Pt4 Permitted and Prohibited Birds, Based on the lists of Non-kosher Birds in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 (Chullin 61b-63b)

This is the fourth and final part of a four-part series. Part 1 is here; Part 2 is here; Part 3 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.

Baraita - “Orev” means black crow; “every orev” includes the valley crow; “after its kinds” includes the crow that comes at the heads of pigeons - Leviticus 11:15

תנו רבנן:

1. ״עורב״ –

   1. זה עורב,

2. ״את כל עורב״ –

   1. להביא עורב העמקי,

3. ״למינו״ –

   1. להביא עורב הבא בראשי יונים.

[...]

With regard to the verse: “Every orev after its kinds” (Leviticus 11:15),

A baraita states:

1. As for the orev,

   1. this is the crow.¹

2. When the verse states: “Every orev,”

   1. this serves to include the valley crow as non-kosher.

3. And the verse states: “After its kinds,”

   1. to include the crow that comes at the heads of pigeons.

[...]

Baraita - “Netz” (נץ - list item #10 in Leviticus 11) means the hawk; “after its kinds” includes bar ḥireya - Leviticus 11:16

תנו רבנן:

1. ״הנץ״ –

   1. זה הנץ,

2. ״למינהו״ –

   1. להביא את בר חיריא.

With regard to the verse: “And the netz after its kinds” (Leviticus 11:16), A baraita states:

1. As for the netz,

   1. this is the hawk.

2. The verse states: “After its kinds,”

   1. to include the bird called bar ḥireya.

Abaye - Bar ḥireya is the shurineka

מאי בר חיריא?

אמר אביי:

שורינקא.

The Talmud asks: What is the bar ḥireya?

Abaye said:

It is the bird commonly called the shurineka.

Rav Yehuda - Ḥasida (חסידה - list item #17 in Leviticus 11) is the white dayya, named because it acts kindly toward its fellows; anafa (אנפה - list item #18 in Leviticus 11) is the irritable dayya, named because it quarrels with its fellows - Leviticus 11:19

אמר רב יהודה:

1. ״החסידה״ –

   1. זו דיה לבנה.

   2. למה נקרא שמה חסידה?

   3. שעושה חסידות עם חברותיה.

2. ״האנפה״ –

   1. זו דיה רגזנית.

   2. למה נקרא שמה אנפה?

   3. שמנאפת עם חברותיה.

With regard to the verse: “And the ḥasida, and the anafa after its kinds” (Leviticus 11:19), Rav Yehuda says:

1. As for the ḥasida --

   1. this is the white dayya.

   2. And why is it called ḥasida?

   3. Since it performs charity² for its fellows, giving them from its own food.

2. As for the anafa,

   1. this is the irritable dayya.

   2. And why is it called anafa?

   3. Since it quarrels³ with its fellows.

Rav Ḥanan b, Ḥisda citing Rav Ḥisda citing Rav Ḥanan b. Rava citing Rav - There are 24 non-kosher birds

1. אמר רב חנן בר רב חסדא

2. אמר רב חסדא

3. אמר רב חנן בריה דרבא

4. אמר רב:

עשרים וארבעה עופות טמאין הן.

1. § Rav Ḥanan bar Rav Ḥisda says that

2. Rav Ḥisda says that

3. Rav Ḥanan, son of Rava, says that

4. Rav says:

There are 24 non-kosher birds.⁴

Rav Ḥisda citing Rav Ḥanan b. Rava citing Rav - The four “after its kinds” phrases add four species to the Torah’s bird lists - Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14

אמר ליה רב חנן בר רב חסדא לרב חסדא:

דהיכא?

• אי דויקרא –

  • עשרים הוו,

• אי דמשנה תורה –

  • עשרים וחד הוו,

וכי תימא

דאה דכתיבא בויקרא ולא כתיבא במשנה תורה שדייה עלייהו –

אכתי עשרין ותרין הוו!

Rav Ḥanan bar Rav Ḥisda said to Rav Ḥisda, his father:

From where in the Torah is this number obtained?

• If you are referring to the list of Leviticus (11:13–19),

  • there are only 20 birds listed there.⁵

• If you are referring to the list of Deuteronomy (14:12–18),

  • there are only 21 there.⁶

And if you would say:

“Add the da’a” which is written in Leviticus but is not written in Deuteronomy, to the others in Deuteronomy,

still there are only 22.

אמר ליה:

הכי אמר אבוה דאמך משמיה דרב:

1. ״למינה״

2. ״למינה״

3. ״למינו״

4. ״למינהו״ –

הרי כאן ארבע.

[...]

Rav Ḥisda said to him:

This is what your mother’s father, Rav Ḥanan, son of Rava, said in the name of Rav:

The phrases

1. “after its kinds,”

2. “after its kinds,”

3. “after its kinds,”

4. and “after its kinds,”

that appear in each list indicate additional cases.⁷ Here, then, are 4 more.

[...]

R’ Yehuda HaNasi - The Torah writes both ayya and dayya to prevent disputes caused by different regional names for the same bird - Deuteronomy 14:13

(See footnote.)⁸

תניא,

רבי אומר:

אקרא אני איה,

דיה למה נאמרה?

כדי שלא תתן פתחון פה לבעל דין לחלוק,

שלא תהא

• אתה קורא איה

  • והוא קורא דיה,

• אתה קורא דיה

  • והוא קורא איה,

לכך כתב במשנה תורה:

1. ״והראה

2. ואת האיה

3. והדיה

למינה״.

[...]

it is taught in a baraita that

R’ Yehuda HaNasi says:

Given that the two are one species, I will read ayya and know that it is forbidden.

Why is dayya stated?

