page_title: Unclean animal
section_title: Insects
hierarchical_section_title: Unclean animal / Judaism / Insects
caption_attribution_description: English: Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) laying eggs during the 1994 locust outbreak in Mauritania (photographed by Christiaan Kooyman).
context_page_description: In some religions, an unclean animal is an animal whose consumption or handling is taboo. According to these religions, persons who handle such animals may need to ritually purify themselves to get rid of their uncleanliness.
context_section_description: The Torah allows eating certain kinds of "winged swarming things" (i.e. insects) while prohibiting others. However, due to uncertainty about the Hebrew insect names, rabbis today recommend that all insects be considered unclean. An exception is made for certain locusts (Schistocerca gregaria), which are traditionally considered kosher by some Yemenite Jewish communities. Leviticus 11:20–23 details which insects are not to be eaten, and due to the wording all insects are considered impure to avoid mistaken consumption.
  Bees' honey is considered kosher because the honey is not a product made of bees.
caption: Desert locust
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