Chullin 2a
חולין ב׳ ע״א
Learn Chullin 2a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.
Open Chullin 2a in Gemara Clarity
Topic
Who may perform שחיטה, and whether the משנה's word הכל means a person may slaughter לכתחלה or only that the שחיטה is valid בדיעבד
Overview
The משנה opens מסכת חולין by teaching that everyone may slaughter, except a חרש, a שוטה and a קטן, because they might ruin the שחיטה. Even they have a valid שחיטה if others watch them. The גמרא notices a contradiction in the משנה's first line: 'הכל שוחטין' sounds like לכתחלה, but 'ושחיטתן כשרה' sounds like only דיעבד. רב אחא בריה דרבא challenges the idea that 'הכל' always means לכתחלה, pointing to 'הכל ממירין' in תמורה, even though the תורה forbids making a תמורה. The answer is that the תמורה משנה itself says it is only בדיעבד, and our משנה says nothing like that. רב אחא then brings 'הכל מעריכין' from ערכין, where there is no such limit, even though פסוקים in דברים and קהלת show that vowing is not ideal. He adds a ברייתא in which רבי מאיר says it is best not to vow at all, while רבי יהודה praises one who vows and pays. רב אחא then shows that even רבי יהודה praises only a vow of 'הרי זו', and this point continues on the next amud.
Opening lines
מַתְנִי׳ הַכֹּל שׁוֹחֲטִין
MISHNA: Everyone slaughters
וּשְׁחִיטָתָן כְּשֵׁרָה,
and their slaughter is valid,
חוּץ מֵחֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן,
except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor,
שֶׁמָּא יְקַלְקְלוּ אֶת שְׁחִיטָתָן.
lest they ruin their slaughter.
The steps (8)
- StatementEveryone may slaughter, except three groups
- StatementSupervised slaughter by the excluded groups is valid
- ChallengeThe משנה seems to contradict itself
- ChallengeDoes 'הכל' always mean permitted from the start?
- ResolutionIn תמורה the משנה says outright that it is only after the fact
- ChallengeSecond challenge: everyone may vow, but vowing is not ideal
- ProofMore support: a פסוק in קהלת and a ברייתא about vowing
- ChallengeEven רבי יהודה praises vowing only in a limited case