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My understanding of why bee honey is kosher is because the talmud says that the honey is not a by-product of the bees. They simply store the nectar in their body to transfer it and then expel it, turning it into honey. Since it's not a by-product of a bug, it is kosher.

However, modern science has revealed that when the nectar is in the bees body, an enzyme (?) is released, causing the honey making process to begin. Since this enzyme is integral to the creation of honey, and the bee is mixing its "juices" so to speak with the nectar, shouldn't we now declare bee honey non-kosher? Why are there no pushes for this? Is it because the enzyme is invisible to the naked eye? Don't get me wrong, I love honey and want it to remain kosher, I just want an explanation in light of modern science.

Loewian
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robev
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    You are apparently assuming that any byproduct of a non-Kosher animal is not Kosher, even if it isn't part of the animal. While this assumption is correct, the question itself, as well as future readers, would benefit from your including your assumption in the body of the question, along with a source (if you have one). – Seth J Sep 16 '13 at 16:38
  • I assume it's common knowledge that any by-product of a non kosher animal is non kosher. For example, camel milk...I don't see why I need a source. – robev Sep 16 '13 at 16:43
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    Not an answer, because I'm not sure of the source and can't, therefore, double-check, but I believe the Gemara discusses the fact that bee honey is Kosher despite the fact that it is a byproduct of a non-Kosher animal. In fact, I think there's an opinion that it's Kosher as a גזרת הכתוב. So the discussion of the physiology of the bee my be only an attempt to explain why the Torah would exempt bee honey from the prohibition of other animal by-products (eg., pig milk). – Seth J Sep 16 '13 at 16:43
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    you don't need a source, but it's always helpful. Generally speaking, clarifying common-knowledge assumptions as such also helps. – Seth J Sep 16 '13 at 16:46
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    http://www.ou.org/shabbat/5766/kosher/kitisa66.htm – Gershon Gold Sep 16 '13 at 16:46
  • I don't understand your last sentence – Double AA Sep 16 '13 at 17:12
  • Maybe the release of an enzyme isn't enough to be considered "yotzei" from the non-kosher animal. Camel milk is clearly something the camel "creates" internally (and it doesn't depend on a specific food) but bees create honey directly from nectar in honeycombs. – Ariel K Sep 16 '13 at 17:37
  • Milk is created inside a cow, and is still considered milk (and no meat) – Menachem Sep 16 '13 at 17:45
  • Israel was described in the Torah as a "land flowing with milk and HONEY." A quick google search lead to this reference: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/624194/jewish/Why-is-Israel-called-the-land-of-Milk-and-Honey.htm. The reference claims that honey, whenever mentioned in Scripture "always" refers to fruit necture/date honey. The web site may not fully answer your question robev, but it might lead you to other sources. Check out the link. – JJLL Sep 16 '13 at 22:46
  • Rav Yishak Yosef writes that we don't let modern science change our Halachic decisions... – Hacham Gabriel Sep 18 '13 at 02:46
  • Bee honey is referred to in the story of Yonasan son of Shaul when he ate some (bee) honey while he was pursuing the Pelishtim. Also see the answer at http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/38785/was-the-honey-that-samson-ate-from-the-lion-kosher that points out that mixing the enzyme into the nectar does not make it nonkosher also Art Scroll Bechoros 7b1 note 11 and 7b2 notes 13 - 15 – sabbahillel Sep 04 '16 at 16:58

5 Answers5

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According to Halacha we follow Rav Sheishes's view (bechoros 7b) who holds like Rabbe Yaakov (the Tannah) that the reason honey is kosher (even if the bee extracts part of its flesh into the honey as part of the process - Rabeinu Gershom) is a Gzeiras Hakosuv (by Hashem's command) and not like the opinion who says that the reason for its permissiblity is 'because the bees store it in their bodies but do not drain it from their bodies'. (See Beis Yosef Yoreh Day'ah end of Siman 81, and in Baeir Heitev #1 that we follow Rav Sheishes.)

