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Ramban on Leviticus 11:9/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״א:ט׳

אסְנַפִּיר וְקַשְׂקֶשֶׂת - סְנַפִּירִים אֵלּוּ הַשָּׁט בָּהֶם, קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת אֵלּוּ הַקְּבוּעִים בּוֹ. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"א:ט'), וְכֵן הוּא בַּגְּמָרָא בְּמַסֶּכֶת חֻלִּין (חולין נ"ט). אֲבָל לֹא תָּבִין מִלְּשׁוֹנָם שֶׁהֵן קְבוּעִים בְּגוּפָן מַמָּשׁ וּדְבוּקִים בְּעוֹר הַדָּג, אֲבָל קְרָאוּם "קְבוּעִים" שֶׁאֵינָן נָדִין מִמֶּנּוּ וְלֹא מִזְדַּעְזְעִין בּוֹ כַּסְּנַפִּיר, וְהֵם הַקְּלִפִּין הָעֲגֻלִּים שֶׁגִּלְדָּן דּוֹמֶה לְצִפֹּרֶן, שֶׁהֵם נִפְשָׁטִין מֵעוֹר הַדָּג בְּיָד אוֹ בְּסַכִּין. אֲבָל כָּל שֶׁהוּא קָבוּעַ וְדָבוּק בְּעוֹר הַדָּג וְאֵינוֹ נִפְרָד מִן הָעוֹר כְּלָל, אֵינוֹ קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת וּבְעָלָיו אָסוּר הוּא. וּלְכָךְ אָמְרוּ בַּגְּמָרָא (שם סו): קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת לְבוּשָׁא הוּא. וּלְשׁוֹן תּוֹסֶפְתָּא (חולין פ"ג ה"ט): אֵלּוּ הֵן הַקַּשְׂקַשִּׂים שֶׁמְּלֻבָּשׁ בָּהֶן, וּסְנַפִּירִים שֶׁשָּׁט בָּהֶן. וְזֶהוּ תַּרְגּוּמוֹ שֶׁל אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על ויקרא י"א:ט') שֶׁאָמַר "קִלְפִין", שֶׁהֵן קְלִפִּין שֶׁעַל הָעוֹר נִפְשָׁטִין וְנִקְלָפִין מִמֶּנּוּ כִּקְלִפֵּי הָאִילָנוֹת וְהַפֵּרוֹת, מִן עִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב שֶׁאָמַר (שמואל א יז ה): "וְשִׁרְיוֹן קַשְׂקַשִּׂים הוּא לָבוּשׁ", שֶׁהַשִּׁרְיוֹנוֹת כֻּלָּן עֲשׂוּיִים מִן הַטַּבָּעוֹת, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁעוֹשִׂים בָּהֶם קְלִפּוֹת לִסְתֹּם פִּיּוֹת הַטַּבָּעוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנֵס בָּהֶן חֵץ דַּק, וְהַקְּלִפִּין הָהֵם נִקְרְאוּ קַשְׂקַשִּׂים. וּלְכָךְ הִזְכִּירוּ חֲכָמִים בַּגְּמָרָא בְּפֶרֶק חֵלֶק (סנהדרין צה): לְבוּשֵׁי שִׁרְיוֹן קְלִפָּה. וְיוֹנָתָן בֶּן עֻזִּיאֵל תִּרְגֵּם: "וְשִׁרְיוֹן גַּלְבִּין", מִלְּשׁוֹן "תַּעַר הַגַּלָּבִים" (יחזקאל ה א), הֵם הָרַצְעָנִין. יִתְכַּוֵּן לוֹמַר כִּי הָיָה כִּסּוּי פִּי טַבַּעַת הַשִּׁרְיוֹן הַהוּא כִּקְלִפֵּי עוֹר הַדָּג, שֶׁמְּבַשְּׁלִין הָעוֹר הֶחָזָק וּמְכַסִּים הַשִּׁרְיוֹנוֹת בָּהֶן, כִּי כֵן עוֹשִׂים גַּם הַיּוֹם. וְהָבֵן זֶה. וְטַעַם הַסְּנַפִּיר וְהַקַּשְׂקֶשֶׂת, כִּי בַּעֲלֵיהֶן שׁוֹכְנִים לְעוֹלָם בְּעֶלְיוֹן הַמַּיִם וּבִצְלוּלֵיהֶן, וִיקַבְּלוּ גִּדּוּל בַּאֲוִיר הַנִּכְנָס שָׁם. וְלָכֵן יֵשׁ בָּהֶם קְצָת חֹם דּוֹחֶה מֵהֶם שִׁפְעַת הַלֵּחוֹת, כַּאֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה הַצֶּמֶר וְהַשֵּׂעָר וְגַם הַצִּפָּרְנַיִם בָּאָדָם וּבַבְּהֵמָה. וְשֶׁאֵין לוֹ סְנַפִּיר וְקַשְׂקֶשֶׂת יִשְׁכֹּן לְעוֹלָם בְּתַחְתִּיּוֹת הַמַּיִם וּבַעֲכוּרֵיהֶם, וּלְרֹב הַלַּחוּת וַאֲפִיסַת הַחֹם לֹא יִדְחֶה מֵהֶם דָּבָר. וְעַל כֵּן הֵם בַּעֲלֵי לֵחָה קָרָה דְּבֵקָה קְרוֹבָה לְהָמִית, וְהִיא מְמִיתָה בִּקְצָת הַמֵּימוֹת כָּאֲגַמִּים הַמְעֻפָּשִׁים.

