Question:
Please explain why eating shellfish is bad for me. I have been told that it has to do with the three columns: positive, negative, and neutral. ~MB
Answer:
Have you ever heard the expression, You are what you eat? This concept holds true spiritually. In order to better understand this it is important to know that the world is made up of three forces: positive, negative, and neutral (resistance). This is the Three Column System.
As you know, a light bulb must have a negative pole, a positive pole, and a filament in order to give light. Food is designed the same way. Particular animals or creatures contain only the Right Column of energy and others the Left Column of energy. They do not however contain the Central Column of energy. The intrinsic nature of certain animals, by the Creator’s design, can short-circuit from our point of view because they are part of a two column system instead of three.
The concept of kosher food works to provide the Central Column. The idea is to create a circuit of energy so that spiritual forces of Light shine from our food the same way light shines from a light bulb. Shellfish and many other animal products or byproducts are what we call “not kosher” according to Kabbalah and the Torah. While some of these foods are extremely tasty, they have a certain energetic quality. This means that it is very difficult for them to support us in our efforts in trying to move forward spiritually. However, this depends greatly on where we are spiritually. We must remember that the more we strive to come closer to the Light and work hard spiritually, the more we want to use tools that can support our efforts.
Imagine you are driving a very slow vehicle. At five miles per hour you can turn the steering wheel from side to side with little effect. Now imagine a sports car going 100 miles per hour. Even slight changes in the steering wheel can have a great effect.
It's the same with us. So, the energy of certain creatures is simply not supportive to our spiritual growth. When a person wants to grow spiritually, the food that we eat can be used as a support system. That's what the Torah in its coded fashion is trying to tell us. And this is what Kabbalah explains.
