Chullin 20

Chapter 20

א ומאי שנא

1 But what is the difference?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Between these various cases of doubt. Why is it that in the case of the notched knife the slaughtering is valid, while in the cases where there is a doubt as to pausing or pressing in the act of slaughtering, it is invalid?');">1

ב התם איתילידא בה ריעותא בבהמה הכא סכין איתרעאי בהמה לא איתרעאי

2 - In the latter cases the defect has arisen in the animal, whereas in the above mentioned case the defect has arisen in the knife but not in the animal.

ג והילכתא כוותיה דרב הונא כשלא שיבר בה עצם והילכתא כוותיה דרב חסדא כששיבר בה עצם

3 The law is as R'Huna ruled2

ד מכלל דרב חסדא אע"ג דלא שיבר בה עצם

4 where he did not break up bones [with the knife after slaughtering].

ה אלא במאי איפגים

5 And the law is as R'Hisda ruled3

ו אימא

6 where he did break up bones.

ז בעצם דמפרקת איפגים

7 It follows that R'Hisda maintains his view even where no bones were broken up;4

ח הוה עובדא וטרף רב יוסף עד תליסר חיותא

8 then the question is: how did the knife become notched? - You can say: It became notched through striking the bone of the neck.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which can only be done after having first cut through the organs of the throat, by which time the slaughtering has been completed and therefore the slaughtering is not affected thereby.');">5

ט כמאן

9 There happened such a case<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where several animals were slaughtered without the knife being examined between each slaughtering, and after all the animals had been slaughtered the knife was found to be notched.');">6

י כרב הונא ואפילו בקמייתא

10 and R'Joseph declared as many as thirteen animals to be trefah.

יא לא כרב חסדא ולבר מקמייתא

11 Now, whose view did he follow?

יב ואיבעית אימא

12 Did he follow R'Huna's view [and so declared them all trefah,] including the first animal?7

יג לעולם כרב הונא דאי כרב חסדא מכדי מתלא תלינן ממאי דבעצם דמפרקת דקמייתא איפגים

13 - No, he may have followed R'Hisda's view, and [so declared then, all trefah.] excepting the first animal.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For R. Hisda assumes that the notch was caused by striking the neck-bone after the animal had been duly slaughtered. It is therefore clear that at least the first animal had been properly slaughtered. On this view we must assume that the number of animals slaughtered was fourteen.');">8

יד דלמא בעצם דמפרקת דבתרייתא איפגים

14 If you wish, however, I can say that he followed R'Huna's view, because if he followed R'Hisda's view, then, since R'Hisda adopts a lenient view, why is it suggested that the knife became notched through striking the neck-bone of the first animal?

טו אמר ליה רב אחא בריה דרבא לרב אשי

15 Should we not say that it became notched through striking the neck-bone of the last animal?9

טז רב כהנא מצריך בדיקותא בין כל חדא וחדא

16 R'Aha the son of Raba told R'Ashi that R'Kahana required the knife to be examined after each animal that was slaughtered.

יז כמאן

17 Now, whose view did he adopt?

יח כרב הונא ולמיפסל קמייתא

18 Was it R'Huna's view, with the result that [if the knife were not examined between each animal that was slaughtered,] even the first animal would be trefah? - No.

יט לא כרב חסדא ולאכשורי בתרייתא

19 It was R'Hisda's view that he adopted,10

כ אי הכי תיבעי נמי בדיקת חכם

20 and [he therefore required the knife to be examined after each animal so that] even those slaughtered after [the first] should be permitted.

כא עד אחד נאמן באיסורין

21 If this is so, should not the knife be examined by a Sage?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since according to R. Hisda the purpose of the examination is to render valid those animals slaughtered after the examination, then it becomes necessary for a Sage to examine the knife, for there is a rule that the inspection of the knife before the slaughtering must be by a Sage; v. infra p. 85.');">11

כב אי הכי מעיקרא נמי לא

22 - [It is not necessary, for] one witness is believed in matters concerning ritual prohibition.12

כג האמר רבי יוחנן

23 If so, it should never be necessary.13

כד לא אמרו להראות סכין לחכם אלא מפני כבודו של חכם

24 - Indeed, has not R'Johanan said that it is only out of respect to the Sage that it was ruled that one must present the knife to the Sage [for inspection]?

