The ancient rabbis pondered this very idea, using a seemingly simple verse about eating meat to unlock profound insights about freedom, desire, and divine provision.

It all starts with the verse, "And you will say: I will eat meat, because your heart will desire to eat meat; with all your heart’s desire, you may eat meat" (Deuteronomy 12:20). At first glance, it sounds like a simple allowance. But the rabbis in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletical teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, see much more.

They connect this permission to eat meat to a verse in Psalms: "Who performs justice for the oppressed, gives bread to the hungry; the Lord releases the imprisoned" (Psalms 146:7). How are these two ideas linked? Well, according to Rabbi Pinḥas bar Ḥama, the Psalm is speaking of Israel's experience in Egypt. He points out that of all the nations in Egypt, only Israel was enslaved. So, who enacted justice on their behalf? He "who performs justice for the oppressed."

And what about "gives bread to the hungry?" This, too, refers to Israel. The rabbis draw a connection to the manna that sustained the Israelites in the desert. Remember that story? As it says in Deuteronomy (8:3-5), God "afflicted you, and starved you, and fed you the manna that you did not know and your fathers did not know, in order to impart to you that man does not live by bread alone; rather, it is by everything that emanates from the mouth of the Lord that man lives." It wasn't just about physical sustenance; it was about spiritual nourishment, too.

But the most intriguing connection comes with the phrase "The Lord releases the imprisoned [matir asurim]." Here, the rabbis get really creative. They explain that God prohibited certain things for the Israelites, but then permitted others. The Rabbis said: The Holy One blessed be He prohibited eight matters for them and permitted eight of them. A passage found in Vayikra Rabba (22:10) details this further: "I prohibited for you menstrual blood; I permitted for you hymenal blood. I prohibited for you a married woman; I permitted for you a captive woman...". This pattern continues, highlighting the nuanced dance between prohibition and permission in Jewish law.

The rabbis explain that "the Lord releases the imprisoned [matir asurim]" can be understood as "permits [matir] prohibitions [isurim]."

And how does this all tie back to eating meat? Well, before this verse in Deuteronomy, there were restrictions on slaughtering animals. One could not simply slaughter an animal for consumption; it needed to be brought as an offering. But here, God is permitting it – releasing them from a previous restriction. As the verse says, "Only, with all of your heart’s desire [avat], you may slaughter and eat meat" (Deuteronomy 12:15).

So, what's the big takeaway? It's not just about the freedom to eat meat. It's about the constant tension between restriction and release, between what's forbidden and what's permitted. It's about recognizing that even our most basic desires can be intertwined with profound questions of justice, sustenance, and freedom. God, in essence, acknowledges our desires, even the seemingly simple ones, and provides a path within the framework of divine law. This reminds us that even in restriction, there can be liberation. What "prison" are we being freed from today?