Why can't Jews eat shell fish?

Question

I've asked a few practicing Jews and they either don't know or they say they don't like eating bugs. I want to know the real answer.

Answer 1

Leviticus 11 The whole chapter explains why.

Christians shouldn't either.

Answer 2

Leviticus chapter 11 lists the dietary restrictions God gave to the nation of Israel. The dietary rules were never intended to apply to anyone other than Israel. Jesus later declares all foods clean (Mark 7:19). God gave the apostle Peter a vision in which He declares concerning formerly unclean animals, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:24-26; Ephesians 2:15). This includes the laws regarding clean and unclean foods. The Jews do not recognize the New Testament, so they are still staying with the Old Testament rules about prohibited food.

Answer 3

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RE:
Why can't Jews eat shell fish?
I've asked a few practicing Jews and they either don't know or they say they don't like eating bugs. I want to know the real answer.

Answer 4

Can Jews Eat Shrimp

Answer 5

Shell fish are scavengers. They eat the feces of other fish and basically any trash, dung, or chemicals that happen to get into the water. Shellfish are like filters that help keep the waters clean. They should not be eaten just as you shouldn't eat dung.

Shrimp, crabs, and lobster are arthropods like spiders and insects. Spiders aren't really bugs, but you get the point, arthropods are bugs. So spiders are essentially terrestrial crabs. That would also include crab lice which actually look like little spider or ticks.

Peace.

Answer 6

Well, the ban on shellfish is one of the hygeine laws in Judaism. Its practical. If you're trying to survive in the Middle East under nightmare conditions you need to make sure you don't eat food which is likely to poison you. Even to this day shellfish are still more likely than most foods to give you food poisoning. Most of the Jewish food laws are to do with hygeine and digestion (eg not mixing dairy products with meat).

But you try getting a bunch of kvetches in a desert to eat healthily by telling them its good for you. Its not good telling them to improve their diet. The only way is to tell them God will smite you if you don't stick to the rules!

Answer 7

They are considered unclean. Shell fish are bottom feeders and eat decaying flesh.

Have you ever heard of eating clams, muscles and oysters only in months with an "R". because you can get sick from them other wise. This would also make them unclean, so they could never be kosher.

Most of the kosher laws have or had a basis in eating only safe uncontaminated food. Also animals are raised and slaughtered in a humane manner.

Answer 8

Shellfish are exo-skeletons, like cockroaches. The idea behind keeping kosher is not to ingest any "lower animals", as it makes you spiritually unclean. Bugs are decidedly lower animals. You are what you eat, I guess.

The not mixing meat with dairy is a seperate issue, BTW. The point there is to avoid metaphorically "cooking a calf in it's mother's milk".

Answer 9

because its a biblical probation for any member of the Nation of Israel to eat any sea creature that dose not have fins and scales.

This would include shell fish.

Answer 10

The Jews follow the Old Testament in which God tells the Jews not to eat them because they are unclean. The New Testament follows the old, but since the Jews don't believe in Jesus, they don't follow it. The New Testament tells you what you now can eat.