Chullin 40b

חולין מ׳ ע״ב

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Topic

Can one act of שחיטה for עבודה זרה break three prohibitions at once, and can a person forbid an animal that is not his?

Overview

The גמרא continues testing רב הונא's ruling that cutting one סימן of an animal for עבודה זרה makes it forbidden. It tests the ruling against a ברייתא: one who slaughters a חטאת on שבת, outside the עזרה, for עבודה זרה brings three חטאות. The problem is that once the animal is forbidden, finishing the cut is like 'chopping dirt' and should not count as שחוטי חוץ. רב פפא first places the case in a bird חטאת. The גמרא objects that עולא, whom רב הונא follows, says even a tiny act forbids the animal. A second answer, that the person said he worships only at the end of the שחיטה, fails because then the ברייתא could have spoken of any קרבן. מר זוטרא in the name of רב פפא gives the final answer: a bird whose windpipe was already half cut, so one tiny cut makes all three prohibitions happen at once. רב פפא then notes that the difficulty comes from two details in רב הונא's ruling: 'one סימן' and 'his fellow's animal.' Owning a חטאת for כפרה does not make it his own. Finally, רב נחמן, רב עמרם and רב יצחק rule that a person cannot forbid what is not his, and the גמרא begins a challenge to them from the same ברייתא, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (12)

1. ChallengeFinishing the cut is like chopping dirt
2. ResolutionA bird חטאת: everything happens at once
3. Challengeרב הונא follows עולא, who says even a tiny act forbids
4. ResolutionHe said he is worshipping only at the end of the שחיטה
5. ChallengeThen why speak specifically of a חטאת?
6. ResolutionA bird with a half-cut windpipe
7. StatementThe difficulty comes from 'one סימן'
8. StatementThe difficulty also comes from 'his fellow's animal'
9. ChallengeIsn't that obvious?
10. ResolutionOwning it for כפרה is not real ownership
11. StatementThree אמוראים: A person cannot forbid what is not his
12. ChallengeChallenge begins from the ברייתא of the חטאת slaughtered for idol worship