Meilah 32

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב

Said R'Judah in the name of Rab: As to the eating of unclean reptiles, one is liable to the penalty of lashes only when one has consumed an olive-size.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Unlike defilement where the lentil-size suffices.');">¹</span>

אכילת שרצים לוקה עליו בכזית מאי טעמא

Why?

אכילה כתיב בהו

Because the expression 'eating'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., Ye shall not cat them, for they are a detestable thing, Lev. XI, 42. The rule is that wherever 'eating' is used the standard size is an olive.');">²</span>

והתני רבי יוסי בר ר' חנינא קמיה דרבי יוחנן

is used in that connection.

(ויקרא כ, כה) והבדלתם בין הבהמה הטהורה לטמאה ובין העוף הטמא לטהור ולא תשקצו את נפשותיכם בבהמה ובעוף ובכל אשר תרמוש האדמה אשר הבדלתי לכם לטמא פתח הכתוב באכילה וסיים בטומאה מה טומאה בכעדשה אף אכילה בכעדשה וקלסיה ר' יוחנן וקשיא לדרב

But did not R'Jose son of R'Hanina recite before R'Johanan: [It is written]: Ye shall therefore separate between the clean beast and the unclean and between the unclean fowl and the clean and ye shall not make your souls<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Make your souls detestable' is understood, through eating.');">³</span>

לא קשיא כאן במיתתן כאן בחייהן

detestable by beast or by fowl or by anything wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XX, 25.');">⁴</span>

אמר ליה אביי

Scripture speaks at the be ginning of eating and ends with defilement, in order to indicate that as with reference to defilement the lentil is the standard size so also wi regard to eating.

והא רב אמתני' קאי ומתני' כל השרצים קתני אפילו במיתתן (לאו דאיכא פורתא מהאי ופורתא מהאי)

Whereupon R'Johanan praised him.

אמר ליה רב יוסף

Now, does this not contradict Rab's ruling? - No, there is no difficulty, for the one<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., R. lose.');">⁵</span>

ההיא דיוקא דילך הוא רב שמעתא בעלמא קאמר

deals with reptiles while they are dead<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And effect defilement in which case a comparison may be drawn between eating and defilement, making a lentil's bulk the standard quantity.');">⁶</span>

וקלסיה ר' יוחנן

the other while they are alive.

מיתיבי

But, said Abaye to him, does not Rab refer his statement to the Mishnah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cur. edd. insert here in parenthesis the following text which pseudo-Rashi declares to be incomprehensible: 'and not a little from here and a little from there'.');">⁷</span>

האיברין אין להן שיעור אפי' פחות מכזית נבלה ופחות מכעדשה מן השרץ מטמאין ואמר רבי יוחנן

and our Mishnah speaks of ALL REPTILES, [apparently] even though they are dead? - Replied R'Joseph: This<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That Rab was referring to our MISHNAH:');">⁸</span>

אין לוקין עליהן אלא בכזית

is your assumption.

אמר רבא

The fact is that Rab made an independent statement.

במובדלין דבר הכתוב

[It said]: R'Johanan praised him'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Thus agreeing that a lentil is the standard size for the eating of reptiles, and that one is then liable to lashes.');">⁹</span>

א"ל רב אדא בר אהבה לרבא

To this an objection was raised.

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>