[Avodah] R' S. Mandel

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Jun 08, 2010 at 03:22:39PM -0400, S & H wrote:
: Why is it a bizayon haTorah to say that this worm was not prevalent in the
: times of Chaza'l?

I don't think that would be bizyon haTorah.

But I think it's false.

Filariasis, which is caused by the ingestion of nematodes (roundworms)
like anisakis, was known to Ancient Greeks (ie beginning of Bayis Sheini
period), who discuss how to differentiate its symptoms from those of
leprosy. The fact that it could be caused by eating uncooked fish was
also known centuries before the mishnah.

The folk remedy was to consume ginger, which current studies actually
indicate would help. (In Japan, wasabi is the herb known for killing
nematodes.)

So, assuming you did know that Chazal must have known about this worm,
it would be a bizayon haTorah to second-guess their -- and 1600 years
of Jews inbetween -- eating the fish anyway.


I am wondering how large the larvae are when they enter the fish's
flesh. Are they of visible size?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Good decisions come from experience;
micha at aishdas.org        Experience comes from bad decisions.
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