Chullin 53b

חולין נ״ג ע״ב

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Topic

ספק דרוסה: the רב–שמואל dispute and שמואל's birds, then the rules for checking a clawed animal, the סימנים, and rotten flesh

Overview

The גמרא pinpoints where רב and שמואל disagree about ספק דרוסה: the predator is quiet while the birds cry out. אמימר rules like שמואל that we must worry. The גמרא suggests רב may have retracted, but rejects that proof: רב sent the birds to שמואל only because it was שמואל's town. The גמרא then explains each detail of how שמואל destroyed the birds, ending with the river, which made the איסור public. רב אשי rules that a duck bloodied among reeds is permitted, since we assume a reed hurt it rather than a cat. Several rulings follow on how to check a דרוסה: near the intestines, across the whole body cavity, and even at the סימנים. Other rulings say detached סימנים need רוב, and rotten flesh counts as missing, so a crumbling lung is טרפה. רב נחמן and רב זביד compare clawing with a thorn wound and with the סימנים. The amud ends as a new question from רב ביבי בר אביי begins.

Opening lines

The steps (31)

1. StatementWhere exactly רב and שמואל disagree
2. Statementאמימר rules that we worry about a doubtful clawing
3. Challengeרב אשי asks: what about רב's view?
4. Resolutionאמימר: I don't hold like רב
5. ProofMaybe רב himself changed his mind: the basket story
6. RejectionIf רב retracted, he should have forbidden them himself
7. ResolutionIt was שמואל's town
8. ChallengeWhy strangle the birds first?
9. ResolutionLive birds would fly away
10. ChallengeWhy not wait twelve months?
11. ResolutionKeeping them could cause a mistake
12. ChallengeWhy not sell them to non-Jews?
13. ResolutionThey might sell them back to Jews
14. ChallengeWhy the river and not the garbage?
15. ResolutionThe river makes the איסור public
16. StatementThe duck that came out of the reeds bleeding
17. Statementרב אשי: assume a reed hurt it
18. StatementA clawed animal must be checked near the intestines
19. Statementשמואל already said the same thing
20. QuestionDoes clawing apply to the סימנים?
21. ResponseThe check covers the whole body cavity, even the סימנים
22. QuestionHow much must the סימנים be detached?
23. ResponseDetached סימנים: once most of them are loose
24. Questionרב אמי asks about rotting flesh
25. Responseרב already ruled that rotten flesh counts as missing
26. QuestionWhat counts as rotten?
27. ResponseRotten means flesh a doctor would scrape away
28. StatementA crumbling lung was declared טרפה
29. Statementרב נחמן: a thorn wound versus clawing
30. Statementרב זביד's version: clawing at the סימנים
31. Questionרב ביבי בר אביי raises a new question