Kabbalah on Pork

Kabbalah on Pork

Comparison between the various animals that represent different nations: Israel is compared to a sheep, Eisav (the modern western world, from Rome) to a pig, and Ishmael (the Arab world) to a camel.
Interesting side point: These animals are the staple foods of their respective nations.

Sheep: chew their cud and have split-hooves. Pigs: have split-hooves but don’t chew their cud. Camels: chew their cud but don’t have split-hooves.
Hooves represent travelling forward; exemplified by the Western world. A father is, “The old man.” Technology renders yesterday’s wonders obsolete. We look forward with hardly a look behind: Split-hooves but no chewing the cud.
Chewing the cud is a regurgitation of the past. This describes the Arab world: Chewing the cud but no split hooves.
The sheep (and other kosher animals) have both. Israel respects even and reveres fthe past, and works toward the future. (Midrash)

But Kabbalistically Speaking…
Definition: Pig - Chazir: Unclean, un-kosher, impure, treif.
Kosher, pure: fit to eat. Un-kosher, impure: not fit to eat.
Can we extend these terms to good and bad, righteous and evil?
Is one born good or bad? No. Good or bad is a by-product of the choices we make.
Is the world around us holy or unholy? Can a place be holy or unholy? Depends on what we do there.
The same is true for an object. It depends.
Holy is that which expresses or reveals G-dliness. Unholy (impure, Tomei from Atum means sealed off is that which does not express or reveal G-dliness.
Is a pig holy, unholy? What did the pig do???? What was his choice?

All things can be used in holiness. Minerals nurture the plant, which feeds the animal which feeds a man, etc. (Tanya) What happens if you eat the pig and use the strength for holiness?
A Jew cannot elevate the pig, but a non-Jew can??? How can that be?
Each object can express more or less G-dliness, depending on its soul (life-force).
Shema…Hashem Echad means G-d is the only reality. Everything comes from G-d. How can evil come from G-d?
Just as intimate relationships are not good or bad. It depends on how and when. So too should it be with pork?

Most animals not kosher, so why pick on the pig?
Pig not so bad: His intestines are exactly as ours (Talmud) Pig valves are used in heart procedures (also eyes).
A tale of two worlds: Tohu (Chaos) and Tikkun (Fixed) World first created with Tohu, then Tikkun.
Person created in the image of G-d. Therefore a person must possess a bit of both worlds.
Is love a good thing? Yes and No. Depends if it is directed or not.
Is discipline a good or bad thing? It depends if it modified.

Tohu is like a baby? No rules (Cute up to a year).
Tikkun is balance (shalom – peace is all about compromise: (Shalom Bayis)
Our world has a little bit of both. Forces out control are from Tohu, forces that are controlled are from Tikkun.

Generally speaking humans are from Tikkun, animals from Tohu. More specifically an animal that is bound to the untamed world originated from Tohu.
Animal life is not a holy or unholy life. It has no rules of goodness.
Which animal can we elevate? The split hooves means the animal is not flat-footed. It stands a drop above the earth. The split shows on two sides (of the issue); harmony, balance - Tikkun.
Chewing its cud: not ingest anything from the outside, it works hard to refine the food so that it can absorb.
Kabbalistically: Every person has g-dly and animal soul. How do you elevate your animal (soul)? Have to be a little bit elevated from the world (split hooves) and you have to be discerning (chewing cud).

The unkosher animal that comes from Tohu is wild untamed energy let loose.  The Bing Bang of kabbalah is Sheviras Hakeilim (breaking of the vessels).
There is light and vessel (a pragmatic way to harness and express the energy) Ex: the feeling is the energy, the words are the expression.
Tikkun has large vessels that can harness and articulate the energy. Tohu has large energy with small vessels (scream of frustration). 
Yaacov and Eisav = Tikkun vs. Eiusav.  Eisav had incredible neshama. Problem: pure untamed energy that could never be tamed. Isaac tried. Rivka gave up and put her energy into Yacov. Eisav became father of Haman, Rome, Hitler. 

Unkosher animals come from Tohu. Eat that crazy energy and it becomes a part of you. You will not elevate it, they will bring you down. Ramban: you are what you eat; cruel tendencies. You will acquire those characteristics. It makes you Tomei-Atum.

“Esav was forty years old when he married Yehudith daughter of Beeri the Hittite…”
Esav’s actions may be compared to that of a pig, who displays its split hooves, implying that it is a kosher animal.
Torah mentions three other animals which have only a single sign of kashrut\: the camel, the hyrax, and the hare. \ Torah writes that the reason that they are not kosher is because they have a single sign of kashrut!!!
The Torah considers these four animals to be more unkosher than others. Because they take on the guise of kosher animals.

Will Tohu ever be fixed? Moshiach.
Sages: Lomoh nikrah Shmoh Chazir Al shem Shetachzir Lonu? Why only chazir?

Why did G-d put challenges? Because He loves us (Nahma Dichsufa-Bread of shame)
Why is chazir the paradigm for evil? Because the hardest evil to overcome is the one you don’t recognize.
Eisav is the chazir/pig. Played mind games with his father. Evil masquerading as righteous.
Evil from within, your brother.
Pig is close to human being. Which human being? Eisav (Like Rosh Hashans dinner at Toojay’s)

Pig Eats everything in sight. A pig shows no discrimination.
Eisav is the first place Moshiach going to go
The Judaism that looks like Judism is the most dangerous. We have to worry about our spiritual PIG, the evil that is not easily identifiable (sounds kosher) is the most dangerous thing that threatens us. This is the pork in our livingroom, etc. Terorist organizatinms running as charity services.

Kabbalah on Cheeseburgers