The Dietary Taboos in Judaism
Course: Philosphy of Religion

The concept of taboos exists in several religions; its presence has been there for many years. The significance of taboos may be because of health concerns in the sense that certain taboos may reduce, and suppress people to eat a certain food item or act upon something which may have a negative impact on our health both mentally, and physically. Another reason may be to prevent people from upsetting the gods or goddesses. The third reason is for the community to have an order in their government as well as the proper regulations in the economy. One of many taboos that are present in the modern day is the dietary restrictions in the Judaism religion. This specific taboo is known as Kosher or Kashrut, among Jewish people (Rich, 2011). It originates from Torah, a holy scripture which dates back several years ago (Religious Laws: Taboo Foods in Judaism). Some of the restrictions the taboo states are that people should not eat pork; meat and dairy products that come in contact, and shellfish.

The concept of this taboo is similar to other religions such as the Hindu and Islamic religions. To begin with, the reason behind not consuming pork is that pigs or meat from this species are considered unclean therefore restricted because of hygiene issues (Religious Laws: Taboo Foods in Judaism). The taboo also restrains people from eating meat that come from animals that do not have cloven hooves or chew their own cud, for instance pigs and hares (Rich, 2011). Another dietary restriction is shellfish, according to the Kosher standards, people should avoid eating sea creatures that do not have scales and fins, this includes sea creatures such as clams, crabs, and lobsters (Rich, 2011). The third dietary restriction is eating food items that comprise of meat and dairy product coming in contact with one another for the reason that it is believed to be unhealthy and harmful for the body (Rich, 2011). To conclude, dietary taboos in Judaism provide regulations in order to prevent people from consuming food that is considered unhygienic and that does not follow proper rituals according to Jewish scriptures.

Another reason as to why these taboos are placed is due to the close resemblance of certain aspects of cannibalism. According to Christopher Hitchens, a renowned author, journalist, and debater argues that the dietary taboos in Judaism are a mere Bronze Age superstition (Rosenburg, 2012). In his book titled ‘God is not great’ he points out the similarities between pigs and humans (Hitchens). They both share similar DNA, and types of organs such as the skin, kidneys, and heart valves that are suitable as transplants for humans (Hitchens). Furthermore pigs are considerably smarter in comparison to other domestic animals in relation to the ratio between the weight of the brain and the body; it can keep itself clean and can be social amongst other pigs when left by themselves with proper space in their environment (Hitchens). In the ancient-era Israel, rituals would be carried out that incorporate the sacrifice of certain parts of animals (Rosenburg, 2012). This is performed to please the God so that it would prevent natural disasters, health diseases, infant mortality, and increasing deaths of females due to childbirth from occurring (Rosenburg, 2012). As time progressed, after the restriction on pork consumption had been placed, non-sacrificial meat was allowed to be consume, Israelites would also perform human sacrifice, particularly infants to the God (Rosenburg, 2012). Since humans and pigs have similar skin, the burning (roasting) of pigs would produce a similar odor to humans being sacrificed; therefore this observation would have been noticed by the Israelites at that time. Hence Christopher Hitchens explains that the sacrifice and consumption of pork can be seen as a cannibalistic act due to the similarities between pigs and humans (Rosenburg, 2012). In addition, James William, an author and spokesperson for biblical studies narrates in his article that archaeologists were able to uncover several remains of shellfish, although they were not able to find any remains of pigs in ancient-era Israeli settlements (Williams). Therefore, the key evidences discovered support the fact that this taboo was in existence for many generations. This demonstrates that the purpose of these food taboos is to prevent, and dissipate the idea of cannibalism and acts that resemble such thought in order to protect people in the community. Therefore this encourages unity and humanity among the Judaism society.

On the other hand Mary Douglas, a British anthropologist states that the food taboos in Judaism is created for the purpose of bringing an order into the community (Neyrey, 2011). She explains that we view things as symbolic representations, dirt is a relative term which basically means that something is ‘out of place’ in the perception of the labelers (Neyrey, 2011). Objects and persons may be perceived clean in one situation but dirty in another (Neyrey, 2011). Mary Douglas notes that the Kashrut laws relates to certain species that cross boundaries for example, if a species lives in the sea but walks, such as a crab, it is considered unkosher, because it has crossed a boundary (Reform Judaism, 2014). If it is a bird that can fly, such as an ostrich, it similarly is considered unkosher (Reform Judaism, 2014). The dietary taboos inform people about what type of food is considered proper and improper. Hence a system of classifications is created in order to help people make the community more organized and bring a sense of order.

Another aspect to explain the formation of these dietary taboos is due to economic factors.
Marvin Harris, an American anthropologist and professor states that this prohibition is placed as pigs are difficult to raise in a hot, dry environment (Harris, 1987). The woodlands and riverbanks are ideally suited for pigs to inhabit in. Moreover pigs do not sweat as they do not have any sweat glands, consequently pigs need to bathe in cool water in order to control their body temperatures, and this may be the reason why pigs would also wallow in mud and their own urine (Harris, 1987). Therefore pigs are regarded as unclean creatures. Unlike other farm animals such as sheep, goat and cattle, pigs are not ruminant; meaning pigs in general can eat grass when they feel very hungry, though they cannot rely on it as a regular source of food (Harris, 1987). This suggests that pigs require extra effort and attention so as to raise them, making it difficult for Israeli farmers to nurture it especially in an environment that is not well suited for pigs. Therefore Marvin Harris says that only a small numbers of pigs can taken care for in the short- term, it cannot be considered as a regular source of food for Israelis as it is difficult to raise pigs which require more effort than other farm animals (Harris, 1987). As a result a dietary prohibition is placed on pork consumption in Judaism in order to prevent others to waste the limited resources (Harris, 1987).

Although there is not a definitive explanation as to why these dietary restrictions have been placed, there have been many reasons given to try to explain the purpose of these food taboos.
The dietary taboo may serve to provide a sense of belonging in the Jewish community. Dietary taboos apply to everyone in Judaism, unlike other religions whose taboos and laws may differentiate according to the different type of castes an individual is in. On the other hand, these taboos serve purpose with the intention of preventing its people from committing a cannibalistic act by discouraging all rituals that may resemble that of a cannibalistic nature. One of main reason this taboo is placed in Judaism is to prevent people from consuming animals that are considered unclean and unhygienic so that people can consume foods that do not have a negative impact upon them. The dietary taboos are an integral part of the Judaism religion as it provides the society, a sense of order as well as informs people regarding what animals are proper to consume in order to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Works Cited
Harris, M. (1987). Aurora Online with Marvin Harris- Interview. (B. Spronk, Interviewer)
Hitchens, C. (n.d.). God is not Great. Retrieved from Problems of Evolution: