Chullin 59

עיקרא דמרירתא

It is the root of a bitter vegetable.

אמר רב יהודה האי מאן דאכל תלתא תקלי חלתית אליבא ריקנא מישתלח משכיה אמר רבי אבהו בדידי הוה עובדא ואכלי חד תקלא חלתיתא ואי לא דיתבי במיא מישתלח משכאי וקיימתי בעצמי החכמה תחיה בעליה

Rav Yehuda says: This individual who eats the weight of three shekel of asafoetida on an empty heart, i.e., stomach, his skin sheds due to the fever he contracts. Rabbi Abbahu said: There was an incident in which I was involved, wherein I ate the weight of one shekel of asafoetida, and had I not immediately sat in water to cool off, my skin would have shed. And I thereby fulfilled with regard to myself that which the verse states: “Wisdom preserves the life of him that has it” (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

אמר רב יוסף האי מאן דאכיל שיתסרי ביעי וארבעי אמגוזי ושב בוטיתא דפרחי ושתי רביעתא דדובשא בתקופת תמוז אליבא ריקנא מתעקר תליא דליביה

Rav Yosef says: This individual who eats sixteen eggs and forty nuts and seven fruits of the caper bush, and he drinks a quarter-log of honey in the season of Tammuz, i.e., summer, all on an empty heart, i.e., stomach, his heartstrings are uprooted.

ההוא בר טביא דאתא לבי ריש גלותא דהוה מפסק כרען בתרייתא בדקיה רב בצומת הגידין ואכשריה סבר למיכל מיניה באומצא אמר ליה שמואל לא חייש מר לניקורי

§ The mishna states that if an animal is bitten by a poisonous snake, it is not a tereifa, but it is nevertheless prohibited for consumption due to the hazard it poses. The Gemara recounts the case of a certain young deer that was brought to the house of the Exilarch after slaughter whose hind legs had been cut. Rav inspected it at the convergence of sinews in the thigh and found them intact, and he deemed it kosher. He thought to eat it rare, i.e., lightly roasted. Shmuel said to him: Is the Master not concerned for the possibility that it may have a snakebite?

אמר ליה מאי תקנתא נותביה בתנורא דאיהו בדיק נפשיה אותביה נפל תילחי תילחי קרי שמואל עליה דרב לא יאנה לצדיק כל און קרי רב עליה דשמואל כל רז לא אנס לך

Rav said to him: What is the rectification for such an uncertainty? Shmuel said to him: We shall set it in a hot oven, as it will then inspect itself. Shmuel set it in the oven on a spit, and the meat fell off the bone bit by bit, a sign that a snake had bitten the young deer. Shmuel recited about Rav the verse: “There shall no mischief befall the righteous” (Proverbs 12:21), since he was saved due to his righteousness. Rav recited about Shmuel the verse: “And no secret causes you trouble” (Daniel 4:6), since he was learned even with regard to such matters.

מתני׳ סימני בהמה וחיה נאמרו מן התורה וסימני העוף לא נאמרו אבל אמרו חכמים כל עוף הדורס טמא כל שיש לו אצבע יתירה וזפק וקורקבנו נקלף טהור רבי אלעזר ברבי צדוק אומר כל עוף החולק את רגליו טמא

MISHNA: The signs that indicate that a domesticated animal and an undomesticated animal are kosher were stated in the Torah, and the signs of a kosher bird were not explicitly stated. But the Sages stated certain signs in a bird: Any bird that claws its prey and eats it is non-kosher. Any bird that has an extra digit behind the leg slightly elevated above the other digits, and a crop, which is a sack alongside the gullet in which food is stored prior to digestion, and for which the yellowish membrane inside its gizzard can be peeled, is kosher. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says: Any bird that splits the digits of its feet when standing on a string, placing two digits on one side of the string and two on the other, is non-kosher.

ובחגבים כל שיש לו ארבע רגלים וארבע כנפים וקרצולים וכנפיו חופין את רובו רבי יוסי אומר ושמו חגב ובדגים כל שיש לו סנפיר וקשקשת רבי יהודה אומר שני קשקשין וסנפיר אחד ואלו הן קשקשין הקבועין בו וסנפירים הפורח בהן

And with regard to grasshoppers, whose signs were also not stated in the Torah, the Sages stated: Any grasshopper that has four legs, and four wings, and two additional jumping legs, and whose wings cover most of its body, is kosher. Rabbi Yosei says: And this applies only if the name of its species is grasshopper. And with regard to fish, the signs are explicitly stated in the Torah: Any fish that has a fin and a scale is kosher; Rabbi Yehuda says: Two scales and one fin. And these are scales: Those that are fixed to its body; and fins are those with which the fish swims.

