Chullin 121b

חולין קכ״א ע״ב

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Topic

The in-between status of a slaughtered, still-twitching animal, and רב הונא on meat scraps attached to a hide

Overview

The amud opens at the end of a question: why does a slaughtered, still-twitching non-kosher animal need הכשר to become impure as food, when it will eventually carry the severe impurity of a נבלה? חזקיה answers that its owner could chop it into pieces smaller than a כזית, so severe impurity is not certain. רבי ירמיה points out that חזקיה elsewhere treats such an animal as dead. רבי זירא answers that, for חזקיה, it has left the 'living' category but has not yet entered the 'dead' one. The גמרא then rules like רבי יוחנן, based on רב אושעיא's ברייתא. That ברייתא says a twitching animal gives טומאת אוכלין but not טומאת נבלות, and that parts taken from it count as taken from a living animal. The ברייתא also covers a שחיטה shared between a גוי and a Jew, and a method for eating meat cut before the animal dies. רבי זירא and רב ששת then debate whether the twitching animal protects what it swallowed, and אביי rules strictly both ways. Finally, רב הונא begins explaining the משנה's rule about meat scraps on a hide, a discussion that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (27)

1. ChallengeThe end of the question: it will eventually carry severe impurity
2. Resolutionחזקיה: it might never reach severe impurity
3. Challengeרבי ירמיה: did חזקיה really say this?
4. ChallengeSpelling out the dispute: dead or not dead
5. ResolutionNeither alive nor dead
6. StatementBack to the dispute about the twitching animal
7. Statementרבי אלעזר rules like רבי יוחנן
8. Proofרב אושעיא's ברייתא: food impurity, not נבלה impurity
9. ProofLimbs and flesh count as taken from a living animal
10. ProofPartial cut or stabbing of the non-kosher animal
11. ProofA non-Jew slaughters a kosher animal for a Jew
12. ProofLimbs and flesh from it count as from a living animal
13. ProofPartial cut or stabbing by the non-Jew
14. ProofA gentile starts the slaughter and a Jew finishes it
15. ProofA Jew starts the slaughter and a gentile finishes it
16. ProofHow to eat meat before the animal fully dies
17. ProofThe ברייתא supports רב אידי בר אבין
18. Questionרבי אלעזר asks about pausing or pressing during this שחיטה
19. ResponseAn elder quotes רבי יוחנן: it needs a proper שחיטה
20. QuestionWhat does 'proper שחיטה' add?
21. ResponseIt means checking the knife
22. Questionרבי זירא asks: does the animal protect what it swallowed?
23. Responseרב ששת: it counts as food, so how could it protect?
24. Challengeרבי זירא pushes back: it isn't a נבלה, so why not protect?
25. Responseאביי rules strictly in both directions
26. Statementרב הונא: the meat scraps count only if someone gathered them
27. Statementרב הונא: two half-olive pieces on a hide are cancelled out by the hide