Reply To: Short & Sweet

Shemini: Eating in Two Worlds

The Torah tells us that the signs of a kosher animal are that it has split hooves and chews it cud.

Rabbeinu Ephraim sees in this a hint to what differentiates the Jewish people.

The split hooves represent two different worlds. The Jewish people do not only exist in this physical world; we will continue on and inherit the world to come.

This idea is also expressed by the chewing of the cud. Everything we do in this world, we will get reward for in the world to come.

What we do here is not the end; it is just the beginning.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום