It’s a fascinating idea, and one that Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah), specifically section 22, explores in a surprisingly beautiful way.
The passage begins by quoting Psalm 146:7, "He performs justice for the exploited," connecting it directly to the people of Israel, who, as Jeremiah 50:33 tells us, are themselves exploited. Then, it moves to "He gives bread to the hungry," linking it to Deuteronomy 8:3: “He afflicted you and He starved you.” It seems a bit bleak, right? But hold on.
The real magic happens with the phrase, "The Lord releases [matir] the imprisoned [asurim]." The text plays on the similarity of these words, saying: what I prohibited [she’asarti] for you, I permitted [hitarti] for you. This is where things get interesting.
Think of it this way: God sets boundaries, but within those boundaries, there's a whole world of possibility. The rabbis of the Midrash use this idea to explore the intricacies of Jewish law. For example, the fat of domesticated animals (ḥelev) is forbidden, but the fat of undomesticated animals (shuman) is permitted. Similarly, we can't eat birds that weren't ritually slaughtered, but fish are fine!
Rabbi Abba and Rabbi Yonatan, in the name of Rabbi Levi, even suggest that God has permitted more than He has prohibited! They bring up examples like menstrual blood (forbidden) versus hymenal blood (permitted), a married woman (forbidden to anyone but her husband) versus a captive woman taken in war (permitted under specific circumstances, as detailed in Deuteronomy 21:10–14), and a sister-in-law (generally forbidden) versus a levirate wife (permitted if her husband dies childless, allowing his brother to marry her and continue the family line). It’s a complex area of law, but the core idea is that within the restrictions, there are pathways and allowances, designed to address real human needs.
The list goes on: you can’t marry a woman and her sister at the same time, but after one dies, the other is fair game. You can’t wear mixed fabrics of wool and linen (shatnez), but if you wear a four-cornered linen garment, you must attach ritual fringes (tzitzit), which are traditionally made of wool! It’s like a divine wink, acknowledging the complexity and allowing for connection even within the rules.
Even the prohibition of pork gets a nod: apparently, there's a fish called shibuta that tastes just like it! And forbidden animal fat? Well, there's permitted animal fat too.
But here’s where it gets truly wondrous. Rabbi Menachama, Rabbi Bevai, Rabbi Aḥa, and Rabbi Yoḥanan, citing Rabbi Yonatan, say that in exchange for what is forbidden, God provides something amazing. In place of forbidden fish, there's the leviathan, a kosher sea monster of epic proportions. And for forbidden birds? There's the ziz, a bird so massive that, according to Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon, when it spreads its wings, it dims the sun! Psalm 50:11 even mentions it: "I know every bird of the mountains; and the ziz of the field is with Me." The text playfully notes that it’s called ziz because it has many different tastes ("mizeh umizeh").
And what about forbidden animals? Well, there are "animals on thousands of hills," mentioned in Psalm 50:10. Rabbi Yoḥanan, Reish Lakish, and other Rabbis debate what this refers to. Rabbi Yoḥanan says it's one enormous beast that sprawls across a thousand mountains, each offering it different grasses to eat. Reish Lakish believes this creature will be food for the righteous in the future, sustained by the bounty of the Sharon plain (Isaiah 65:10). And the Rabbis? They say this animal is so large that the mountains themselves grow different types of animals for it to eat!
Now, Rabbi Tanhuma raises a good question: where does this gargantuan creature drink? Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish offer different opinions. Rabbi Yoḥanan claims it swallows everything the Jordan River collects in six months in a single gulp! Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish doubles that, saying it drinks a year's worth of the Jordan in one go. But Rav Huna, in the name of Rabbi Yosei, says that's not even enough to wet its mouth!
The final answer? Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught that a river called Yuval flows from Eden, and that's where it drinks, as Jeremiah 17:8 says: "And it shall spread its roots alongside a stream [yuval]."
The passage concludes with Rabbi Meir quoting Job 12:7-9: "But ask now animals, and they will teach you... and the fish of the sea will relate to you. Who does not know, among all these, that the hand of the Lord has done this?" He interprets this as referring to the great beasts: the animals teaching us, the ziz telling us stories, the Garden of Eden conversing with us, and the leviathan relating the secrets of the sea.
So, what does it all mean? Perhaps it's a reminder that even within limitations, there is abundance and wonder. That the act of forbidding can also be an act of creating space for something new, something unexpected, something…monstrously magnificent. Maybe the rules aren't just about what we can't do, but about what we can discover within the framework. What do you think?