As I grew in my obedience to the Bible and began to learn more about Yah's (God's) instructions to HIS people on how they should live set apart, I remember coming across the instructions regarding the fats of the animals and panicking.
At first reading, I understood that Yah was declaring that the fat of animals should be set apart for him. I was about ready to submit to shutting down my tallow business, but upon deeper study and discussion among peers, I realized what Yah was really saying about how these precious fats should be used.
While we love the versatility and nutrient density of tallow, when it comes to creating a Biblically clean home it can become confusing to know how to navigate using it in foods and for household use.
We let scripture define what is food and listen to what Yah says should not be eaten, as it would defile our bodies.
Leviticus 3:14-17 says, "And he shall offer thereof his offering, even an offering made by fire unto Yahweh; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is Yahweh's. It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood. (RSB)"
Here we see that tallow - specifically KPH tallow or the fat that encases the kidneys and other organs - belongs to Yah. It is very clear that this fat should NOT be eaten, and therefore should not be used to cook our food in either. But is this just for animals that were being sacrificed?
Leviticus 7:22-25 says, "And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall no wise eat of it. For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto Yahweh, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. (RSB)"
Here we see that even if an animal dies on its own, and is not killed as a sacrifice, the fat still must not be eaten.
Can other fats be eaten and cooked with? As long as it is not encasing the organs, it can be used in cooking. If you want to cook with tallow, you will probably need to render your own to make sure that only the permitted pieces of fat are rendered. Most store bought brands will have KPH fat mixed in. This is also the fat that is mixed into ground beef.
A friend of mine went into her local meat market and asked them which fat they put into their tallow scraps. They happily took her into the back and showed her the options so she could select the trimmings that came off the meat rather than the KPH fat for her cooking oil rendering.
So now that we're clear on whether or not we should be eating tallow, and which kind we may cook with, is it ok to use the KPH tallow in our skincare, soaps, etc? The scripture quoted above specifically indicates that the fats from these clean animals may be "used for any other use". That makes them okay for household use as well as skincare - so long as they are being used outside the body and are not eaten.
Clean animals include oxen, cows, sheep, goats, etc. and their KPH fat can be used externally.
If you're looking for a good cooking fat - you can always use butter, coconut oil, ghee or schmaltz (poultry fat from the skin that can be skimmed off the top of homemade broth).
Here's a good resource about cooking fats here: Biblically Clean Kitchen
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