It's not just about following rules, you know. As Rav teaches us, the mitzvot were given to Israel to refine us, to elevate us. Why? "He is a shield for all who rely on Him" (Proverbs 30:5). Because God protects those who rely on Him, He gave Israel mitzvot in order to refine them and make them fit for the World to Come. It’s about becoming our best selves, prepared for something truly amazing.

And speaking of the World to Come…get this.

Rabbi Yudan ben Rabbi Shimon paints a vivid picture. He says that the Behemoth and the Leviathan, these mythical beasts of immense power, will engage in an epic battle before the righteous in the future! Can you imagine? It's like the ultimate showdown! And anyone who didn't go to the really horrible ancient Roman animal fights in this world (and let's be honest, who wants to see that kind of cruelty?) will merit seeing this one in the World to Come.

So, how does this cosmic clash go down? Well, the Behemoth will supposedly stab the Leviathan with its horns, tearing it open. And the Leviathan? It'll smash the Behemoth with its fins and stab it to death. It's… intense.

But wait a minute. Here's where it gets even more interesting. The Sages ask a crucial question: is this even kosher? Is this a valid ritual slaughter, a proper shechita? I mean, we learn in the Mishna Ḥullin (1:2) that there are specific rules about slaughtering animals. You can’t use just anything. No serrated sickles, no saws, no animal teeth, no fingernails – because those methods strangle the animal, causing undue suffering.

So, how can this celestial battle result in kosher meat?

Rabbi Avin bar Kahana offers a stunning answer. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: "For [a new] Torah will emerge from Me" (Isaiah 51:4). A novel Torah ruling, a new law, will emerge from Me! The conventional laws regarding ritual slaughter will be temporarily suspended. Think about that! Even the rules we hold so dear can be superseded by God's will in the ultimate future.

Rabbi Berekhya, citing Rabbi Yitzḥak, takes it a step further. The Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to make a feast for His righteous servants in the future. And here's the kicker: anyone who didn't partake of unslaughtered carcasses – meaning animals that died in any way other than ritual slaughter, which are forbidden to us – in this world will be privileged to partake in it in the World to Come!

It all comes back to our choices here and now.

That’s what's hinted at in Leviticus 7:24: "And the fat of an unslaughtered carcass and the fat of a mauled animal may be used for all labor; but you shall not eat it [ve’akhol lo tokheluhu]." The doubling of the word "eat" – lo tokheluhu – is significant. As the commentary Matnot Kehuna explains, in order to eat of the feast in the World to Come, one must refrain from eating forbidden foods in this world. That's why Moses cautions Israel: "These are the living beings that you may eat" (Leviticus 11:2). It’s a preparation, a training, for the ultimate reward.

So, what does it all mean? It means that the mitzvot, the challenges, the restrictions, they aren't just arbitrary rules. They're shaping us. They're preparing us for a future beyond our wildest imaginations, a future where even the laws of nature, the laws of kashrut, can be transformed. It's a future worth striving for, a future that begins with the choices we make today. What will you choose?