גמ׳ תנו רבנן אלו הן סימני בהמה כל בהמה מפרסת פרסה וגו׳ כל בהמה שמעלת גרה בידוע שאין לה שינים למעלה וטהורה

GEMARA: The mishna states that the signs of a kosher domesticated animal are stated in the Torah. With regard to this, the Sages taught in a baraita: These are the signs of a kosher domesticated animal: “Whatsoever parts the hoof, and is wholly cloven-footed, and chews the cud, among the animals, that may you eat” (Leviticus 11:3). Any animal that chews the cud certainly has no upper front teeth, i.e., incisors, and is kosher.

וכללא הוא והרי גמל דמעלה גרה הוא ואין לו שינים למעלה וטמא גמל ניבי אית ליה

The Gemara asks: And is this an established principle? But isn’t there a camel, which chews the cud, and has no upper front teeth, and it is still non-kosher (see Leviticus 11:4)? The Gemara responds: A camel has cuspid-like upper incisors, one on each side.

והרי בן גמל דניבי נמי לית ליה ותו הרי שפן וארנבת דמעלת גרה הן ויש להן שינים למעלה וטמאין ועוד שינים מי כתיבי באורייתא אלא הכי קאמר כל בהמה שאין לה שינים למעלה בידוע שהיא מעלת גרה ומפרסת פרסה וטהורה

The Gemara asks: But isn’t there a young camel, which does not even have cuspid-like upper incisors and is still non-kosher? And furthermore, aren’t there the hyrax and the hare, which chew the cud, and yet they have upper front teeth, and are non-kosher? And furthermore, one might ask: Are teeth written in the Torah with regard to the kosher status of an animal? Rather, this is what the tanna is saying: Any animal that does not have upper front teeth certainly chews the cud and parts the hoof and is kosher.

וליבדוק בפרסותיה כגון שהיו פרסותיה חתוכות וכדרב חסדא דאמר רב חסדא היה מהלך במדבר ומצא בהמה שפרסותיה חתוכות בודק בפיה אם אין לה שינים למעלה בידוע שהיא טהורה אם לאו בידוע שהיא טמאה ובלבד שיכיר גמל גמל ניבי אית ליה אלא ובלבד שיכיר בן גמל

The Gemara asks: But why should one inspect the teeth? Let him simply inspect whether the hooves are cloven. The Gemara responds: One inspects the teeth in a case where its hooves were cut and one cannot tell whether they are cloven. And this is in accordance with the statement of Rav Ḥisda, as Rav Ḥisda says: If one was walking in the wilderness, and he found an animal whose hooves were cut, he may inspect its mouth. If it has no upper front teeth, it is certainly kosher; if that is not the case, it is certainly non-kosher, provided that he recognizes that this animal is not a camel, which is non-kosher even though it has no upper incisors. The Gemara asks: Why must one recognize that this is not a camel? A camel has cuspid-like upper incisors. Rather, say: Provided that one recognizes that it is not a young camel, which has no cuspid-like upper incisors.

לאו אמרת איכא בן גמל איכא נמי מינא אחרינא דדמי לבן גמל לא סלקא דעתך דתני דבי רבי ישמעאל ואת הגמל כי מעלה גרה הוא שליט בעולמו יודע שאין לך דבר מעלה גרה וטמא אלא גמל לפיכך פרט בו הכתוב הוא

The Gemara asks: How can one rely only on an inspection of the mouth? Did you not say that there is a young camel, which has no upper incisors but is still non-kosher? If so, perhaps there is also another species that is similar to a young camel and is non-kosher despite having no upper incisors. The Gemara responds that this possibility should not enter your mind, as the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The verse states: “The camel, because it chews the cud but parts not the hoof, it is unclean” (Leviticus 11:4). The Ruler of His world knows that nothing other than the camel chews the cud and is still non-kosher. Therefore, the verse singles it out with the word “it,” i.e., it and no other.

ואמר רב חסדא היה מהלך בדרך ומצא בהמה שפיה גמום בודק בפרסותיה אם פרסותיה סדוקות בידוע שהיא טהורה אם לאו בידוע שהיא טמאה ובלבד שיכיר חזיר

And Rav Ḥisda says: If one was walking on the road, and he found an animal whose mouth was mutilated, he may inspect its hooves. If its hooves are cloven, it is certainly kosher. If not, it is certainly non-kosher. This applies provided that he recognizes that it is not a pig, which is non-kosher even though it has cloven hooves.

