This is a thoughtful post, and asks some good questions. They deserve a careful response, and I will try to address that after the Sabbath' (I have a live teaching to do in a couple of hours, and a paltalk room that will be open momentarily; "Walking Torah with Shabbat Shalom Mesa." )
They have in fact been addressed in the teachings to which I posted links, and are at least peripherally related to the Scripture
parsha today (and last night, Num. 13-15) -- what I tend to do is an "overview" during the Erev Shabbat service teaching, and a focus on some aspects in greater depth on the Sabbath Day.
As far as eating unclean animals, weeeyellll... I mean... God showed Peter all those animals... and Peter called them unclean... and God said "Do not call unclean that God has made clean"
No - and there is the problem. YHVH is talking about MEN and not animals. That part I see you understand, but not necessarily in the context of the whoring, put-away wife of the northern Kingdom (Jer. 3, Ezek 23).
"Gentile" is NOT [necessarily] the same Hebrew word as "goyim" ('nations', often 'pagans'). And indeed they were pagans, or FORMER pagans, having "come to a knowledge" of the Truth. And they were (in general, as 'Samaritans', or others that had been -- as promised -- "scattered") also of the ten lost tribes, to whom He said He had COME.
And therein lies the problem with "metaphor", too. Whether we're talking "clean" or "sacrifice" with respect to animals, the differences, the context, and the failure to make the connection with pagan idolatry allows people to miss the simple point.
"Adultery" and "idolatry" are about the MOST congruent concepts in Scripture, and yet that distinction is particularly problematic, especially since idolatry remains as much of a problem as it ever was. "Korbon" is NOT the same as "sacrifice," either, but the distinction is equally difficult to see when the assumption is made that it really doesn't matter anyway any more.
So - for now - a question to ask ourselves.
When "Jesus died on the cross" -- did ANYTHING about the BODIES of men change? Did they suddenly acquire the ability to digest enzymes with names like "putrescene" or "cadaverene"? Did their DNA make them immune to swine flu variants and mutations? Did the bodies of PIGS, or shellfish, change? Are they no longer simply designed to eat and begin the process of recycling DEAD stuff?
Is there still a lesson to be seen when it comes to the understanding that "unclean" is associated with "death"?
oh - yeah, this:
Am I to understand that you believe this? That every single pandemic in history has always come to humans via swine? If your answer is yes, how do you explain all the instances of pestilence and plague visited upon the Israelites in the wilderness
I don't claim to be a virologist. But my understanding is that a 'pandemic' is viral, as opposed to bacterial, or radiological, or chemical poison, or prions (like "mad cow" or BSE), and that it has to do with transmissibility as well. WWI Spanish flu, not Black Death. And not that Scripture promises "plagues" that were even worse, in fact NOT like, those you "knew in Egypt" if people "continue" in rebellion. Personally -- Your Mileage May Vary -- I read that as possibly something bio-engineered. And I do KNOW that many of the most virulent weaponized "bird flu" variants, for example, as based on DNA spliced from swine so as to improve their ability to be spread among humans.
"Plagues" are a 'designed-in' feature of His creation that involve consequences (reap and sow) of rebellion to His instruction. Some are viral, some are 'vermin' or "creeping things", some are social, some are clearly economic, and some are yet-to-be-designed by those who serve "another master".
PS> I have had an African Grey Parrot for over two decades at this point. A good friend is perhaps the foremost avian vet in the Colorado Front Range; concerning the issue of the 'species barrier' and infections from parrots, he gave me a lot of insight over time into the fact that there are [were?] only two variants of
psitticine diseases which can infect humans. While they can be deadly to the bird, they are not a reason to 'fear' catching something from them. But I've read and interviewed folks over the years (Dr. Len Horowitz comes to mind) who have described bio-engineering and weaponry. The idea in general is to insert appropriate porcine DNA to improve transmissibility, and things like avian flu variants to improve 'lethality'.
And that article was well over two decades ago. I'm sure the technology is MUCH better now. The point was never to argue about one more thing that is peripheral. The idea is to help people avoid plagues. I contend that "it's not too hard for you" (Deut 30:11) -- it's about life.
