Mitzvah —
182
Not to eat non-kosher fish
This page is incomplete.
Help complete the
Mitzvah Minute website.
Do a Mitzvah — Join us in building a living digital Beit Midrash — your partnership makes it possible.
-
וְשֶׁ֖קֶץ יִהְי֣וּ לָכֶ֑ם מִבְּשָׂרָם֙ לֹ֣א תֹאכֵ֔לוּ וְאֶת־נִבְלָתָ֖ם תְּשַׁקֵּֽצוּ׃ כֹּ֣ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵֽין־ל֛וֹ סְנַפִּ֥יר וְקַשְׂקֶ֖שֶׂת בַּמָּ֑יִם שֶׁ֥קֶץ ה֖וּא לָכֶֽם׃ - פָּרָשַׁת שְּׁמִינִי
-
Leviticus 11:11-12 - "And they shall be an abomination for you. You shall not eat of their flesh, and their dead bodies you shall hold in abomination. Any [creature] that does not have fins and scales in the water is an abomination for you."
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Kashrut – כַּשְׁרוּת
Forbidden to eat fish that lack both fins and scales.
This mitzvah prohibits the consumption of fish or sea creatures that do not possess both fins and scales. Examples include shellfish, eels, and other aquatic creatures. Such species are described by the Torah as a sheketz (abomination), reinforcing their spiritual impurity. By avoiding these, Israel is reminded to sanctify even the most basic act of eating, separating from impurity and affirming Hashem’s order in creation.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Ma’achalot Asurot 2:12): Codifies the prohibition of eating any fish without both fins and scales, including all shellfish.
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 159): The root is to cultivate holiness and refine the soul by restricting foods that spiritually coarsen a person.
- Talmud (Chullin 66b): Notes the Torah’s clarity—every fish with scales also has fins, so scales are the primary identifying sign for kosher fish.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
.webp)