לאו אמרת איכא חזיר איכא נמי מינא אחרינא דדמיא לחזיר לא סלקא דעתך דתנא דבי רבי ישמעאל ואת החזיר כי מפריס פרסה הוא שליט בעולמו יודע שאין לך דבר שמפריס פרסה וטמא אלא חזיר לפיכך פרט בו הכתוב הוא

The Gemara asks: But didn’t you say that there is a pig, which has cloven hooves but is still non-kosher? If so, perhaps there is also another species that is similar to a pig. The Gemara responds that this possibility should not enter your mind, as the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The verse states: “And the pig, because it parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but chews not the cud, it is unclean” (Leviticus 11:7). The Ruler of His world knows that nothing other than the pig parts the hoof and is still non-kosher. Therefore, the verse singles it out with the word “it.”

ואמר רב חסדא היה מהלך במדבר ומצא בהמה שפיה גמום ופרסותיה חתוכות בודק בבשרה אם מהלך שתי וערב בידוע שהיא טהורה ואם לאו בידוע שהיא טמאה ובלבד שיכיר ערוד

And Rav Ḥisda says: If one was walking in the wilderness, and he found an animal whose mouth was mutilated and whose hooves were cut, he may inspect its flesh. If it runs like warp and woof, i.e., part of it stretches vertically and part of it horizontally, it is certainly kosher; and if not, it is certainly non-kosher, provided that one recognizes that this animal is not a wild donkey, which is non-kosher even though its flesh runs like warp and woof.

לאו אמרת איכא ערוד איכא נמי מינא אחרינא דדמיא לערוד גמירי דליכא והיכא בודק אמר אביי ואיתימא רב חסדא בכנפי העוקץ

The Gemara asks: Didn’t you say that there is a wild donkey, whose flesh runs like warp and woof but who is still non-kosher? If so, perhaps there is also another species that is similar to a wild donkey. The Gemara responds: It is learned as a tradition that there are no similar species. The Gemara asks: And where does one inspect the flesh? Abaye said, and some say that Rav Ḥisda said: At the edges of the tailbone, on the upper thighs.

סימני חיה תנו רבנן אלו הן סימני חיה חיה בכלל בהמה היא לסימנין אמר רבי זירא

§ The mishna states: The signs of an undomesticated animal were stated in the Torah. With regard to this, the Sages taught in a baraita: These are the signs of an undomesticated animal. The Gemara interjects: Why does one need signs for an undomesticated animal? An undomesticated animal [ḥayya] is included in the category of a domesticated animal [behema] with regard to signs, as the verse states: “These are the living things [ḥayya] which you may eat among all the animals [behema] that are on the earth. Whatsoever parts the hoof” (Leviticus 11:2–3). Rabbi Zeira said:

להתיר חלבה והכי קאמר אלו הן סימני חיה שחלבה מותר כל שיש לה קרנים וטלפים

The signs are given to permit its forbidden fat, i.e., to deem the animal undomesticated. Fat that is forbidden for consumption in domesticated animals is permitted in undomesticated animals. And this is what the tanna is saying: These are the signs of a kosher undomesticated animal, so that one will know that its fat is permitted: Any animal that has horns and cloven hooves is an undomesticated animal.

רבי דוסא אומר יש לה קרנים אי אתה צריך לחזור על טלפים יש לה טלפים צריך אתה לחזור על קרנים וקרש אף על פי שאין לו אלא קרן אחת מותר

Rabbi Dosa says: If it has horns, it is certainly a kosher undomesticated animal, and you need not search for cloven hooves. But if it has cloven hooves, you must still search for horns. And with regard to the animal called a keresh, even though it has only one horn, its fat is permitted for consumption.

כללא הוא והרי עז דיש לו קרנים וטלפים וחלבו אסור כרוכות בעינן והרי שור דכרוכות וחלבו אסור חרוקות בעינן

The Gemara asks: Is this an established principle? But isn’t there a goat, which has horns and cloven hooves, and still its fat is forbidden, as it is a domesticated animal? The Gemara responds: We require horns that are layered to designate a kosher animal as undomesticated; a goat’s horns are not layered. The Gemara asks: But isn’t there a bull, which has layered horns, and still its fat is forbidden since it is domesticated? The Gemara responds: We require horns that are grooved; a bull’s horns are not grooved.

והרי עז דחרוקות וחלבו אסור מפוצלות בעינן והרי צבי דאין מפוצלות וחלבו מותר חדורות בעינן

The Gemara persists: But isn’t there a goat, which has grooved horns, and still its fat is forbidden? The Gemara responds: We require horns that are branched; a goat’s horns are not branched. The Gemara asks: But isn’t there a gazelle [tzevi], whose horns are not branched, and still its fat is permitted? The Gemara responds: We require horns that are rounded and not broad like those of a sheep.

