Chullin 157
ולחנניה כתיב אותו דמשמע זכר וכתיב בנו מי שבנו כרוך אחריו דמשמע נקבה הלכך נוהג בין בזכרים בין בנקבות
According to Hananiah, however, [the implication of the verse is this]: It says: 'it', which indicates the male parent, and it also says: 'its young', which relates to that parent to whom the young clings; hence it is clear that the law applies both to the male and female parent.
הנולדים מן הסוס אע"פ שאביהן חמור מותרין זה בזה אבל הנולדין מן החמור עם הנולדין מן הסוס אסורין
The offspring of a mare, even though their sire was an ass, are permitted [to interbreed];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or 'be yoked together'. V. Kil. VIII, 4.');"><sup>2</sup></span>
אין חוששין לזרע האב אבל חכמים אומרים
who maintained that we do not take into consideration the seed of the male parent,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., it is the female parent only which determines the species of the offspring, irrespective of the species of the sire; therefore, the offspring of a mare may not interbreed with the offspring of a she-ass. For the prohibition, cf. Lev. XIX. 19.');"><sup>3</sup></span>
איבעיא להו
It is Hananiah, who maintains that we must take into consideration the seed of the male parent; accordingly the one is the offspring of a mare and an ass-stallion and the other is the offspring of a she-ass and a horse, but they are both one kind.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since each is the offspring of a horse and an ass, whether the one is a mule and the other a hinny, they may interbreed. The fact that Samuel gives this view of Hananiah as that of the Sages proves that he accepts it as the halachah. hrp srp');"><sup>4</sup></span>
למאי נפקא מינה למישרא פרי עם האם
What practical difference would this make? - On the question of permitting the offspring<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'fruit', Heb. in MS.M. the word is , 'mule'. The question is whether a mule, the offspring of a mare and an ass-stallion, may breed with a mare.');"><sup>5</sup></span>
מיפשט פשיטא ליה פרי עם האם שרי
If you say that he [R'Judah] was certain of it, then the offspring is permitted to breed with the [species of the] dam; but if you say that he was in doubt about it, then it is forbidden for the offspring to breed with the [species of the] dam.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since from the aspect of the male parent the offspring is an ass, it may not interbreed with a mare.');"><sup>6</sup></span>
כל הנולדים מן הסוס אע"פ שאביהן חמור מותרין זה בזה
If you say that the sire of this offspring was an ass-stallion and of that also an ass-stallion; then was it necessary to state this?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the offspring are alike, in that each is half horse on the maternal side and half ass on the paternal side, they may certainly interbreed, whether we take into consideration the seed of the male parent or not.');"><sup>7</sup></span>
אילימא דאבוה דהאי חמור ואבוה דהאי חמור צריכא למימר
and [R'Judah] declares that they may interbreed, hence is it clear that he [R'Judah] was certain about it!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That we do not take into consideration the seed of the male parent; that is to say, it is only the female parent that determines the species of the offspring, and the species of the sire is immaterial.');"><sup>9</sup></span>
וקתני
I still sa that the sire of this offspring was an ass-stallion and of that also an ass-stallion, and as to your retort, 'Wa necessary to state this? ' [I reply that] you might have argued that the horse in the one copulates with the ass in the other, and the ass in the one copulates with the horse in the other;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since each offspring is half horse and half ass, it might be argued that in copulation the half horse in the one unites with the half ass in the other, and vice versa, hence there is breeding of diverse kinds which would be forbidden.');"><sup>10</sup></span>
פרדה שתבעה אין מרביעין עליה לא סוס ולא חמור אלא מינה
And R'Papa has If its ears are long and its tail short, it is the offspring of a she-ass; if its ears are short and its tail lo offspring of a mare! - We must suppose here that it was dumb and mutilated.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., it could not utter any sound and its tail and ears were cut off. It is therefore impossible to examine the mule by the abovementioned criteria.');"><sup>14</sup></span>
אין מרביעין עליה לא מין סוס ולא מין חמור לפי שאין יודעין במינה
This shows that he is of the opinion that we do not take into consideration the seed of the male parent;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For if we did take into account the seed of the male he would not have been so meticulous about the mules that were to be harnessed since each is part horse and part ass.');"><sup>16</sup></span>