1SNAPIR V’KASKESES’ (FINS AND SCALES). “Snapirim — these are what [the fish] swim with. Kaskeses — these are the scales attached to [the body of the fish].” This is Rashi’s language, and so also it is found in the Gemara of Tractate Chullin.¹⁸⁶ But you should not [be led to] understand from their language that these scales are really [inflexibly] fixed to their bodies and attached to the skin of the fish [so that they do not come off at all]. Rather, they are called “fixed” because they do not move to and fro from the fish, nor do they quiver as do the fins. They are the round coverings, the plates of which are like finger-nails, and they can be removed from the skin of the fish by hand or knife. But those [scales] which are fixed and attached to the skin of the fish and cannot be removed from the skin at all, are not kaskeses (scales), and the fish [which has them] is prohibited food. It is for this reason that the Sages in the Gemara¹⁸⁷, 66 b. See in Exodus, Seder Bo, p. 132, for meaning of the word “Gemara.” said that “Kaskeses is the cover of the fish.” In the words of the Tosephta:¹⁸⁸ “The kaskasim are those [objects] which cover the fish, and the snapirim are those with which the fish moves.” This is also the translation of Onkelos, who rendered the word kaskeses as klippin, [which means literally “shells”], for they are the “shells” of the fish which can be taken off and peeled away like the bark of trees and the peel of fruits. Such is also the meaning of the verse stating, and he [Goliath] was clad with a coat of ‘kaskasim’,¹⁸⁹ for all their [war-] coats were made of rings, and some people made “scales” in them in order to close up the openings of the rings, so that thin arrows should not be able to penetrate them, and it was those “scales” that were called kaskasim. The Sages also mentioned them in the Gemara [Tractate Sanhedrin] in the Chapter Cheilek:¹⁹⁰ “Dressed in coats of mail made with scales.” Now Jonathan the son of Uziel¹⁹¹ translated [in the above-mentioned verse concerning Goliath that he was clad with] “a coat of galbin,” this being of the expression, the razor of ‘hagalabim,’¹⁹² which are “leather workers.” [By so translating, Jonathan thus] intended to say that the covering at the openings of the rings in this coat of mail was like that of the scales on a skin of a fish, as they used to boil hard skin and cover the coats of armor with them, a practice they do to this day. Understand this.The reason why fins and scales [are signs of permissibility as food] is that those fish which have them always dwell in the upper clear waters, and they are sustained through the air that enters there. Therefore their bodies contain a certain amount of heat which counteracts the abundance of moistness [of the waters], just as wool, hair and nails function in man and beast. Those fish which have no fins and scales always dwell in the lower turbid waters, and due to the great abundance of moistness and gatherings of water there, they cannot repel anything. Hence they are creatures of cold fluid,¹⁹³, Note 264. which cleaves to them and is therefore more easily able to cause death, and it [the cold fluid] does in fact cause death in some waters, such as stagnant lakes.