Crustaceans (such as lobster and crab) and other shellfish (such as clams) are not kosher, because they lack scales. Further, all aquatic mammals (e.g. whales and dolphins) are not kosher.
Lobster is not kosher: Jewish Scriptures prohibit eating all shellfish. Nevertheless, Maine's Jews have developed a pronounced fondness for one of this state's signature dishes. Many Jewish Mainers eat lobster even though they would never eat pork, another forbidden food.
Animals that live in water can only be eaten if they have fins and scales. This means that shrimps, prawns and squid are not fish in the true sense, and so they are just as non-kosher as the eel which has lost its fins through evolution.
» Because the Torah allows eating only animals that both chew their cud and have cloven hooves, pork is prohibited. So are shellfish, lobsters, oysters, shrimp and clams, because the Old Testament says to eat only fish with fins and scales.
Of those that live in the water (including fish) only those that have fins and scales may be eaten. All crustaceans and mollusk shellfish have no scales and are therefore unclean.
An obvious example is the system of sacrifices instituted under Mosaic law, and the corresponding distinctions between clean and unclean food - hence the prohibition of shellfish.
"`Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales--whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water--you are to detest.
The Torah forbids the cooking and consumption of any milk with any meat to prevent one from cooking a kid in its mother's milk. According to Kabbalah, meat represents gevurah (the Divine attribute of Judgment) and milk represents chesed (the Divine attribute of Kindness).
Along with all seafood other than fish with fins and scales, calamari is not kosher (see Leviticus 11:9). For more, see All About Kosher Fish.
Unlike many other forms of livestock, pigs are omnivorous scavengers, eating virtually anything they come across, including carrion and refuse, which was deemed unclean. Furthermore, a Middle Eastern society keeping large stocks of pigs could destroy their ecosystem.
The mixture of milk with meat instills in it the undesirable characteristics of blood. If meat and milk together were not forbidden, then the Jews would be unknowingly transgressing the prohibition of consumption of blood and exposing themselves to the damaging effects of blood.
Along with all seafood other than fish with fins and scales, scallops are not kosher (see Leviticus 11:9).
Giraffes chew their cud and have split hooves, so it is technically a kosher species. Thus, if it were slaughtered, deveined, and salted according to Jewish law, its meat would be kosher. In practice, it does not seem that there is commercially available kosher giraffe meat.
To be kosher, eggs must come from kosher fowl and be free of bloodspots in the white (albumin) and the yolk. Each egg must be checked individually after it is opened. If there is blood in an egg, it is forbidden. Eggs from a chicken that died are forbidden by rabbinic enactment.
Before you worry about what you're going to eat this Thanksgiving, note that the debate about turkey is long over and turkey is accepted as kosher by almost all Jews.
There are some types of fish that have scales, including sturgeons, sharks, eel, etc., that are not considered kosher since their scales are embedded, and when removed damage the skin (Ramban Shemini, Nodeh B'Yehudah 10:28).
Caviar is an exceptional ingredient by all standards, but it doesn't meet the requirements of kosher law. Thankfully, there are so many ways to celebrate life and great food with kosher friends and family members, so look for roe alternatives or stick to your favorite traditional foods that always hit the spot.
The most common birds that Jews have traditionally considered kosher are chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and pigeons. Among the explicitly forbidden birds are: vultures, ostriches, hawks and sea gulls.
Tattoos can be prohibited in Judaism based on the Torah (Leviticus 19:28): "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord." The prohibition is explained by contemporary rabbis as part of a general prohibition on body modification (with the exception of ...
Background. During Passover, Jewish law prohibits the consumption of food items other than matzo that are made with wheat or other similar grains. Given these restrictions, some individuals will make lasagna by substituting matzo for traditional wheat pasta sheets.
In Jewish tradition, the prohibition on mixing dairy and meat products has been interpreted in several different ways. Some see it as an implementation of the same principle of separating animals authorised for consumption from those that are forbidden.
It is only in Leviticus 11:7 that eating pork is forbidden to God's people for the very first time—“… and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc.)
In Leviticus 11:27, God forbids Moses and his followers to eat swine “because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud.” Furthermore, the prohibition goes, “Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.” That message is later reinforced in Deuteronomy.
Nicene Christianity
They only eat meat of a herbivore with split hooves and birds without a crop and without webbed feet; they also do not eat shellfish of any kind, and they only eat fish with scales. Any other animal is considered unclean and not suitable for eating. All vegetables, fruits and nuts are allowed.