Here is one Judaism Halacha that I wish we didn't follow. Most Jewish rabbinical authorities have determined that tunas and flatfishes (brill, flounder, fluke, halibut, megrim, plaice, skate, sole and turbot) are clean kosher fish. Most Jewish kosher certification authorities state that in order for a fish to be scripturally clean and kosher, it must have fins and scales. I think we all can agree with this.
They have also determined that the types of scales that clean kosher fish must have are clenoid or cycloid scales that can be easily removed with fingers OR A KNIFE without causing damage to the skin (kaskeses) of the fish. I see that is a good way of determining the type of scales.
Jewish rabbinical authorities have determined that tunas and flatfishes (flounder, fluke, halibut, plaice, soles and turbot) are clean, based on the fact that they have some type of clenoid or cycloid scales on their bodies. Notice I said "some".
Deut 14:9-10 Lev 11:9-12 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: you may eat all that have fins and scales. And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.
What did God mean by “and scales?” The dietary commands were given to the Hebrews at Sinai. They were issued to them in a language and terminology that they understood at the time. Tunas and flatfishes would not be fish that these Hebrews would consider clean, scaled fish. These Hebrews would not have inspected fish with microscopes, that didn’t exist at the time, to check for scales. They would have observed tuna as a fish without visible scales, or if they spotted the few scales a tuna possesses, then they likely would say that tuna is a fish that is primarily a skin fish. These Hebrews would have inspected flatfishes and regarded them as unclean, due to their scales not being easily visible or removable. I say that clean kosher fish should have scales that are not covered by skin, visible to the naked eye, and cover the entire body of the fish, and are easily scraped off or can be removed with fingers.
Scale:
any of the numerous plates, made of various substances resembling enamel or dentine,
COVERING THE BODIES of fishes [1].
The definition of “scale(s),” in regards to fish, infers that scaled fish are fish whose bodies are covered with scales. Partially-scaled fish, that are primarily skin fish, should not be considered a scaled fish.
Scales prevent fish from becoming unclean through parasitic worm infections. Scales do not make a fish clean, but rather protect a fish from becoming unclean. A partially-scaled fish, that is primarily a skin fish, is not protected from parasitic infections and these types of fish are often infested with parasitic worms throughout their bodies.
TUNA FISH
Tunas typically have very few, small, minute, almost microscopic scales in discreet areas of their body, typically near their head and tail fin. Tunas are PRIMARILY a scale-less, skin fish, which is why they should be considered UNCLEAN.
Tunas have varying unsafe levels of mercury content; something they shouldn’t have if they were a clean fish and safe for human consumption. The dangerous mercury content in tuna is a red flag that indicates that there is something not quite kosher about tuna.
Tunas, as a fish that is primarily a scale-less, skin fish, are often infested with parasites. They do not have scales covering the vast majority of their large bodies to protect them from parasites that can easily penetrate their unprotected skin.
FLATFISHES
Flatfish (brill, flounder, fluke, halibut, megrim, plaice, skate, sole and turbot) are similar looking, bottom dwelling, bottom feeding, scaled fish. The scales of flatfish are imbedded in their skin and cannot be easily removed. The top, dark side of these fish have “rough” scales that can be removed (with a knife). The bottom white side of the fish is typically very smooth and has very few scales, if any.
All flatfishes are compressed laterally and spend most of their life lying and swimming along the bottom of the waters on their side. This makes them susceptible to parasitic infection, but not all worms in the flesh of flatfish originate on the outside, through their skin. As bottom feeders, flatfish eat parasites that contain worms that often will work their way through the intestines and into the flesh of these fish. Many of the characteristics and traits of flatfishes are shared by other unclean creatures and flatfishes lack some characteristics of other clean creatures. For example.... Flatfishes have two eyes on the same side of their head that are capable of independently rotating almost 360 degrees, giving these fish depth perception and an excellent field of vision. This enables them, as a predatory fish, to more easily spot and capture prey. Most other fish have eyes located on opposite sides of their head, each eye generating an independent image.
All clean mammals, birds and insects have eyes on the opposite sides of their heads. Unclean predator mammals, birds and insects have stereoscopic or binocular vision, enabling them to more easily spot and capture prey.
Another example of difference is that many flatfishes can rapidly change the color and pattern of their skin to match their surroundings. This is a trait that flatfish share with octopuses.
These fish are ambush predators. Flatfishes lie-in-wait, positioning themselves on the sea floor, often camouflaged, and ambush their prey when they crawl or swim by. All lie-in-wait, ambush, predator mammals, birds and insects are unclean. Therefore, it would stand to reason that all lie-in-wait, ambush, predator flatfish are unclean.
They swim horizontally not vertical like a clean fish. Flatfishes swim in a horizontal plane, rather than in a vertical, back-up/belly-down, orientation as most other fishes do. When they swim, flatfishes tend to glide only an inch (2.54 cm) or so off the bottom while closely following the contour of the sea floor. Flatfishes swim horizontally, as do unclean manta ray sharks.
They don't swim in schools. Flatfishes do not group together and swim in schools, but swim independently. All clean mammals group together in herds; all clean birds group together in flocks; and all clean insects group together in colonies (and can swarm together when in large numbers). All clean fish should therefore group together and swim in schools. Think about the school of fish that peter's net picked up.
LUKE 5:4-6: When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
Bottom dwelling fish are not caught in nets, but by spears or hooks. Flatfish were not the kind of fish that Peter the fisherman, a man who never ate anything unclean, would have caught in nets.
Many believers may think that they are keeping kosher by avoiding pork and shellfish, while not realizing that most fish meals sold in fast food restaurants are unclean tuna or some kind of unclean flatfish (in fish and chips). Kosher conscious believers need to put tuna and flatfish on their list of unclean creatures not to be eaten and be cautious and inquire about fish type when ordering fish from restaurants.
I say that Jewish rabbinical authority is NOT the final authority on determining clean and unclean fish. Rabbinical authorities rejected Messiah. They should not be considered infallible on the topic of kosher certification or determining clean and unclean creatures.
Rabbinical kosher certifying authorities err on classifying clean fish in two ways.
1. They believe that tunas, that have a few indiscreet scattered scales throughout their mostly scale-less bodies, are to be considered clean and kosher.
2. They believe that flatfishes that have rough imbedded scales, but are removable (with a knife), are to be considered clean and kosher.
I would like this to be Messianic Judaism Halacha.
