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From the brachot hashachar that we say every morning:

ברוך אתה יי, המחזיר נשמות לפגרים מתים

Blessed are You, Lord, that from a pig, souls are [brought] to dead bodies.

Why do pigs bring souls to dead bodies? Pigs are not kosher animals, and are traditionally frowned upon in Judaism due to their lack of hygiene and general disgustingness.

This question is Purim Torah and is not intended to be taken completely seriously. See the Purim Torah policy.

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closed as off-topic by Monica Cellio♦ Mar 14 '17 at 22:06

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This is a deep Kabbalistic reference, but I'll try to explain it on its simple level.

The medrash says (the location of the medrash is unknown, but many Rishonim cite the medrash, c.f. Abrabanel Rosh Emana ch. 13) למה נקרא שמו חזיר שעתיד הקב"ה להחזירו לישראל, why is it called a chazir? Because in the future the Holy One will return it (chozer) to Israel.

The Radbaz, 2:828, asks how this medrash fits with the 9th principle of faith, namely that the Torah will not be changed or altered. He explains that this is in actuality a reference to the celestial minister Chaziri"el, who is an accuser of Israel, who in the future will turn around to be a defender of Israel1.

When this accusing celestial minister turns around to defend Israel, the resurrection of the dead will then be possible. Therefore, it is with the return of Chaziri"el that the souls will be returned to their lifeless bodies. We praise Hashem for inspiring Chaziri"el to change his attitude and thereby enable the eventual resurrection.

1 Until here nothing has been made up

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  • Thank you for that footnote. I had no idea... – Monica Cellio♦ Mar 7 '17 at 4:34
  • This Midrash is found in the Geonic Midrash Tehillim. Besides for the Rosh Amana, see Ritva to Kiddushin 49b. – mevaqesh Mar 7 '17 at 6:52
  • @mevaqesh Thanks! Any more precise citation for the Midrash? – Y     e     z Mar 7 '17 at 18:50
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    @MonicaCellio I like my PTIJ posts to have just enough real Torah in them to make you wonder. – Y     e     z Mar 10 '17 at 4:36
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God does not create things that are completely useless. Every thing in the world has a purpose.

The chazeir seems to be a useless animal -- it's not kosher, it doesn't work, and it's not suitable for any purpose. And yet it will return the souls of the dead at the end of days, at the resurrection. Where else have we seen this? With the Leviatan -- another creature useless to us in the world we live in, but it's the main dish at the feast in olam haba! Just as the Leviatan is put to use to nourish the dead, the chazeir is put to use to unite bodies and souls and get them to that feast.

And what better creature for HaKadosh Baruch Hu to use for this purpose than the pig? It occupies its days rooting around in the dirt, improving its digging skill, so that at the end of days it can rush in and deliver the neshamot. God uses the creatures He created to advance His purpose in the world -- a dag gadol to set Yonah on the right path, a speaking donkey to show Bila'am Who is boss, the Leviatan and Beheimah to reward the righteous, and the lowly pig to restore souls at the right time.

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  • According to humanesociety.org/animals/pigs/pigs_more.html, pigs DO work, to some degree. Farmers use them to locate deep underground tubers, truffles and other plants. I have also been to several farms where the pigs are pulling small wagons or they're being used to help gather sheep and chickens together into the pen. – DanF Mar 7 '17 at 15:15

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