Why Is Eating Pork Forbidden?

Roi asks: Why did the Holy Torah prohibit us from eating pork and impure animals, given that scientific experts don't find any fault in consuming them?"

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Hello and blessings, Roi, and thank you for your question.

From a health perspective, many medical experts actually oppose eating pork. Numerous people argue that because pork is fatty, the rates of obesity, illness, and heart attacks are among the highest in the United States. The fat cells in this animal are greater in number than the muscle cells, which is why, even outwardly, it appears fatty and swollen, and its image is often used to describe greedy and gluttonous people. Furthermore, it's also important to remember that pigs are dirty animals and often contaminated. Although they're not necessarily dirty in nature, under captivity conditions, they become very dirty, wallow in mud, and tend to eat contaminated food of all kinds. It's no coincidence that the pig represents bad odor and filth in human language.

For thousands of years, Jews in the diaspora have been saved from many diseases associated with pig farming and consumption in Europe, which Jews always avoided. As Maimonides wrote about the pig: "Moreover, the Torah loathed it because of its abundance of filth and because it feeds on filth. The Torah's care about even seeing filth in the desert within the camp is well known, even more so within cities" (Guide for the Perplexed, Part 3, Ch. 48). Still, it's evident that the Torah prohibited animals from being eaten not only due to natural medical reasons.

There are many opinions on this matter. Fascinating studies have shown that kosher animals do not feel pain when they are killed because the nerve center passes through the throat, while in pigs and impure animals, the nerves pass through the neck, making it impossible for them not to feel pain when slain. In kosher slaughter of pure animals, loss of consciousness occurs within 2 seconds, and the sensation of pain is non-existent. This is determined by Dr. Temple Grandin, considered one of the world's leading experts on animal euthanasia. Dr. Grandin's article was published in the Jerusalem Post (12.17.04). Among other things, she writes, "I know that kosher slaughter, when done correctly, is the most humane method of euthanasia...".

Compassion towards animals is not only concerning the moment of slaughter but also relates to the intelligence level of the animal being led to slaughter. It seems the Torah allowed us to eat only the most naïve and simple creatures in nature, meaning those who would feel the least pain and understanding in their death. The pig is the fourth most intelligent animal in the world, and in England, it is raised as a pet. It is an intelligent animal that is very aware of its captivity and understands when it is about to be killed, suffering no less than a dog or cat. We can say that just as the Torah forbade us from eating intelligent animals like dogs and monkeys, it also forbade us from eating intelligent animals like pigs. Maimonides explains in Guide for the Perplexed that the real intention of the Torah in many commandments related to animals is to teach Jews the trait of mercy. This means that psychologically and spiritually, by killing only innocent and mindless animals, we avoid developing the cruelty prevalent among non-Jews.

It's no coincidence that animals like cats, dogs, and monkeys have expressive eyes and gazes. The animals that the Torah prohibited for consumption are precisely those that are found to have investigative eyes, observing, watching, curious. Notice how in the animal category, the Torah prohibited dogs, cats, monkeys, horses; in the marine mammal category, it prohibited dolphins, seals, whales; in the bird category, it prohibited parrots, vultures, songbirds. Conversely, the few animals that the Torah permitted for consumption are found to have blank, indifferent, dreamy, unfocused eyes, lacking thought. In my humble opinion, it is no coincidence that the Torah allowed us to eat only the most innocent and mindless animals: the sheep, chicken, cow, goat; animals which naturally sit in herds, incubate in the same place in nature for weeks or months without feeling any boredom. Even in the fish category, the Torah allowed us only the most primitive fish with scales and did not permit any marine mammals.

However, behind every physical reason in the Torah, there is also a spiritual reason. The Sages taught us that by eating forbidden creatures and carcasses, a person introduces spiritual impurity into their being, making it difficult to approach Hashem and matters of mitzvah. There is a popular saying, "You are what you eat." Science indeed teaches that the quality of food affects the body and the mind. There is a connection between foods and the traits they impart on our minds and emotions, and it is possible that eating animals like pigs adds material characteristics to a person, distancing them from spirituality.