Fins and Scales
BOOK OF VAYIKRA ShemInI
11:9 | יא:ט
אֶ ת זֶ ה תֹּאכְ לוּ מִ כֹּל אֲ שֶׁ ר בַּ מָּ יִ ם כֹּל אֲ שֶׁ ר לוֹ סְ נַ פִּ יר וְ קַ שְׂ קֶ שֶׂ ת בַּ מַּ יִ ם בַּ יַּ מִּ ים וּבַ נְּ חָ לִ ים אֹתָ ם תֹּאכֵ לוּ
From all that are in the water, you may eat any (living creature) that has fins and scales, whether it lives in the waters, seas or rivers; you may eat only these.
Two external features identify a kosher fish: a layer of scales that protect its body, and a set of fins that it uses to swim.
Fish symbolize Torah scholars. Like fish, which are always underwater, scholars are constantly immersed in the lifegiving waters of the Torah.5 As such, the identifying features of a kosher fish also represent two qualities that are required of a Torah scholar, even when the “body” of his scholarship is undisputed.
The fish uses its fins to propel itself forward, quickly moving from one location to another. This represents the scholar’s obligation to expound upon the Torah knowledge that he has received from others, to discover new layers of Torah interpretation and to explore novel approaches to its application.
But fins are only one of the requisite signs of a kosher fish; it must also be covered by a protective layer of scales. The Talmud compares the fear of G-d to a preservative, without which one’s Torah study can spoil.6 Similarly, the protective scales that identify a kosher fish represent the fear of G-d that must accompany one’s Torah study.
This explains the spiritual significance of the Mishnah’s statement that the presence of scales on a fish is an automatic proof that it is kosher, even though fins alone do not provide such proof. In the Mishnah’s words, “Every fish that has scales also has fins, though there are some fish that have fins but have no scales.”7 This means that fear of G-d not only saves your Torah scholarship from spoilage and ensures that it will have the desired effect on your life; it also guarantees that you will ultimately make your own contribution to the chain of authentic Torah wisdom.
—Reshimos, no. 39
5. See Berachos 61b.
6. Shabbos 31a.
7. Niddah 6:9.
