Leviticus 11:44-45 (NIV) I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. 45 I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
The laws of kashrut. In all ancient cultures, eating had religious meaning and significance. In the Jewish tradition, the dietary restrictions are called kashrut, otherwise known as the kosher diet. It’s possible that the Israelites had some dietary restrictions before Mount Sinai that the Law clarified and expanded. The particular prohibitions of the dietary laws were unique to Israel, and much ink has been spilled trying to explain them. The supposed health benefits are not really a convincing argument. The ancient Israelites were not markedly healthier than their neighbors. Avoiding unclean foods assured a religious state of purity and was a physical expression of holiness.
The dietary, cultic, and sexual laws in Leviticus are all aspects of Biblical holiness. Failure to keep these laws brought impurity into the sacred space and into the community. The laws helped define purity so that the community could properly approach God in worship. They were also essential expressions of keeping the covenantal relationship. In addition, the dietary laws were socio-religious, setting the Israelites apart from their pagan neighbors.
Of course, the Old Covenant has been done away with the fulfillment of Christ. But these laws have been preserved for Christians to study and learn from because there are general principles that apply to God’s people throughout time. The most important thing is that we are to be set apart from the world. In fact, Peter, inspired by God, quotes from this passage in 1 Peter 1:15-16 where he writes, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”