Why don’t Jews eat pork?

[roger1440]

Please don’t quote scripture. I can do that on my own. Is there something that predates Jewish dietary laws? I don’t have an answer. I can only guess.

 

[McBell]

Please don’t quote scripture. I can do that on my own. Is there something that predates Jewish dietary laws? I don’t have an answer. I can only guess.

And if their reason is because of their scripture?

Seems rather agenda filled to ask a question then forbid the answer.

 

[RedDragon94]

Please don’t quote scripture. I can do that on my own. Is there something that predates Jewish dietary laws? I don’t have an answer. I can only guess.

I wonder if there's anything in Zoroastrianism that dictates dietary laws.

 

[roger1440]

And if their reason is because of their scripture?

Seems rather agenda filled to ask a question then forbid the answer.

The answer I'm looking for pre dates scripture.

 

[Unification]

Please don’t quote scripture. I can do that on my own. Is there something that predates Jewish dietary laws? I don’t have an answer. I can only guess.

They view it outwardly and literally, as in a literal diet. Really, it's not to dabble into things of the lower mind, and with other lower minds, it likes to roll in the mud and is symbolic for a pig. Misery loves company, and conditions ones mind. Not a good "diet" for ones mind to be around lower minded folks, negativity, the cynical, and bad influences. The mind becomes spoon-fed garbage. Swine/pigs-the lower minded will condition someone into an impure and unclean mind.

 

[Unification]

They view it outwardly and literally, as in a literal diet. Really, it's not to dabble into things of the lower mind, and with other lower minds, it likes to roll in the mud and is symbolic for a pig. Misery loves company, and conditions ones mind. Not a good "diet" for ones mind to be around lower minded folks, negativity, the cynical, and bad influences. The mind becomes spoon-fed garbage.

Don't give your pearls to pigs/swine/pork... The lower minded.

 

[JayJayDee]

The answer I'm looking for pre dates scripture.

Have you considered the case of Noah who lived quite some time before Moses wrote about him?

He was told to take two of the "unclean" animals but seven of the "clean" animals on board the ark. Since humans did not eat meat prior to the flood, the designation of clean and unclean must have pertained to sacrifice. Unclean animals could not be offered to God in sacrifice, hence the need for only two of them.
Having seven of the clean animals meant six for breeding and one to offer to God. Six for breeding would also add more quickly to their numbers as humans began to eat flesh and offer these animals in sacrifice.

I know pig meat was subject paracitic infection that could be passed on to humans, so this could have had something to do with avoiding it.

Trichinosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Seems rather agenda filled to ask a question then forbid the answer.

^ This. Also this.

 

[Unification]

Have you considered the case of Noah who lived quite some time before Moses wrote about him?

He was told to take two of the "unclean" animals but seven of the "clean" animals on board the ark. Since humans did not eat meat prior to the flood, the designation of clean and unclean must have pertained to sacrifice. Unclean animals could not be offered to God in sacrifice, hence the need for only two of them.
Having seven of the clean animals meant six for breeding and one to offer to God. Six for breeding would also add more quickly to their numbers as humans began to eat flesh and offer these animals in sacrifice.

I know pig meat was subject paracitic infection that could be passed on to humans, so this could have had something to do with avoiding it.

Trichinosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just my 2 cents worth.

The human is the animal in need of sacrificing carnality and animal nature. Unclean animals are "impure/unclean thoughts." Parasitic thoughts will corrupt. Such is pigs/pork/swine symbolic of the lower mind... Nurture the mind to be cautious of what one thinks, not what they eat.
The ark is the brain.

 

[Tumah]

Please don’t quote scripture. I can do that on my own. Is there something that predates Jewish dietary laws? I don’t have an answer. I can only guess.

Jews don't eat pork because that's what is says in Scriptures.
Perhaps what you mean to ask was "according to those who believe that Scriptures is a human construct, for what reason did the authors forbid pork?"

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Jews don't eat pork because that's what is says in Scriptures.
Perhaps what you mean to ask was "according to those who believe that Scriptures is a human construct, for what reason did the authors forbid pork?"

Correct. Put differently, it's interesting to distinguish between two questions:

1. Why don't Jews eat pork?
2. Why didn't the early Israelites eat pork?

 

[Etritonakin]

Please don’t quote scripture. I can do that on my own. Is there something that predates Jewish dietary laws? I don’t have an answer. I can only guess.

