The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-16
W. JEWs EAT olsrnRs.
They Have Neither Fins Nor Scales.
Hence Come Under the Mosaic
Ban.

They Have Neither Fins Nor scnIcs
Hence Come Under the Mosaic
Ban.
From the New York Sun.
Several of our Jewish contemporaries
have given heed TO the question whether a
Jew may partake of oysters under the
terms Of the Mosaic law. The debate
upon It waxed warm in this city a short
Time ago, when, at a Jewish festival.
the orthodox feasters We're astounded by
seeing these acephalous mollusks In their
shells upon the plates that orna-
mented the tables of the banquetlng hall.
1T was nothing less than disgustingr'
cried the Hebrew Journal. which declared
that the Jewish oyster eater is much
worse than the most benighted anarchist. %
We are surprised that several rabbis
Of eminence entertain doubts whether
the oyster is an abomination. The most
erudite disqusition upon the subject that
has fallen under our notice since the
strange incident at TIE lYurim festival fs
that OF the venerable Rabbi Isaac M,
Wise. president Of the Hebrew Union
College, a scholar deep in the Talmud
and familiar with every one Of It's chu-
Inns. The question is so interesting that
We quote the most important portion OF
the judgment of the analytical rabbit
leaving out those words that are printed
in Hebrew characters:
AS to whether the law of Moses per-
mits or prohibits oysters as food, &c may
be in proper time to say that according
to the Talmud (chulin GC0 Moses did NOT
prohibit the oyster There can be no
doubt that the oyster shell is the same
to all intents ana purposes. as the scales
are to the clean fish, protection against
certain gases in the water In fact, the
OYSTER shell "a 80
scales. 1t Is the scales only which the
Yalmud acknowledges as the sign of
cleanness, and adds thereto: Whatever
animal Gin the water has scales has also
fins, and IL is unnecessary to investigate
any further II IS clean oysters grown
In ponds outside of the sea are certainly
(chulin g. b). The whole question depends
on the point whether the oyster shell
Is not equal to the scales which Moses
gives as the sign Of clcanness for the
fish, which no naturalist win deny"
We do not believe that this opinion
Of Rabbi and President Wise, whose or
thodoXy is questionable, will be regarded
as satisfactory either by the rabbinate
at large or by the Purim Association,
either by Chief Rabbi Joseph or by the
Hebrew Journal THE whole question, "
says Rabbi Wise, depends upon the
point" which is, indeed, the point in
dispute. and must he settled by science
rather than by the Talmud. We fear that
- there are naturaligts who will deny that
the oyster sheil is tQuai 10 the Isn scale,
or even resembles it. AS for the decision
of Maimonides about oysters grown in
ponds outside Of the sea-" It cannot surely
be applied by any orthodox Talmudist
to the marine oysters in the New York
markets.
1t seems to us that the chief rabbi OF
the Tenth ward and the Hebrew Journal
are strictly on the Mosaic side in this
case and are the true interpreters OF
the words of Moses in Leviticus: What
soever hath no fins nor scales in the
waters shall be in abomnation unto
Won. "