Commentary for Meilah 32:18

אלא מעתה בהמה נמי ליפלגי בין מובדלת לשאינה מובדלת

[We have learnt]: 'There is no standard size for entire limbs [of unclean animals]. Even less than an olive-size of nebelah and less than a lentil-size of a reptile effect defilement',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Oh. I, 7.');">¹⁰</span> And R'Johanan remarked: The penalty of lashes, however, is inflicted only for an olive-size!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Johanan thus contradicts himself, as this dictum is taken to refer to dead reptiles in analogy to nebelah, and yet an olive-size is required.');">¹¹</span> - Said Raba: Scripture speaks only of those that are separated.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The former dictum of R. Johanan according to which the standard size for the eating of reptiles is a lentil refers to the eight reptiles which have been singled out in Lev. XI, 29f for their uncleanness, and whose standard size with regard to defilement is a lentil; while the latter saying of R. Johanan relates to other reptiles which do not effect uncleanness,: so that no analogy can be drawn between eating and defilement with regard to the legal size. This dictum of R. Johanan is not to be taken as comment on the Mishnah quoted from Oh. which explicitly mentions uncleanness in connection with reptiles and must therefore relate to the eight reptiles, but as a statement made independently by him.');">¹²</span> Said R'Adda son of Ahabah, to Raba: If so, why not draw a distinction also with reference to beasts between those that are separated<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., clean animals.');">¹³</span> and those that are not sepa rated?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the unclean. The fact that Lev. XX, 25 mentions beasts and reptiles side by side intimates an analogy between these two kinds. Also in the case of beasts, therefore, should some distinction be made as to the standard size between those that are separated and the standard quantity of those that are not separated, an olive-size being prescribed only with regard to the former; but as to the latter, a greater quantity should be required, e.g., that of an egg.');">¹⁴</span>

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