It was initially intended that mankind (from Adam -Adam was the first man by biblical definition -not scientific -and the bible does not say no humanoids existed before Adam)
should not eat any animal flesh at all.

The prohibition of pork, specifically, is just one part of one step toward bring mankind back to the state of Eden.

In Eden, they were vegetarian -if not Vegan

Afterward, God allowed all animal flesh to be eaten -along with plants

Then God eventually only allowed some animal flesh to be eaten (beef=yes, pork=no, etc.)

Later, animal flesh will again not be eaten -and even the nature of animals will be changed so that they do not eat each others' flesh.

There are physical (health/disease) and psychological effects which accompanied this process -and availability of food might also have been a factor.

Allowing all flesh to be eaten was part of leaving Eden/being cut off from the tree of life.
It is likely most would eat what they would anyway -so prohibitions and allowances really only concerned those who willed to be obedient to God (allowing things only made it "official" that he would not hold them against people -but they would still have their physical and psychological effects),
but they were still the offspring of those who were cast out of Eden. God pretty much knew that similar choices would be made, but initially gave the opportunity to choose correctly nonetheless.
God uses and manages the less-than-desirable states caused by choosing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to give man an experience base from which to eventually determine that obedience to God is good and necessary -just as he has his way in the storm, uses the creatures to do his will (plagues of locusts, for example) -and even uses disease to work out his purpose.

Eden was closely managed by a supernatural being which had all knowledge. There was no fear of death or disease.

Being cast out meant vulnerability to both death and disease -no continued management of perfection by God, etc...

I don't know exactly what God was thinking.
Allowing all flesh may have been to allow greater possibility of survival out in the big scary world -but it likely introduced many opportunities for disease, etc.

Allowing only some animal flesh when Israel had become a proper nation -more able to raise certain animals as a community
-likely translated to better health, and was a move toward conditioning carnal minds to differentiate between good and evil -clean and unclean -in preparation for the eventual new covenant which was of a more spiritual nature.

In the future, those made immortal (which will rule on earth with Messiah [Christ -yes, I know -not what Jews believe, but... regardless, the OT speaks of a paradise on earth where the nature of animals is changed, etc.) will have a Godly spiritual nature -and nature on earth will reflect the spirit of love and an absence of harm. The entire world will become the kingdom of God -managed by a supernatural being with all knowledge. It will not be survival mode as it has been. There will certainly be no need to eat anything one finds.

There are plenty of scriptures about all of that -but you asked for no quotes.

 

[Desert Snake]

It was initially intended that mankind (from Adam -Adam was the first man by biblical definition -not scientific -and the bible does not say no humanoids existed before Adam)
should not eat any animal flesh at all.

The prohibition of pork, specifically, is just one part of one step toward bring mankind back to the state of Eden.

In Eden, they were vegetarian -if not Vegan

Afterward, God allowed all animal flesh to be eaten -along with plants

Then God eventually only allowed some animal flesh to be eaten (beef=yes, pork=no, etc.)

Later, animal flesh will again not be eaten -and even the nature of animals will be changed so that they do not eat each others' flesh.

There are physical (health/disease) and psychological effects which accompanied this process -and availability of food might also have been a factor.

Allowing all flesh to be eaten was part of leaving Eden/being cut off from the tree of life.
It is likely most would eat what they would anyway -so prohibitions and allowances really only concerned those who willed to be obedient to God (allowing things only made it "official" that he would not hold them against people -but they would still have their physical and psychological effects),
but they were still the offspring of those who were cast out of Eden. God pretty much knew that similar choices would be made, but initially gave the opportunity to choose correctly nonetheless.
God uses and manages the less-than-desirable states caused by choosing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to give man an experience base from which to eventually determine that obedience to God is good and necessary -just as he has his way in the storm, uses the creatures to do his will (plagues of locusts, for example) -and even uses disease to work out his purpose.

Eden was closely managed by a supernatural being which had all knowledge. There was no fear of death or disease.

Being cast out meant vulnerability to both death and disease -no continued management of perfection by God, etc...

