Overview
This daf continues the discussion of unusual offspring, kosher and non-kosher animals, and the rule:
ืืืืฆื ืื ืืืื ืืื, ืืืืืฆื ืื ืืืืืจ ืืืืจ
Whatever comes from a non-kosher animal is non-kosher, and whatever comes from a kosher animal is kosher.
The Gemara also clarifies Rabbi Shimonโs opinion that an offspring must resemble its mother in its head and most of its body.
Does Rabbi Shimon Require โHead and Majorityโ for Kashrut?
The Gemara asks:
A cow gives birth to something that looks like a camel.
Is it kosher simply because it came from a kosher mother?
Or does Rabbi Shimon require that the offspring resemble its mother in:
- its head, and
- most of its body?
The Gemara brings a proof from a Beraita:
A camel born from a cow is forbidden.
But if its head and most of its body resemble its mother, it is permitted.
This proves:
Rabbi Shimon requires head and majority resemblance even for eating, not only for Bechorah.
Can a Kosher and NonโKosher Species Interbreed?
The Gemara cites a Beraita discussing:
A non-kosher fetus developing from a kosher mother and vice versa.
This leads to the question:
Can such breeding even occur?
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi teaches:
A kosher animal does not become pregnant from a non-kosher animal.
A non-kosher animal does not become pregnant from a kosher animal.
Likewise:
- Large species do not breed with small species.
- Wild animals and domesticated animals generally do not interbreed.
The Gemara answers that the discussion concerns unusual cases and opinions that recognize rare exceptions.
โZeh VโZeh Goremโ (Two Causes Producing One Result)
The Gemara analyzes whether an offspring produced through two contributing causes is permitted.
Rabbi Eliezer
Generally holds:
ืื ืืื ืืืจื ืืกืืจ
If a permitted and forbidden source jointly produce something, the result is forbidden.
Rabbi Yehoshua
Generally holds:
ืื ืืื ืืืจื ืืืชืจ
The result is permitted.
The Gemara compares this to the dispute about the offspring of a treifah offered on the Mizbeโach.
A Definitive Proof
The Gemara again cites Rabbi Shimon:
A camel born from a cow is permitted only if its head and most of its body resemble its mother.
The Gemara concludes:
For eating as well, Rabbi Shimon requires head and majority resemblance.
This resolves the question.
The Urine of a Donkey
The Gemara asks:
Is donkey urine permitted?
Why ask specifically about a donkey?
Because:
- Donkey urine is cloudy.
- Its appearance resembles milk.
- People used it medicinally.
The Gemara wonders whether it is considered something that comes from the animalโs body.
Rav Sheshetโs Answer
Rav Sheshet quotes the Mishnah:
ืืืืฆื ืื ืืืื ืืื
Anything that comes from a non-kosher animal is forbidden.
Therefore donkey urine is forbidden.
Why Is Honey Permitted?
The Gemara challenges Rav Sheshet:
If everything coming from a non-kosher creature is forbidden,
then why is bee honey permitted?
The Beraita answers:
Bees do not manufacture the honey from their bodies.
They gather it and store it.
Therefore honey is not considered:
โA product of the bee.โ
Rabbi Yaakovโs Derashah
Rabbi Yaakov derives honeyโs permissibility from the verse:
โืื ืืช ืื ืชืืืืโ
which comes to include bee honey.
The Gemara explains why bee honey is included while similar products from hornets and wasps are excluded.
Honey in the Hive
A Beraita teaches:
Honey in a hive can receive Tumas Ochlin even without specific intent.
This further demonstrates that halachah considers honey a food.
The Deer and the Red Deer
The Gemara discusses a substance found in a red deer (ืืืืืจ).
The Sages originally thought it was an egg-like product and therefore forbidden.
Rav Safra explained:
It originates as seed and is not an animal product in the ordinary sense.
The Skin on a Donkeyโs Face
Rav Huna states:
The skin that develops opposite the face of a donkey fetus is permitted.
Why?
Because it is considered:
ืคืืจืฉื ืืขืืื
Merely waste material, not actual flesh.
A supporting Beraita is brought regarding a similar membrane found on humans.
New Mishnah: One Fish Swallowing Another
The Mishnah teaches:
A non-kosher fish swallows a kosher fish
If the kosher fish is recovered intact:
It is permitted.
A kosher fish swallows a non-kosher fish
The non-kosher fish remains forbidden.
The determining factor is:
The swallowed fish is not considered a natural product of the swallowing fish.
How Do We Know It Was Swallowed?
The Gemara asks:
What if we had not actually seen it swallowed?
Perhaps it was born there.
The Gemara answers:
- Kosher fish lay eggs.
- Non-kosher fish generally produce live young.
Various explanations are offered for cases where the fish is found whole and recognizable.
A Biological Principle
The Gemara states:
Non-kosher fish generally give birth to live young.
Kosher fish generally lay eggs.
It then adds:
Animals that give birth nurse their young.
Animals that lay eggs usually do not.
A notable exception is:
The bat, which lays eggs according to the Gemaraโs description yet nurses its young.
Main Takeaways of the Daf
- Rabbi Shimon requires an offspringโs head and most of its body to resemble its mother even for kashrut.
- Anything that comes from a non-kosher animal is forbidden.
- Bee honey is permitted because it is gathered, not produced from the beeโs body.
- Donkey urine is treated as coming from a non-kosher animal and is forbidden.
- A kosher fish swallowed by a non-kosher fish remains kosher if recovered intact.