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Chullin 120b

חולין ק״כ ע״ב

Learn Chullin 120b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Sources for the rule that liquids from forbidden or holy foods are like the food itself, and the argument over דון מינה ומינה versus דון מינה ואוקי באתרה

Overview

The גמרא has shown that the Torah teaches separately that the juices or melted forms of שרצים, חלב, חמץ and נבלת עוף are forbidden. It asks why the Torah did not write this once, by שרצים. The answer is that שרצים are stricter, since even a tiny amount makes things טמא. Next it asks for the source of a ברייתא: liquids from טבל, חדש, הקדש, שביעית and כלאים are forbidden like the food itself. Most of these can be learned from the earlier cases, because they become forbidden on their own. הקדש is different, because a person makes it holy. The גמרא tries ביכורים, then תרומה, then both together, and rejects each one. It finally learns הקדש from תרומה or ביכורים paired with one of the earlier cases. Then it explains a משנה where רבי אליעזר and רבי יהושע argue about juices of תרומה fruit. The argument depends on whether a comparison copies every detail (דון מינה ומינה) or only the basic rule (דון מינה ואוקי באתרה). Two more משניות that limit liquids to wine and oil, for ביכורים and for ערלה, are shown to follow רבי יהושע. The explanation of the ערלה case continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְלִיכְתּוֹב רַחֲמָנָא בִּשְׁרָצִים,

Let the Merciful One write it by creeping creatures,

וְלֵיתוֹ הָנָךְ וְלִיגְמְרוּ מִינַּיְיהוּ!

and let these others come and learn from them!

מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיכָּא לְמִיפְרַךְ:

Because one can refute it:

מָה לִשְׁרָצִים, שֶׁכֵּן טוּמְאָתָן בְּמַשֶּׁהוּ.

What is special about creeping creatures? That their impurity is in any small amount.

The steps (24)

  1. ChallengeWhy not write the rule only by creeping animals?
  2. ResolutionCreeping creatures are stricter, so we cannot learn from them
  3. QuestionWhere do we learn that liquids of טבל and similar foods are forbidden?
  4. RejectionWe cannot learn it from the earlier cases
  5. QuestionWhat about a prohibition a person creates?
  6. ResponseWe learn it from ביכורים
  7. QuestionHow do we know this about ביכורים?
  8. Responseרבי יוסי: ביכורים can be brought as pressed grapes
  9. Rejectionביכורים are too special to learn from
  10. ResponseA new try: learn from תרומה
  11. QuestionWhere does תרומה itself get this rule?
  12. Responseתרומה is compared to ביכורים in the פסוק
  13. Rejectionתרומה is stricter: it carries death and a fifth
  14. ResponseTry learning from both together
  15. RejectionBoth share the same strictness
  16. ResponseThe final source: תרומה or ביכורים plus one earlier case
  17. StatementA משנה: juices of תרומה fruit
  18. ResponseThe root of the argument: how far a comparison reaches
  19. Responseרבי אליעזר's view: copy everything from ביכורים
  20. Responseרבי יהושע learns from ביכורים but keeps the rule limited to wine and oil
  21. QuestionWhose view is the משנה that ביכורים juice is only from olives and grapes?
  22. ResponseIt follows רבי יהושע, who learns ביכורים back from תרומה
  23. QuestionWhose view is the משנה that lashes for ערלה juice apply only to olives and grapes?
  24. ResponseThe ערלה ruling follows רבי יהושע, starting with ביכורים learned from תרומה