It is so as not to give a claim to a litigant to disagree,

and it should not occur that

• you call it an ayya

  • and he calls it a dayya and eats it.

• you call it a dayya

  • and he calls it an ayya and eats it.

Therefore, the Torah writes in Deuteronomy:

1. “And the ra’a,

2. and the ayya,

3. and the dayya

after its kinds” (Deuteronomy 14:13).

Consequently, both the list in Leviticus and that in Deuteronomy enumerate 24 birds, in accordance with the statement attributed to Rav.

[...]

Baraita - The animal list is repeated in Deuteronomy because of the shesua; the bird list is repeated because of the ra’a - Deuteronomy 14:7, 13

למה נשנו?

• בבהמה –

  • מפני השסועה,

• ובעופות –

  • מפני הראה.

[...]

a baraita:

Why are the lists of non-kosher animals and birds in Leviticus repeated in Deuteronomy?

• The list of non-kosher animals is repeated

  • It is due to the necessity of adding the shesua (Deuteronomy 14:7), which was not listed in Leviticus.

• And the list of non-kosher birds is repeated

  • due to the ra’a.

[...]

R’ Abbahu - The ra’a is the ayya

אמר רבי אבהו:

ראה --

זו איה,

R’ Abbahu says:

The ra’a --

is the ayya.

named for its exceptional sight

ולמה נקרא שמה ראה?

שרואה ביותר,

And why is it called the ra’a?

Since it sees [ro’ah] most vividly.

Prooftext - Job 28:7

וכן הוא אומר:

״נתיב לא ידעו עיט

ולא שזפתו עין איה״,

And so the verse states:

“That path no bird of prey knows,

neither has the eye of the ayya seen it” (Job 28:7).

Baraita - The ra’a/ayya can stand in Babylonia and see a carcass in Eretz Yisrael

תנא:

עומדת בבבל ורואה נבלה בארץ ישראל.

[...]

And a Sage taught:

The ra’a can stand in Babylonia and see a carcass in Eretz Yisrael.

[...]

Isi ben Yehuda - There are 100 non-kosher birds in the East, all species of ayya - Leviticus 11:14

תניא,

איסי בן יהודה אומר:

מאה עופות טמאין יש במזרח,

וכולן מין ״איה״ הן.

§ With regard to the phrase: “The ayya after its kinds” (Leviticus 11:14),

it is taught in a baraita that

Isi ben Yehuda says:

There are 100 non-kosher birds in the East,

and they are all species of ayya.

Avimi b. Abbahu - There are 700 (non-kosher) fish species, 800 (non-kosher) grasshopper species, and countless birds

תני אבימי בריה דרבי אבהו:

1. שבע מאות מיני דגים הן,

2. ושמונה מאות מיני חגבים,

3. ולעופות אין מספר.

[...]

Avimi, son of R’ Abbahu, taught:

1. There are 700 types of non-kosher fish,

2. and 800 types of non-kosher grasshopper,

3. and there are countless birds.

[...]

R’ Yehuda HaNasi - Since non-kosher animals are more numerous than kosher animals, the Torah lists the kosher animals; since kosher birds are more numerous than non-kosher birds, the Torah lists the non-kosher birds

תניא,

רבי אומר:

• גלוי וידוע לפני מי שאמר והיה העולם

  • שבהמה טמאה מרובה מן הטהורות,

  • לפיכך מנה הכתוב בטהורה.

• גלוי וידוע לפני מי שאמר והיה העולם

  • שעופות טהורין מרובין על הטמאין,

  • לפיכך מנה הכתוב בטמאין.

[...]

It is taught in a baraita:

R’ Yehuda HaNasi says:

• It is revealed and known before God (“ the One Who spoke and the world came into being”)

  • that the species of non-kosher animals are more numerous than the kosher ones.

  • Therefore, the Torah lists the kosher animals, teaching that all the rest are non-kosher.

• On the other hand, it is revealed and known before God

  • that the species of kosher birds are more numerous than the non-kosher ones.

  • Therefore, the Torah lists the non-kosher birds.

[...]

R’ Yitzḥak - A kosher bird may be eaten based on tradition

אמר רבי יצחק:

עוף טהור נאכל במסורת,

R’ Yitzḥak says:

A kosher bird may be eaten on the strength of a tradition (מסורת) that it is kosher,

without inspecting for the signs listed in the Mishnah.

a hunter is trusted to say his teacher transmitted that a bird is kosher

נאמן הצייד לומר:

עוף זה טהור, מסר לי רבי.

And the hunter is deemed credible to say:

My teacher conveyed to me that this bird is kosher.

R’ Yoḥanan - A hunter’s tradition is reliable only if the teacher knows the non-kosher birds and their names

אמר רבי יוחנן:

והוא שבקי בהן ובשמותיהן.

R’ Yoḥanan said:

And this is the halakha only when the teacher is familiar with the non-kosher birds and with their names.

1. As stated also earlier, in Part 2, section “Baraita - “Orev” means the crow - Leviticus 11:15“.

2. חסידות - ḥasidut - literally: “piety”.

3. מנאפת - mena’efet - literally: “commits adultery“.

4. As stated also earlier, at the beginning of the sugya, in Part 1, section “Tradition - There are 24 non-kosher birds, and 4 signs of kosher birds“.

5. As I list in Part 1, intro, section “Leviticus 11:13-19 - a list of 20 non-kosher birds“.

6. As I list in Part 1, intro, section “Deuteronomy 14:12-18 - a list of 21 non-kosher birds“.

7. For these instances, see my citation of the verses in Part 1, intro, section “Leviticus 11:13-19 - a list of 20 non-kosher birds“, list items #5-6, 10, 18.

8. On ayya vs. dayya, see also my intro in Part 1.