כה מנא הא מלתא דאמור רבנן

25 Whence is derived the principle which the Rabbis have adopted, viz. : Determine every matter by its status?14

כו אוקי מילתא אחזקיה

26 - R'Samuel B'Nahmani said in the name of R'Jonathan.

כז אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר ר' יונתן אמר קרא

27 It is derived from the verse: Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.15

כח (ויקרא יד, לח) ויצא הכהן מן הבית אל פתח הבית והסגיר את הבית שבעת ימים דלמא אדנפיק ואתא בצר ליה שיעורא

28 Now may it not have happened that, while he was going out, the leprous spot diminished in size?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And it may thus have become less than the minimum size of a bean required to render the house unclean, so that there would be no necessity to shut up the house at all, and the act of 'shutting up' is consequently invalid.');">16

כט אלא לאו משום דאמרינן אוקי אחזקיה

29 [Yet we do not apprehend this] because we say: Determine every matter by its status.17

ל מתקיף לה רב אחא בר יעקב

30 R'Aha B'Jacob demurred to this: Perhaps the priest in going out of the house walks backwards so that he can see [the spot] as he is leaving!18

לא ודילמא כגון שיצא דרך אחוריו דקא חזי ליה כי נפק

31 - Abaye retorted: There are two answers to your objection.

לב אמר ליה אביי שתי תשובות בדבר

32 In the first place, going out backwards is not a 'going out'.19

לג חדא דיציאה דרך אחוריו לא שמה יציאה

33 In the second place, what will you say when the leprous spot is behind the door?20

לד ועוד אחורי הדלת מאי איכא למימר

34 And if you say that he opens up a window [in the door]; have we not learnt: In a dark house one may not open up windows to inspect the leprous spot?21

לה וכי תימא דפתח ביה כוותא והתנן

35 - Said Raba to him, With regard to your statement that going out backwards is not a 'going out', the case of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement proves otherwise; for in that case, though it is written: And he shall go out,22

לו בית אפל אין פותחין בו חלונות לראות את נגעו

36 we have learnt: The High Priest goes out and leaves as he entered.23

לז א"ל רבא דקאמרת

37 And with regard to your reference to the statement that 'in a dark house one may not open up windows to inspect the leprous spot', this rule only applies when the leprosy has not yet been ascertained; but once the leprosy has been ascertained the matter is determined.24

לח יציאה דרך אחוריו לא שמה יציאה כהן גדול ביום הכפורים יוכיח דכתיב ביה יציאה ותנן

38 A [Baraitha] was taught which is not in agreement with the view of R'Aha B'Jacob: [Since it is written,] 'Then the priest shall go out of the house', you might think that he may go to his own house and shut up [the affected house from there].25

לט יצא ובא לו דרך כניסתו

39 the verse therefore reads: 'To the door of the house'.

מ ודקאמרת

40 But if [we had only] 'the door of the house' to go by you might think that he may stand under the doorpost [of the affected house] and shut it up.

מא בית אפל אין פותחין בו חלונות לראות את נגעו הני מילי היכא דלא איתחזק אבל היכא דאיתחזק איתחזק

41 The verse therefore reads: 'Out of the house', that is to say, he must go right out of the house How is this done?

מב תניא דלא כרב אחא בר יעקב

42 He stands outside the doorpost and shuts it up.

מג ויצא הכהן מן הבית יכול ילך לתוך ביתו ויסגיר

43 Moreover, whence do we know that if he went to his own home and shut it up [from there], or if he remained within the [affected] house and shut it up the shutting-up is valid?

מד תלמוד לומר

44 The verse therefore says.'

מה אל פתח הבית אי פתח הבית יכול יעמוד תחת המשקוף ויסגיר

45 And he shall shut tip the house', implying that the shutting-up in whatever way effected [is valid].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' According to this Baraitha the suggestion of R. Aba b. Jacob seems untenable; for the Baraitha regards it valid even when the priest shut up the affected house from his own home, in which case it would be impossible for him to keep the leprous spot in view the whole time.');">26

מו תלמוד לומר

46 And R'Ahab.

מז מן הבית עד שיצא מן הבית כולו

47 Jacob?27

מח הא כיצד

48 -

מט עומד בצד המשקוף ומסגיר

נ ומנין שאם הלך לתוך ביתו והסגיר או שעמד בתוך הבית והסגיר שהסגרו מוסגר

נא תלמוד לומר

נב והסגיר את הבית מכל מקום

נג ורב אחא בר יעקב

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