It would have fins and scales, but it would be half human...
2007-01-14 15:30:16 · 5 answers · asked by Knee 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
And people who read one article about kosher, please don't give your answers. I'm looking for a rabinical answer. Like Rabbis use Yahoo Answers...
2007-01-14 16:15:49 · update #1
No, as you cannot separate out one part fromt he other.
besides, I could never bring myself to have Filet of Ariel
2007-01-14 15:48:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
No. If you take a close look at the kosher laws (or read Mary Douglas' wonderful article on why they were constructed as they are and why they operate as they do), you notice that non-kosher animals are animals that do not fit into single categories, or otherwise cross categorical boundaries.
For example, according to Douglas, shellfish are not kosher because they live in the water like fish, but do not behave or look or breed like fish. Likewise, pigs have four legs and cloven hooves like cattle, but do not behave or look like cattle. These animals do not "fit" into the categories they appear to belong to, therefore they are not kosher.
Same with your mermaid. Same with a penguin, for that matter.
EDIT: Today, I asked my colleague, who is a (reform) rabbi. (I teach in a department of comparative religion.) Although she does not keep kosher, she is quite familiar with halakha, and she agrees with my answer. Because a mermaid would be part fish (fins and scales) and part human, a mermaid could never be deemed kosher.
2007-01-14 15:50:48 · answer #2 · answered by X 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
certainly, of course the rarity of the species and all, I usually release them.
2007-01-14 15:42:54 · answer #3 · answered by metoo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
its a manatee not a mermaid, just because it looks like you doesn't mean its human
2007-01-14 15:38:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
What the hell is wrong with you?
2007-01-14 15:38:53 · answer #5 · answered by notyou311 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