Timeless Torah

Kabbalistic teachings examine all aspects of existence, including why the word “pig” has become a universal symbol of insult. If you don’t accept this fact, recall some of these timeless classics; Nazi pig, You live like a pig, Sexist pig, Cops are pigs, Greedy pig, You stink and eat like a pig, etc. This most treif of all animals is mentioned together with the camel, the hyrax, and the hare. These four creatures are singled out due to an ambiguity surrounding their status. Since they possess one kosher sign but not the other, some might have considered them semi-kosher. The Torah thus sets the record straight.

However, even within this group of imposters and kosher-wannabees, the pig stands out. The other three animals who all chew their cud do not have split hooves, which are readily apparent. The pig is different. It brazenly flaunts its split hoof, while its non-cud chewing feature remains obscured. This attempt to masquerade itself as kosher earns the pig its unique status.

Certain animals are elevated through slaughtering them in a proscribed manner, and consuming them as food. The non-kosher species are consecrated precisely by our rejection of them. Yet the pig defies our efforts and seeks to deceive us regarding its true nature. Thus he represents the type of evil which is hardest to combat, the subtle evil packaged in the guise of goodness.

So while there are lots of animals, only one qualifies as a chazir, or pig. Unless you’re including the variety that no taxonomist would usually identify: the two legged kind. That’s right! People can also be pigs, playing the role of friend while dragging your good name through the mud .
There is another facet of the human pig that deserves exploration; the nature of some individuals to hog everything for themselves. Nearly one thousand years ago, Rav Immanuel of Rome, in his book Machberos/dictionary, demonstrated etymologically that a stingy person is little more than a pig. Indeed the proof is right in this week’s Torah reading.

In Biblical Hebrew, the phrases for the two signs of a kosher animal are mafris parsah (split hooves) and ma’alei geirah (chews its cud). Nonetheless, the term “hoof” or parsah is also used as a unit of distance, and the term for “cud”-gerah also means a unit of money, and an extremely small one at that (the equivalent of our nickel).

Armed with this information, the Rabbi from Rome defines a pig as a creature that will “mafris parsah, ” travel a great distance for his own needs, but to help others, “lo yigar,” he won’t give a nickel!

Charity is one of our greatest mitzvos. If we internalized that all our blessing come from G-d, giving 10% of our income for others would not be so difficult. In so doing, we would show that we are not pigs.
This lesson on charity is further clarified when we arrive at the section that lists the non-kosher birds. Among them is the stork, referred to as a chassidah, which is a term associated with kindness. Like the pig that exhibits some kosher attribute, this bird is off limits. Why? It directs its kindness exclusively to its own specie, but not others.

It is interesting that this week’s selection of ETHICS OF OUR FATHERS records, “On three things the world stands; on Torah, Service, and Gemilas Chassadim-Acts of Kindness.” How is Gemilas Chassadim different from just plain Chassadim?

The Hebrew letters that form the root of that word are Gimel, Mem and Lamed (גמל). The Talmud tells us that GiMel means giving to the poor. The next two letters spell out Mal (מל) which means to cut, often used in reference to the circumcision procedure. The final letter Lamed (ל) is Hebrew for, to learn.
What does all of this conceptually add up to? Give with the intention of eventually cutting off the pipeline so that the recipient learns from you how he himself must extend chassadim-kindness. A perfect example of this in nature is the tree that holds its fruit no longer than is necessary. When the fruit is ripe and ready to reproduce, it is released. This is a model ofvgemilas chassadim.
Every father, mother, and teacher hopes that the child will one day walk on their own, passing on what they have received. Parenting is neither a business deal with a quid pro quo nor a power play to hold others in a position of permanent dependency. Gemilas Chassadim is a program to bring another to maturity with the ability to give in kind. This kind of relationship is worlds apart from other chassadim.