And if mankind is distinguished with a special diet of bread and all the various foods for human consumption, so the Am Yisroel must be distinguished with an even more noble diet. Just as mankind demonstrates its superiority over animals by its diet, so the Jew, the child of the King of the Universe demonstrates his superiority over mankind by a still more restricted diet; a royal diet of princes.
That’s why Adam could have eaten sherotzim. Along with his bread he could have eaten other foods that a Jew is forbidden to put in his mouth. Whether he did or not, I cannot tell you, but the Am Yisroel was elevated even above the greatness of Adam. The am kadosh was given a separate distinction on top of the distinction of Adam Harishon.
And now we come back to the snails and the oysters in the Egyptian waters, to the mitzvah of our parsha to not eat the sherotzim. Hakadosh Baruch Hu, when He told us you cannot eat these things, that you can’t eat mussels, you can’t eat seafood, all those things that the nations have in their diet, so He said, “I have conferred upon you a very great honor now! ם∆כ¿̇∆‡ ה∆לֲﬠַּמַה – I have elevated you, םƒיַר¿ˆƒמ ı∆ר∆‡≈מ – from Mitzrayim.” It means, “I lifted you up. I made you distinguished. The fact that you cannot eat these foods is a demonstration of your greatness.”
