, though the camel, the hare, and the rock badger all chew cud, they do not have divided hooves. Similarly, the pig, while having divided hooves, does not chew cud. Such creatures were considered unclean and were forbidden for consumption. Their carcasses were declared unclean too; touching them would require purification rituals.

Then the Lord Jehovah turned His attention to the creatures of the water. He declared that the Israelites could eat anything living in the water that has both fins and scales. But all creatures lacking these characteristics were deemed unsuitable for consumption. Similarly, Jehovah defined the birds that were to be avoided, including the eagle, the vulture, the falcon, the raven, and the bat.

Furthermore, Jehovah defined guidelines for insects. Only those that have jointed legs for leaping, like locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers, are clean and may be eaten. Other insects moving about on all fours, however, were declared unclean.

Jehovah continued to lay the rules for cleanliness concerning the death of clean and unclean animals. Exodus that touched the carcass of an unclean animal had to wash clothes and remain unclean until evening. Those bearing the carcash, or any part of it, too were deemed unclean.

Jehovah also conveyed guidelines regarding the cleanliness of different kinds of vessels and food when in contact with the carcass of unclean animals. Should such a carcass fall into a wooden vessel, the vessel must be submerged in water for purification, and it remains unclean until evening. Earthen vessels contaminated in such a manner were to be broken as they could not be cleansed.

The laws stretched even to the sowing seeds. If the carcass of an unclean creature fell on any sowing seed, the seed remained clean unless water had been placed on the seed. This, along with several other intricate laws, were proclaimed to maintain the health and holiness of the Israelites.

At last, Jehovah commanded the Israelites to sanctify themselves and to strive for holiness just as He is Holy. For He, Jehovah, was their God, the One who brought them out of Egypt to be their God; they were to mirror His holiness. These details defined the law of the beast, bird, water creature, and every living creature that moved upon the earth, making clear the distinction between the clean and the unclean, and between the creatures that can be eaten and those that cannot. In this way, Jehovah dictated the path to purity and obedience for His chosen people, the children of Israel.