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Hullin 59: The Species the Torah Knows, Including…. a Unicorn?

June 28, 2026 | י״ג בתמוז תשפ״ו

What are kosher animals? What are non-kosher animals? That is, from the signs listed in the Torah for domesticated and non-domesticated animals — such as split cloven hooves and chewing its cud (for the former category). Ditto re birds — excluding predator birds, where the forbidden ones are listed explicitly (or perhaps for the sake of deriving a general rule). Likewise for the few kosher creepy-crawlies. And fish (fins and scales). Plus, what if there is no tradition with regard to a certain animal (eg: duck; turkey). Also, the signs of the undomesticated – which might seem superfluous, but they permit the special fat, which might appear to be incorrect, so it’s explicit. Plus, a unicorn. With caveats on the horns making various goats and their cousins

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Anne and Yardaena

Anne Gordon is the deputy editor of Ops & Blogs at The Times of Israel. She is a veteran educator, having taught in high school and post-high school institutions in Israel and America for several decades. Yardaena Osband is a pediatrician and teaches in her community and online. They both hail from Boston, proud alumna of Maimonides School, where they first learned Gemara. Talking Talmud is their conversation (via podcast) on the daf yomi. They say: “Learning the daf? We have something for you to think about. Not learning the daf? We have something for you to think about! (Along with a taste of the daf…) Join the conversation with us!”

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