r/Judaism • u/Treekk Reform • 2d ago
Zombies... What to do if bit?
Title basically explains it - what would be the kosher thing to do if you got bit by a zombie?
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u/kharmatika Reform(Giyoret) 2d ago
If you’re asking what the Halacha approved thing to do in that situation would be it would be to notify your peers, continue living until you die, and ensure your peers are ready to destroy your brain upon your death(this last part breaks halacha regarding handling of the dead but I think it’s one of those exception cases for public or personal safety
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u/SinisterHummingbird 2d ago
Inform your group of fellow survivors that you were bitten as soon as possible and go down in a blaze of glory against the undead horde to buy the rest some time. Killing the mindless undead isn't murder and, as you are doomed, it is best to spend the rest of your life preserving the lives of other human survivors.
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u/PuppeteerGal 2d ago
I'll ask my husband to speak to his Rabbi and get back to you on this pressing question, lol.
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 2d ago
Hi, please search “zombie” in the sub, I am pretty sure this has been asked.
For real, Zombie gets a handful of hits when searching.
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u/Muadeeb 2d ago
Do zombies still have to keep kosher? No blood of course, we're not vampires after all, but do brains require a kosher salt brine to remove blood?
And is chasing the living forbidden on Shabbat? Or is it considered a form of hunting and not allowed at all? If a zombie can't survive without brains, does that take precedence over the hahaha of not murdering? And if it is murder, does that mean that they dont have a share in the world to come even if they were good before "the accident"?
And is shooting them in the head murder or rising early to kill first?
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 2d ago
If a zombie is dead and if the neshama has left the body, then there is no requirement for a zombie to follow any mitzvos, in theory.
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u/MyKidsArentOnReddit 2d ago
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 2d ago
Wow, this is was interesting to read:
The Talmud derives in several places (Shabbat 30a, shabbat 151b, Niddah 61b) the principle that the dead are not obligated to perform mitzvot. This is one of the reasons that we can dress a corpse in a garment which contains shatnez (Yoreh Deah 351:1 and 301:7)
I didn’t realize they put a meis, a dead body, in shantzel. Thanks and have a good Shabbos!
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u/Muadeeb 2d ago
Ok, but is a shechter required to slice the zombies throat?
What if a pregnant Jewish zombie gives birth? What are the considerations to determine the child/zombaby status as a Jew?
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u/Signal-Wrangle 1d ago
the baby would almost certainly be jewish. if a jewish woman dies during childbirth, and her baby survives, you think the child wouldn’t be jewish?
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 2d ago
If they are dead then they are not obliged to follow the Torah, thus there are no questions. A dead body isn’t obliged to mitzvos.
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u/Muadeeb 2d ago
She was bitten before the birth, but not yet turned.or maybe she was turned, but the baby didnt seem infected. These are important, relevant, relatable, and useful questions.
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 2d ago
These are perfect questions to ask AI.
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u/SufficientLanguage29 Modern Orthodox - Giyur Le’Chumra 2d ago
I like the status of the baby question. Theoretically, the baby would still be Jewish if the zombie mother was Jewish before being turned. If necessary a conversion for the baby could always be done.
Regarding the shechting, it would be unnecessary. You’re not eating the zombie, or trying to have compassion on them. They are not human or animal. They are a threat to safety and must be killed and they probably don’t even feel pain. Man, f*ck zombies!
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u/Character_Cap5095 2d ago
A friend asked the following question to a rabbi doctor
"Does a zombie say kadesh for themselves"
And was told that in Judisim, death is final and therefore if you are alive, you were never dead in the first place. The source being a discussion in the gemerah if the person Eliyahu (Elijah?) brought back from the dead was Tumah.
Therefore, if a zombie is alive, then it is treated as alive for all intents and purposes
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u/BeenisHat Atheist 2d ago
They're not animals and they're not alive. They also don't seem to feel pain so the prohibition against hunting wouldn't seem to apply. And each one you incapacitate is one less living person who can harmed.
It's a mitzvot.
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u/WeaselWeaz Reform 2d ago
Zombies do not have souls, so I don't see how it would be applicable. It's just our leftover bodies that we no longer have control over, no different from what we leave behind when we're dead.
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u/Treekk Reform 2d ago
Hey! Did search zombie before posting, found some interesting conversations about whether it would be appropriate to kill zombies but nothing on what one should do if bitten - if I missed it I'm sorry for re-asking!
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 2d ago
Thanks for replying. No, I didn’t search for your answer since your question is extremely vague, but I did search to make sure there are plenty of posts about zombie.
By the way, I now have the Cranberries’ song in my head, in my head. 🤣
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u/gmanflnj 2d ago
I believe the question is whether or not it would be valid to commit suicide or be euthanized by your comrades to avoid endangering them.
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 2d ago
Hi, these questions are perfect to ask an AI since you can prompt it to search for specific life saving options from Sefaria and apply them to this fictional scenario.
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u/gmanflnj 2d ago
I’ve not found AI to be reliable enough a tool to use for the most part.
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well, part of using AI for research of something like this means that a Jew confirm the sources in real life. I’d say this is the perfect useless task for AI. It’s not like I am trying to find out the answer to a real life halachaic question regarding cooking something in a meat pan in my kitchen and then accidentally take it out of the pan with a dairy spatula.
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u/Appropriate_Tie534 Orthodox 1d ago
I would not recommend AI. It often hallucinates, and does not have the ability to determine which rule is relevant.
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hi!
>“…which rule is relevant,”
This entire post isn’t relevant.At least one could use AI and then check the sourced it finds and determine if they are applicable to this fictional scenario for fun.
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u/Appropriate_Tie534 Orthodox 10h ago
If you find this post irrelevant you don't have to comment. Plenty of people find arguing impossible halachic hypotheticals fun.
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u/offthegridyid Orthodox & trying to collect the sparks 6h ago edited 6h ago
Hi, I actually suggested the OP search the sub and then, as you know, suggest how they could find an answer that might satisfy them. Also, please see my reply here.
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u/fezfrascati 2d ago
Pikuach nefesh. Though it depends if turning others into the undead constitutes as murder.
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u/mac_a_bee Conservative 2d ago
kosher thing to do if you got bit by a zombie?
Goyische mishigas.
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u/gmanflnj 2d ago
Is there no joy or whimsy in your Jewishness?
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u/mac_a_bee Conservative 2d ago
no joy or whimsy
We‘re at war.
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u/gmanflnj 2d ago
No we’re not, you’re just being a bit of a killjoy over a silly and innocent question.
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u/DrAsterisk 2d ago
Untrue. We had a hilarious discussion about whether narwhals have scales when JTwitter was a thing.
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u/BeenisHat Atheist 2d ago
Depending on how fast acting the disease is, I'm building a very large, very hot fire and off myself in such a manner that my body falls in and is consumed. If G-d is real, I think he'd understand my motive to not allow my corpse to infect others.
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u/gwendodyssey 2d ago
It depends on when you get bitten! Is it during Shabbat, Yom Tov, or during the week ? Is it during Passover ? 😅
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u/kharmatika Reform(Giyoret) 2d ago
What?
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u/gmanflnj 2d ago
I believe they may be asking if suicide is acceptable rather than turning into a zombie and potentially endangering other people.
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u/kharmatika Reform(Giyoret) 2d ago
Okay cool but suicide has nothing to do with Kashrut
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u/gmanflnj 2d ago
I believe he meant “kosher” in the colloquial sense of “what would be the right/ethical thing to do”
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u/petrichoreandpine Reform 2d ago
Presumably it would be to alert your companions to your state and let them do what they need to do to survive.