Holiness and Kosher Food

Rav Shlomo Mann זצ״ל pointed out that the Torah begins with the words, ואנשי קדש תהיון לי, that you are meant to be holy men. This is followed by the prohibition against eating meat that is defined as טריפה.

This refers to a kosher animal slaughtered properly, but found to be diseased. We are commanded to discard this meat and give it to the dog.

Rav Mann views this as proof that what we put into our bodies, has an immediate effect on the level of holiness we can achieve.

The Tanya adds that it’s very easy to understand why a person has impure thoughts if he is consuming all kinds of impure animals and food. Such food is מטמטם את הלב, makes the heart foolish.

So we see that holiness is directly connected with the food we consume. Judaism brings one to holiness, provided that he follows Kashrut laws meticulously.