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Shell Fish
#1
Since shell fish like lobster, shrimp, crawfish, crab, etc. aren't good unless they are cooked alive does this transgress the commandment against eating the limb of a living animal? I know that I am not eating it while it's alive, but it is being cooked alive, so does that make a difference?

-James
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#2
The prohibition of "meat from a living animal" is only on land manimals and birds, not fish or crustaceans. For crustaceans there is a prohibition only on eating it live, since that would be an act of unnecessary cruelty. Since the crustaceans (lobster, crab, etc.) is already cooked when you eat it, it is permissible. As for boiling it while it is alive, scientific studies have shown that when it hits the already boiling water, its primitive nervous system overloads and it dies. Also this is not done for the sake of torture, but it is a necessary step in the process of using it as food.
Rabbi Yitz
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#3
It is not really a matter of opinion, although it may be a matter of taste. The Noahide Commandment against eating meat from a living "animal" only applies to mammals and birds. It does not apply to shellfish.

As a separate issue, people were never given permission from G-d to cause "unnecessary" suffering to an animal (in Hebrew this is called tza'ar balei chayim). But Noahides are allowed to eat any creatures, including oysters, so there must be some acceptable way to prepare them as food. The level of stress which could be ruled as "unnecessary suffering" for an oyster has probably not been scientifically established, if indeed there is such a level. Some people will take advantage of this grey area, because they have a preferance for eating raw oysters versus cooked oysters. Other, more sensitive people will go with cooked as second-best, so they can eat with a clearer conscience.
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#4
I have recently join this site and this is nice idea for providing us information about shell fish. Would you mind to let us know more about this? Thanks!
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#5
The Noahide Commandment (Genesis 9:4) that prohibits eating meat that was severed from a living animal (i.e. while its heart was still beating) does not apply to shellfish. It only applies to land mammals and birds, as explained in Part 4 of "The Divine Code" by Rabbi Moshe Weiner. Although there is no permission for causing pain or suffering to any living creature unless there is some overriding need, the use of shellfish as food for Gentiles is considered to be a valid need. (Jews are forbidden to eat shellfish, according to the Jewish dietary commandments.)
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