Hi Folks, would someone please tell me why folks who practise Judaism don't eat pork?

Question

Is it just pork or are there other dietary taboos as well & why?

Answer 1

The reason that observant Jews do not eat pork is simple: It's a mitzvah (commandment) in the Torah not to do so. That in and of itself is sufficient reason. Many Jews today assume that the laws of kashrus (the dietary laws) were some sort of ancient health code, because unrefridgerated pork often caused trichanosis, and, well you don't need to be a genius to understand the potential problems of shellfish in the desert. The fact is that any health benefits that may derive from a kosher diet, while nice, are secondary to the fact that G-d commanded, and we therefore oblige.

I see one of the answers saying that cud-chewing animals are forbidden. This is incorrect. The only permitted animals are those that both chew their cud, and have split hooves. Oddly enough, ever since this edict was handed down, no new species have been discovered that posess both of these traits (that's pretty amazing if one attributes human authorship to the Torah... of course, if G-d wrote it, then it kind of makes sense). An animal that chews its cud and does not have a split hoof (like a rabbit) is forbidden, as is an anmal with split hooves that does not chew its cud (like a pig). In fact, the Torah sites those same examples, among others. The pig is of special note (and perhaps this is why the prohibition against eating pork is the best known) because, the commentaries explain, it lies on its back with its hooves in the air, as if to say "look - I'm a kosher animal." It's sort of a reminder to be careful in all areas of our lives...something may look okay on the surface, but that doesn't always make it so. Of course, I may be interpreting it completely the wrong way...consult your LOR. (Local Orthodox Rabbi)

Let's see...other "taboos"? Well, the only fish we can eat are those with fins and scales. Scales, in halakha (Jewish law) are defined as those that can be removed from the fish without damaging the underlying tissue. So the "scales" an a shark are considered as armor, and shark consequently is not kosher. You'll find also that a lot of the animals that are specifically forbidden are predetory creatures, while those that are allowed tend to be docile herbivores. There is the idea that one can be affected by the traits of the animals he or she eats (hey, what do you know? You really ARE what you eat.) - so bottom feeders, predators, scavengers...well, I can't think of any that are kosher.

So let's see...no pork (in fact, no meat except from the few types of kosher animals), no shellfish... we also don't eat meat and dairy together. After meat, one has to wait several hours before eating dairy (the most widely accepted custom seems to be six hours, but it varies depending on the custom of a given community...I think German Jews usually hold by three hours). The same is not necessary after dairy products. Simply rinsing out one's mouth and taking a bite of something pareve (neither meat nor dairy) like bread, is enough. Unless it's say, hard cheese, the particles of which may cling to one's teeth. Then you have to wait before eating meat. Some wait anyway, though not for nearly as long as after eating meat.

Also, it's customary not to eat fish and meat together. There's no waiting period - we just don't eat them at the same time, on the same plate, or with the same flatware. That's why at a Shabbos dinner table, if there's a course of gefilte fish or carp or whatever, they'll take away the plates and flatware you were using before bringing out the meat. I think the direct combination of meat and fish was considered unhealthy. I also think that modern microbiology might provide some evidence that this is true, but I'm no expert on microbes. Suffice it to say that it's a long-standing custom.

The laws of kashrus all have their basis in the Written and Oral Torah. The Written Torah is synonymous with the first five books of the Bible, and the Oral Torah is something, a bare skeleton of which was actually committed to writing aroudn two thousand years ago in something now called the Talmud.

Did I miss anything? (I'm looking at you JewishGirl -- you seem to know your stuff.)

For more information, I recommend this article at Judaism 101:
http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

It goes into more detail, and has some nifty links at the end.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

I'm not Jewish, so I don't follow these dietary rules, but I know where they come from. In the Old Testament of the Bible, God made some rules that He wanted His people to follow. Some of them included that the people would have to offer up animal sacrifices, and some were food rules about what they could and couldn't eat. Animals with hooves that are split into 2 parts (like a camel, pig, and I don't know what else!) were taboo to them, as well as fish (I think) and reptiles. If you look up those verses you could find it out more specifically. But why don't Christians follow those rules today? Because that's where Jews and Christians are different. Christians believe that when Jesus came to earth, He set us free from those old laws of the past. This means that we are free to eat whatever we want, without bothering God. We also don't have to make animal sacrifices because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. Jews on the other hand don't believe that Jesus died and came back to life, which means that they're still stuck believing the old laws and living by the rules of the Old Testament. Hope that clears it up!

Answer 3

Pigs / hogs / swine are listed in Leviticus as unclean animals. Carnivorous animals, animals with a split hoof, or shellfish (shrimp, lobster, etc., are generally bottom feeders in the water) all fall into this category of unclean animals. Animals that "chew the cud" are also on the list.

You can find all this in Leveiticus 11

Answer 4

The Jewish faith studies and follows only the Old Testament and/or Torah.
God gave this command to not eat meat with cloven hoofs or crustations, bottom feeders. It is in Deuteronomy or Leviticus I think

Answer 5

Moses gave a lot of dietary restrictions, including no shellfish (they cannot eat fish that have no scale and no fins), and don't eat a goat that has been cooked in its mother's milk (so they don't eat meat with cheese).

Answer 6

It's in the bible, they are not supposed to eat any cloven-hooved animal that doesn't eat it's own cud. Shellfish and others are also verboten.

Beef and other meat isn't kosher unless it's death is overseen by a rabbi to make sure it feels no pain in it's slaughter. There are many many rules, a plate can't have dairy and meat on it, etc...

Answer 7

the only thing i know is that really, pig is considered nasty. its because they will eat or drink anything. most religions say that your body is a temple and you have to treat it as such. i don't know if this applies to Judaism but i wouldn't put it out of thought.

Answer 8

They are still following mosaic laws as to the cleanliness of certain foods. The foods are listed in I believe leviticus as to what they are not supposed to eat.

Answer 9

Read "Cannibals and Kings." It has nothing to with food-borne diseases, by the way. The key was economics.

Answer 10

They consider it unclean. They also only eat the front half of the cow.

The rear end, the sh!tty end, is dirty too, so they don't eat it.