I don't know exactly what God was thinking.
Allowing all flesh may have been to allow greater possibility of survival out in the big scary world -but it likely introduced many opportunities for disease, etc.

Allowing only some animal flesh when Israel had become a proper nation -more able to raise certain animals as a community
-likely translated to better health, and was a move toward conditioning carnal minds to differentiate between good and evil -clean and unclean -in preparation for the eventual new covenant which was of a more spiritual nature.

I suppose this is why, Cains offering wasn't accepted, and Abels was. /sarcasm.

What I mean is, the logic of your proposal is not shown by other Scripture, it's basically contradictory.

 

[Etritonakin]

I suppose this is why, Cains offering wasn't accepted, and Abels was. /sarcasm.

What I mean is, the logic of your proposal is not shown by other Scripture, it's basically contradictory.

Why?

It is specifically stated that both humans and animals in Eden were to eat only plants. (Gen 1:29-30)

What is not specifically stated is the nature of the "offering" of the "firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" -or the reason Cain tended sheep.

Even if the offering was a sacrifice which necessitated the death of the animals (which is not stated) -that has nothing to do with eating sheep (which produce wool for clothing, etc.)

It was not until after the flood that God specifically allowed animal flesh to be eaten in addition to plants. (Gen 9:3)

It should be noted that Cain and Abel were born after Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden. Even if they did eat meat at that point, it was not officially sanctioned.

 

[Rival]

I wonder if there's anything in Zoroastrianism that dictates dietary laws.

No.

 

[Levite]

Correct. Put differently, it's interesting to distinguish between two questions:

1. Why don't Jews eat pork?
2. Why didn't the early Israelites eat pork?

^^^ Yes, this.

The OP doesn't actually mean "Why don't Jews eat pork." Because the answer is in Torah: that's part of the mitzvah of kashrut. I don't know any Jews who shun eating pork for any other reason.

What reasons the early Israelites had for not eating pork is a separate question, to which we likely will never have a conclusive answer. Although I am fairly sure the answer would not be trichinosis.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

^^^ Yes, this.

The OP doesn't actually mean "Why don't Jews eat pork." Because the answer is in Torah: that's part of the mitzvah of kashrut. I don't know any Jews who shun eating pork for any other reason.

What reasons the early Israelites had for not eating pork is a separate question, to which we likely will never have a conclusive answer. Although I am fairly sure the answer would not be trichinosis.

This ...

Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork are a tradition in the Ancient Near East. Swine were prohibited in ancient Syria andPhoenicia, ...
- ibid

is intriguing.

There is plenty of material in the Torah to suggest a healthy fear of *plague (and an unhealthy theology/superstition associating it with the wrath of god). Interestingly, we read the following in the Wikipedia entry on Bubonic plague:

The plague was not just carried by rats as some people assume. The fleas also carried it. It came abroad from Kaffa by the Black Sea. From there the disease started to go new places in 1347. It went to England in 1349. There it killed half of the people in England. 70% of people who got plague died. Pigs are also to blame for the transmission, as the bacteria stayed in their blood system, and when eaten, people caught the plague. This is a reason why so few Jews or Muslims caught the disease.

Early outbreaks would have almost certainly have been associated with trade route settlements and, over the course of time, engendered an understandable paranoia about associating with the Other: in particular, don't eat their food and, for God's sake, don't sleep with their women.

* It's an interesting lens through which to read Matot.

 

[roger1440]

Correct. Put differently, it's interesting to distinguish between two questions:

1. Why don't Jews eat pork?
2. Why didn't the early Israelites eat pork?

The question could have been phrased many different ways. I don’t think anyone reading this thread misunderstands the question.

 

[jojom]

I thought roger1440's question here is quite clear:

"Is there something [a reason for not eating pork] that predates Jewish dietary laws?"​

This would be before the Ten Commandments were handed down.

"The dietary laws are a system of rules received from Moses at Mt. Sinai at the same time he received the Ten Commandments."
Introduction
​

Sometime "between the 16th and 13th centuries bc." My impression is that, speculation aside, no one really knows.
Ten Commandments | Old Testament | Britannica.com

 

[metis]

One can only speculate what may have been the cause of why we don't eat pork as it is never explained why pigs were declared "unclean" to begin with, and speculation is just that-- speculation. Therefore, I take my very common position of "I don't know".