Subject: Re:Jews don't eat pork

From: [email-masked] (Kip Davidson)
Date: 1 Oct 1994 01:51:31 -0700

The reason that Jews do not eat pork is that in Leviticus, it is
spelled out what animals are acceptable to eat and which are not.
For mammals the instructions are that the animal must have cloven
hooves and chew its cud.  The rabbit is forbidden because while it
chews its cud, it does not have cloven hooves.  Swine is forbidden
because while it has cloven hooves, it doesn't chew its cud.  
There are other strictures regarding seafood, insects, poultry
etc.  

While many people have tried to ascribe the idea of health
to laws of kashrut (keeping kosher), and who knows, mayber
health is one reason, another reason the Rabbi's have given
for following kosher laws is, "to keep yourselves apart as
a people".  In the days when being Jewish was difficult, 
uncomfortable, unfashionalbe, or downright dangerous, sometimes
the simple act of keeping kosher was the only thing that kept
Jews from assimilating and disappearing into the common culture.

Sorry if this sounds like a lecture.  I'll stop now

Merrin