Commentary for Avodah Zarah 11:1
אלא למ"ד טריפה יולדת מאי איכא למימר אמר קרא אתך בדומין לך ודלמא נח גופיה טריפה הוה תמים כתיב ביה
but according to the one who said that a trefa animal can bear offspring what can you say? The verse says, “with you” implying similar to you. But how can we tell that Noah himself was not a trefa? Because it is written about him “perfect” (Genesis 6:9).
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
If one holds that by definition a “trefa” cannot give birth, then it makes sense to exclude it from the phrase, “to keep seed alive.” But what about those who hold that a “trefa” can give birth. We would then need the earlier verse to exclude the trefa and we would have no verse to exclude the animal missing a limb.
The Talmud finds a new way of excluding the trefa—from the word “with you.” The animals that Noah sacrifices must be like Noah—able to bear offspring and not trefot.
The Talmud finds a new way of excluding the trefa—from the word “with you.” The animals that Noah sacrifices must be like Noah—able to bear offspring and not trefot.
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Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The Talmud tries to prove that Noah was not a trefa by citing various adjectives used to describe him. But when this fails, they say simply that Noah could not have been a trefa because God would not have said “like you” if Noah himself was a trefa.
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