Mitzvah —
193
Not to eat certain fats of kosher animals
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חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכֹ֖ל מוֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם כׇּל־חֵ֥לֶב וְכׇל־דָּ֖ם לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ - פָּרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא
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Leviticus 3:17 - "[This is] an eternal statute for all your generations, in all your dwelling places: You shall not eat any fat or any blood."
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Kashrut – כַּשְׁרוּת
Forbidden to eat specific fats (cheilev) of kosher animals that are reserved for the altar.
This mitzvah prohibits eating the cheilev—certain forbidden fats found in kosher domesticated animals, such as around the kidneys, liver, and entrails. These fats are designated for the altar in sacrificial service and are considered holy. Eating them is strictly forbidden and incurs karet (spiritual excision). Permitted fats (shuman), by contrast, may be eaten. This distinction underscores that holiness is found not only in what we eat but also in what is withheld as sacred to Hashem.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Ma’achalot Asurot 7:1–2): Details which fats are forbidden (cheilev) and which are permitted (shuman).
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 147): The root is that certain portions are sanctified to Hashem; eating them is a profanation of what belongs to the divine service.
- Talmud (Keritot 4a): Defines precisely which fats are included in the prohibition and distinguishes between sacrificial and permitted fats.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
