Reeh 5785: Sacred Roman Meat and Eating Clean

In this week’s teaching on Parashat Re’eh, we explore how Moses sets clear distinctions between clean and unclean foods in Deuteronomy 14, and why these instructions remain vital for Messianic believers today. We then turn to Romans 14, a chapter often misunderstood as abolishing food laws. Instead, Paul is addressing a very specific cultural issue: the prevalence of sacred meat sacrificed to Roman gods and sold in the marketplace.

By understanding the Roman world—where nearly all meat passed through pagan temples—we see that Paul’s words are not about negating Torah’s dietary instructions, but about avoiding judgment and division in the community when believers wrestled with questions of conscience regarding idol-sacrificed food. Rather than dismissing Deuteronomy’s food laws, Paul affirms them by pointing his audience back to love, unity, and holiness in the Messiah.

This episode challenges us to re-read Romans 14 in its historical and cultural context, recognizing that Paul was dealing with idolatry and community tension—not overturning God’s eternal standards of clean and unclean foods.