WHY JEWS DON'T EAT PORK

WHEN JESUS WAS A YOUNG MAN HE WENT PLACES, HE LIKED CHILDREN AND
OLD PEOPLE. HE LIKED TO WATCH WEDDINGS AND MARKET PLACES. THE
JEWS HEARD OF JESUS AS A SMART MAN AND A GOOD DOCTOR. THEY HEARD
HE PERFORMED MIRACLES BUT NOT IN THIS CITY. SO THERE WAS A MARKET
PLACE WHERE THE FARMERS AND VILLAGERS BROUGHT THEIR WARES AND
WHATEVER THEY MADE OR GREW. THEY BROUGHT IT TO SELL.
THERE WAS A BASKET MAKER AND HE MADE SMALL BASKETS FOR MARKETING,
LARGER BASKETS TO STORE CLOTHES IN, AND SOME LARGE ONES THAT ONE
COULD SLEEP IN. AS HE TALKED WITH SOME BUYERS, SOMEONE SAID,
"OH! THERE COMES THE SMART MAN." THE BASKET MAKER ASKED, "IS
HE THE ONE THAT CAN TELL WHAT WILL OR CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME?" THE
BUYER SAID, "YES, THAT'S JESUS, THE PROPHET." THE JEW SAID, "I
SHALL SEE HOW SMART HE IS."
WITH THE JEW WAS HIS WIFE, WHO WAS PREGNANT, AND TWO CHILDREN. HE
TOLD HIS WIFE TO GET UNDER ONE OF THE BIG BASKETS. SHE DID.
WHEN JESUS CAME BY THE JEW, HE ASKED JESUS "I HEARD YOU ARE SUCH
A SMART MAN. IF YOU ARE, TELL ME WHAT HAVE I UNDER THE BASKET."
AND HE LAUGHED AND SHE GIGGLED UNDER THE BASKET. JESUS JUST
LOOKED AT THE JEW AND SAID, "YOU REALLY MEAN FOR ME TO TELL YOU
WHAT THERE IS UNDER THE BASKET?" IN THE MEANTIME THERE WERE A
LOT OF PEOPLE GATHERING TO HEAR JESUS TALK. THE JEW SAID AGAIN,
"YES, IF YOU'RE SO SMART, TELL ME AND THESE PEOPLE WHAT HAVE I
UNDER THAT BASKET."
JESUS THEN LOOKED AT THE CROWD AND SAID, "UNDER THAT BASKET THERE
IS A PIG WITH HER LITTLE ONES." THEN THE JEW AND SOME OF HIS
FRIENDS BURST OUT LAUGHING, SAYING, "I TOLD YOU HE IS A FAKE."
THE JEW WAS SAYING THAT UNDER THE BASKET IS HIS WIFE. AS HE
LIFTED THE BASKET, THERE WAS A PIG WITH HER YOUNG ONES AND NOT
HIS WIFE. THE JEW PANICKED, CRIED AND CALLED, "JESUS, JESUS!"
BUT JESUS WAS NOT THERE. NO ONE SAW HIM LEAVE. SO FROM THEN ON
THE JEWS WILL NOT EAT PORK, FOR FEAR IT MIGHT BE ONE OF THEIR
AUNTS.

Submitter comment: TOLD TO ME WHEN I WAS BETWEEN 10-14 YEARS OLD. MY MOTHER HAD BEEN
TOLD THIS STORY BY HER MOTHER, POSSIBLY ABOUT 1910-1915. I'M SURE
THAT THIS WAS TOLD AS AN ABSOLUTE, NOT JUST A STORY. I DIDN'T
REMEMBER THE DETAILS, SO MY MOTHER WROTE DOWN THE STORY FOR ME
ON MAY 15, 1965.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT