Commentary for Zevachim 139:22

אמרת

Hence [the text] informs us [otherwise]. Our Rabbis taught: And the heleb of nebelah, and the heleb of terefah. [may be used for any other service; but ye shall in no wise eat of it]: Scripture speaks of the heleb of a clean [permitted] animal.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Teaching that its heleb does not defile as nebelah.');">³⁵</span> You say, Scripture speaks of the heleb of a clean animal; yet perhaps it is not so, but rather of the heleb of an unclean animal? You can answer: [Scripture] declared [an animal] clean on account of its being slaughtered, and declared it clean on account of heleb:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Scripture decreed that when an animal is slaughtered (with shechitah) it does not defile; and that the heleb of nebelah does not defile.');">³⁶</span> as when it declared it clean on account of being slaughtered, it referred to a clean [permitted], but not an unclean [forbidden] animal;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even if an unclean animal is ritually slaughtered, it defiles.');">³⁷</span> so when it declared it clean on account of heleb, it referred to a clean, but not an unclean animal. Or argue in this wise: [Scripture] cleansed from nebelah,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' There is a case where nebelah does not defile.');">³⁸</span> and it cleansed from heleb:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heleb does not defile, as stated.');">³⁹</span> as when it cleansed from nebelah, it was in the case of unclean, and not in the case of clean;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' An unclean (forbidden) bird does not defile (as nebelah) when it is in the gullet, whereas a clean bird does.');">⁴⁰</span> so when it cleansed from heleb, [it did so] in the case of unclean, not in the case of clean? Thus you must say,

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