Not consuming pork is a defining tradition in Judaism, one of main rules of keeping kosher, the Jewish dietary laws. In the book of Leviticus, God told the Israelites that they may eat any animal that has a cleft hoof and chews the cud: this includes ox, sheep, goats, deer and cows. However, God prohibits Jews from eating pork since it is an animal that has a split hoof but does not chew the cud. As with many of the laws of the Torah, there is no real reason given for why Jews cannot eat pork. The Bible only states that the pig is unclean. Here God tells us what we cannot do, and the reason seems to be: “Because I told you so!”
Jewish commentators throughout the ages have tried to understand why God would prohibit the consumption of pork. Some scholars believe that the pig simply became taboo in Israelite culture early on and we have upheld that tradition until today. Other commentators suggest that even before there were doctors, Jews realized that the pig could be dangerous to eat as it spends most of the day in its own refuse. Or maybe we cannot eat pork because as the old joke goes: “It is hard to be Jew!” Whatever the reason for the prohibition of pork, it was a powerful practice that Jews have upheld for millennia.
I suspect that if you took a survey of American Jews today, the vast majority would say that they eat pork. Ever since arriving on American shores, Jews have strived to assimilate and fit in with the larger culture. For many people that meant giving up specific Jewish practices that made them stand apart, like not working on Saturday and avoiding bacon and ham.
Even in Israel, many secular Jews eat pork. They call it basar lavan, which means “white meat,” like tv commercial slogan: “The Other White Meat.” It is interesting that Israelis do not use the biblical word chazer, which means pig. Perhaps the Jewish stigma against eating pork can still remain strong, even for those who do choose to eat it.
I grew up eating pork like any good Midwestern American boy. In my family, we did not practice any of the kosher laws. We ate pork, pepperoni, ham and bacon. I grew up in a Reform Synagogue in St. Louis and was confirmed. However, it was not until I entered Tufts University that I became very interested in Judaism. Yet, I had no connection or background with the kosher laws. Like most American Jews I knew that pork was forbidden in Jewish practice, but I still kept eating pepperoni pizza.
Then one day I was in the dining hall and I saw a grilled ham and cheese, a sandwich that I had consumed a dozen times that year and always enjoyed. As I thought about eating that ham and cheese, I actually got a little bit nauseous. At that moment, I knew then that it was time for me to give up pork. I have not had a slice of ham or a piece of bacon since.
Looking back, it was my rising sense of Jewish commitment that was coming into conflict with my American lifestyle and dietary choices. I could no longer stomach the idea of eating pork if I was going to continue to move closer to Judaism. So I gave it up. Today, I practice a modified from of keeping kosher: I do not eat pork and shellfish, but I do mix meat and milk. This compromise works for me, and it is a very Reform way of approaching Jewish tradition.
Reform Judaism stresses the idea of informed choice. Reform Jews need to learn about the Jewish rituals and traditions and why they are important. Then we choose which traditions to follow in our lives, traditions that give us a sense of meaning and connection to Judaism. For me that meant that I do not eat pork, but I do not practice other kosher laws like separating meat an milk.
The beauty of Reform Judaism is that each person can choose his or her own level of ritual practice. The danger of Reform Judaism is that we must have some level of Jewish practice to keep our religion meaningful and alive. Informed choice does not mean wholesale rejection.
People sometimes ask me if I miss eating pork, and I always say: “Yes, sometimes I do.” But my refraining from pork is a way of acknowledging the laws of keeping kosher, and it makes me feel closer to my Judaism and Jews stretching all the way back to the Bible.