Meir Zirkind
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  • gezeiras hakasuv is a bit of a stretch. the gemarah actually says that God praises the land of Israel as "z'vas chalav u'devash" from which the gemarah adduces that if honey wasn't kosher God wouldn't include it in the praise of the land of Israel. – not-allowed to change my name Sep 17 '13 at 02:48
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    @not-Yahu Obviously you didn't look in the Gemara I quoted because it says just what i said. In addition the honey in that Possuk you quote refers to honey from dates (see rashi) and the Gemara you quote doesn't exist - the Gemara Bechoros 6b quotes that Possuk for the permissibility of milk (not being considered Eiver Min Hachay). Try again. – Meir Zirkind Sep 17 '13 at 02:56
  • If you tell me what pasuk tells us that honey is kosher, I'll accept your answer. All the pesukim I've heard of are about dates. – robev Sep 18 '13 at 09:30
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    For crying out loud, learn the Gemara! – Meir Zirkind Sep 18 '13 at 13:07
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    I'm just asking for an answer to my question..... – robev Sep 21 '13 at 19:43
  • @robev Bee honey is referred to in the story of Yonasan son of Shaul when he ate some (bee) honey while he was pursuing the Pelishtim. Also see the answer at http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/38785/was-the-honey-that-samson-ate-from-the-lion-kosher that points out that mixing the enzyme into the nectar does not make it nonkosher also Art Scroll Bechoros 7b1 note 11 and 7b2 notes 13 - 15 – sabbahillel Sep 04 '16 at 16:57
  • Gourmet honey is sold based on what kind of flowers the bees collected nectar from. We don't do that for milk. Reason: Cows digest the grass to the point that you can't really tell which grass they ate, only the overall quality of then feed. Unlike honey. It really isn't entirely broken down and built afresh the way milk is. That said, I think all this is post-facto explanation, and the gezeiras hakasuv (law made by scripture) Yishai mentions is the primary reason. – Micha Berger Sep 04 '16 at 19:01
  • @sabbahillel Some explain that what Yonason are was sugar cane. – HaLeiVi Sep 05 '16 at 06:04
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My last answer wasn't clear, so although I am loath to rewrite answers that have been voted on already, I'll try to make this a bit clearer.

The Talmud has two opinions as to why bee honey is Kosher. Only one of them relies on the way in which bees make honey. The other says it is a "gezeras hakasuv" - an arbitrary distinction made in the Torah - which would mean it would be permitted even if it was an excretion from the bee like milk is from a cow.

The identification of the bee enzymes involved in honey production does not fundamentally alter the understanding of how honey was made. It obviously wasn't the pure nectar, even 2000 years ago, as only bees made it into honey. In fact, according to the opinion that bee honey is kosher because of the way bees produce it, shellac would also be Kosher (according to Rav Moshe Feinstein, at least).

The principle that excretions from a non-Kosher animal are themselves non-Kosher is limited by two concepts: "Pirsha Balma" - that what is excreted is not food, essentially. Bees wax may fall into that category, but the classic example is urine, I believe.

A more extensive treatment of the subject can be found here, which specifically discusses the enzymes of the cow stomach used for Rennet being different than the actual flesh. So even according to the opinion that it is the way the bee processes honey that renders it kosher, the fact that an enzyme from the bee is involved in the process does not change the conclusion. In fact, it is unlikely that it even changes the understanding from the Talmud, it just gives it more specificity and detail to identify and name specific enzymes and their function.

Yishai
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"Enzymes are protein molecules in cells which work as catalysts. Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in the body, but do not get used up in the process. Almost all biochemical reactions in living things need enzymes. With an enzyme, chemical reactions go much faster than they would without the enzyme." - Definition

Thus the bee is not changing the nectar into honey - apparently it is just speeding up the process. It's enzymes do not become part of the honey. Using this reasoning it should be kosher.

Matatia
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  • Matatia, Welcome to Mi Yodeya! Can you please provide a link to where you got that definition? –  Sep 08 '17 at 16:38
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Since it is an enzyme and not the honey it remains kosher to my understanding. But the Ramban did say that some rabbis were wrong. This is not referring to the honey being kosher. Just food for thought.

Turk Hill
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You ask, "In light of modern science, why is bee honey still kosher?"

Maimonides once stated, "Knowledge of the Divine cannot be attained except through knowledge of the natural sciences", so your question is a fair one.

My only explanation is that Halachic law has often contradicted science, and has relied on re-interpretation of Torah to resolve conflicting data.

Case in point, biological evolution has been established by science as an irrefutable process, yet the Torah abounds with contradictions to this. Modern rabbinical thought ages the 7 days of creation into metaphorical days "or ages", and some rabbinical thought believes there were "pre-creation" worlds that G-d destroyed - this explain scientific facts such as the age of the dinosaurs which was devoid of humans.

Another example - archaeological and linguistic anthropology has endeavored to show the Hebrews never lived in Egypt, but that their ancestral and linguistic heritage is purely in Canaan. In this case, the approach has been to simply dismiss the science. I suppose a similar approach would be taken with regard to the kosher status of honey.

Mark A.
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Yaniv
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    Youyr last paragraph does not seem correct. I also does not answer the question. – sabbahillel Sep 04 '16 at 19:37
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    this answer would be greatly improved with citations of sources to support its claims. – mevaqesh Sep 04 '16 at 20:02
  • Scientific (history, archaeology, etc.) evidence that the Hebrews lived in Egypt is perhaps not as great as many would like, but it is not nonexistent. There are a lot of other points of history that we have unclear evidence for, too. In the end, you have to decide whether to trust HaShem and his Torah or not. – Robert Columbia Apr 10 '17 at 16:22