הלכך היכא דמיפצלא לא דינא ולא דיינא היכא דלא מיפצלא בעינן כרוכות חדורות וחרוקות והוא דמיבלע חירקייהו

The Gemara concludes: Therefore, where an animal’s horns are branched, there is neither judgment nor judge, and the animal is without a doubt undomesticated. Where they are not branched, we require that they be layered, rounded, and grooved. And it must be grooved in a pattern such that its grooves are absorbed into one another.

והיינו ספיקא דעיזא כרכוז ההיא עיזא כרכוז דהואי בי ריש גלותא דעקור מלא צנא דתרבא מינה רב אחאי אסר רב שמואל בריה דרבי אבהו אכל מיניה קרי אנפשיה מפרי פי איש תשבע בטנו

And this is the uncertainty that arose concerning the karkoz goat, i.e., whether it is considered a domesticated animal. As there was a certain karkoz goat that was in the house of the Exilarch, from which they removed a full basket of fat after slaughtering it. Rav Aḥai deemed the fat forbidden, because he considered it a domesticated animal. But Rav Shmuel, son of Rabbi Abbahu, ate of it. He read the verse about himself: “A man’s belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth” (Proverbs 18:20). In other words, due to his learning, he knew it was permitted to eat the fat of the karkoz goat.

שלחו מתם הלכתא כוותיה דשמואל בריה דרבי אבהו והזהרו ברבינו אחאי שמאיר עיני גולה הוא

The Sages sent a message from there, Eretz Yisrael: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rav Shmuel, son of Rabbi Abbahu, that a karkoz goat is an undomesticated animal and its fat is permitted; but nevertheless, be mindful of the honor of our teacher Aḥai who deems it forbidden, and do not partake of the fat in his presence, as he enlightens the eyes of the exile.

וקרש אף על פי שאין לו אלא קרן אחת מותר אמר רב יהודה קרש טביא דבי עילאי טגרס אריא דבי עילאי אמר רב כהנא תשע אמהתא הוי בין אונא לאונא דאריא דבי עילאי אמר רב יוסף שיתסר אמהתא הוי משכיה דטביא דבי עילאי

§ The baraita states: And with regard to the animal called a keresh, even though it has only one horn, its fat is permitted for consumption. Rav Yehuda says: The keresh is the gazelle that is native to the area of Bei Ila’ei. The tagras mentioned by the Sages is the lion of Bei Ila’ei. Rav Kahana says: There are nine cubits between the ears of the lion of Bei Ila’ei. Rav Yosef says: The length of the gazelle of Bei Ila’ei is sixteen cubits.

אמר ליה קיסר לרבי יהושע בן חנניה אלהיכם כאריה מתיל דכתיב אריה שאג מי לא יירא מאי רבותיה פרשא קטיל אריא אמר ליה לאו כהאי אריא מתיל כאריא דבי עילאי מתיל אמר ליה בעינא דמיחזית ליה ניהלי אמר ליה לא מצית חזית ליה אמר ליה איברא חזינא ליה בעא רחמי אתעקר מדוכתיה

The Gemara recounts: The Roman emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: Your God is compared to a lion, as it is written: “The lion has roared, who will not fear” (Amos 3:8). But if so, what is His greatness? A cavalryman can kill a lion. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: God is not compared to that lion which a cavalryman can kill. Rather, God is compared to the lion of Bei Ila’ei. The emperor said to him: I ask that you show it to me. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: You cannot see it. The emperor said to him: Truly, I wish to see it. Rabbi Yehoshua prayed for mercy, and the lion of Bei Ila’ei set off from its place of origin toward Rome.

כי הוה מרחיק ארבע מאה פרסי ניהם חד קלא אפילו כל מעברתא ושורא דרומי נפל אדמרחק תלת מאה פרסי ניהם קלא אחרינא נתור ככי ושיני דגברי ואף הוא נפל מכורסייא לארעא אמר ליה במטותא מינך בעי רחמי עליה דלהדר לדוכתיה בעא רחמי עליה ואהדר ליה לאתריה

When it was four hundred parasangs away from Rome, it roared once, and all the pregnant women miscarried, and the wall of Rome fell. When it was three hundred parasangs away, it roared another time, and all the men’s front and back teeth fell out from fear. And even he, the emperor, fell from his throne to the ground. The emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua: I beg you, pray for mercy with regard to it, that it should go back to the place from which it came. Rabbi Yehoshua prayed for mercy with regard to it, and it returned to the place from which it came.

אמר ליה קיסר לרבי יהושע בן חנניה בעינא דאיחזי לאלהיכו אמר ליה לא מצית חזית ליה אמר ליה איברא

§ The Gemara recounts: The emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: I wish to see your God. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: You cannot see Him. The emperor said to him: Truly,