Meat and Fish

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Permalink Reply by Rabbi Joshua Waxman on November 18, 2008 at 3:26pm

It is a good question. My own take is that this was based on the contemporary science at the time of Chazal. Others may take other positions, either saying that nature has changed, or else saying that it *is* actually true, but modern science has not caught up with it. (For years, kids going to the doctor played behind the X ray machine, checking out their bones, since they did not know of the dangers. And all sorts of things pertaining to diet have been discovered even in modern times.) IIRC, there is also an Acharon who points out by another case (again, IIRC) that there is some minor impact detectable by modern science, and if there is some actual impact, no matter how minor, we don't dismiss Chazal's statement about sakana (even where they were talking about major sakana). In terms of actual practice, ask your local Orthodox rabbi, since there are other possible inputs into final practice, such as the sway of established minhag, and so on.

However, here is the Aruch haShulchan, Yoreh Deah, siman 116.

http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14242&pgnum=577

A very interesting read, and can get you started on the topic by pointing you to other related sources. He also discusses, close by, the issue of zugos.

Kol Tuv,
Josh

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Permalink Reply by Aryeh Shore on November 21, 2008 at 8:53am

Er, that would be talmudic, not medieval, as it is in the talmud.

No one has brought non-Jewish sources from Babylonian or Greek/Roman sources about the various seconot mentioned in the Talmud so we don't know if it was some sort of superstition like Zugot or a perceived danger. For some reason, when Rav Sharir Gaon poskined that we no longer practice any of the medical cures or Segulot found in the Babylonian Talmud it did not extend to the seconot. Now some seem logical, like not eating a cow which had eatien a toxic substance like Harduf (Oleander) and the salt from the Dead Sea was probable not good for your eyes, but we do not have contemporary sources. When the Rambam discusses not drinking water left out overnight because a snake may have deposit its venom in it, he states he has seen it happen but he does not bring any of the Greek/Roman sources that he cites for his other medical treatments. He never brings any cures in the Babylonian Talmud presumably because Babylonian medicine was so far removed in concept from Greek medicine.
As for the hygienic practices of the Jews like washing your hands before you eat and its improving the genetic suvival of the clan, some have suggested that fewer Jews died during the Black plague and this was one of the causes of accusing them of causing it somehow but this has not been documented. We do have one instance from 19th century Italy where the Jews who ate Kosher meat weren't dying during an epidemic and the non-Jews were. When the Shochet suggested to the non-Jews that they should inspect their meat the way the Jews do, the epidemic ended by them also. The only relevant study I can think of is the one showing that Religious Kibbutz males lived longer and had fewer heart attacks than the non-religious Kibbutzniks. Similarly, we have the paradox of Bnei Brak where they also live longer in spite of poor health practices. I suggest that this can be explained by the observation they do not have cars and tend to walk everywhere.

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