Gemara Clarity

Kereisos 21b

כריתות כ״א ע״ב

Keritot 21b

Learn Kereisos 21b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Kereisos 21b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Light and severe טומאה for animals and humans, and which kinds of blood (שרצים, fish, human) are forbidden

Overview

This amud keeps working through a ברייתא about טומאה and about which kinds of blood are forbidden to eat. First it explains why a dead animal can get the light טומאת אוכלין but a מת cannot. Nobody treats a human body as food, and in רב חנניא's case of נבלה covered with dough, a מת's טומאה breaks through any covering. Next it clarifies three lines of the ברייתא. שרצים have 'no טומאה' only in the sense that they give no טומאה by carrying. Fish and grasshoppers are 'entirely permitted' because they need no שחיטה. Birds have 'no כלאים' only in the sense that their feathers are not part of the clothing ban, as אביי explains. Then רב rules that eating blood of שרצים earns lashes, and רבי זירא explains that the lashes come from the שרץ ban, not the blood ban. רב also forbids collected fish blood, and the גמרא settles this with the ברייתא: blood with scales in it is permitted, and blood without scales is forbidden. Finally, רב ששת says human blood has not even a command to keep away from it. A ברייתא that calls it forbidden challenges him, and the answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

לְאַפּוֹקֵי מֵת,

to exclude a corpse,

אַף עַל גַּב דִּמְמַלֵּיא לֵיהּ –

even though one completes it [to an egg-bulk] –

לָא מְטַמֵּא טוּמְאַת אוֹכָלִין,

it does not become impure with the impurity of food,

מִשּׁוּם דְּבָטְלָה דַּעְתּוֹ

because his intention is cancelled

The steps (28)

  1. ResolutionA human corpse cannot get food-impurity
  2. Resolutionרב חנניא's case: an olive-sized piece covered in dough
  3. ChallengeThen it should need to be made wet
  4. ResolutionIt still passes on impurity by carrying
  5. ConclusionCovering does not help a corpse
  6. ChallengeDo creeping animals really have no impurity?
  7. ResolutionNo impurity by carrying
  8. QuestionWhat does 'entirely permitted' mean?
  9. RejectionNot because their fat is permitted
  10. RejectionNot because there is no גיד הנשה
  11. ResponseIt means no slaughter is needed
  12. StatementWhy the verse also says 'animal'
  13. QuestionWhich kind of כלאים do birds lack?
  14. RejectionIt cannot mean mating or plowing
  15. Responseאביי: it means a bird's 'wool'
  16. Statementרב: blood of שרצים earns מלקות
  17. ChallengeA ברייתא says no liability for blood of שרצים
  18. Resolution'Not liable' means no כרת
  19. RejectionThe earlier answer about blood of שרצים fails for two reasons
  20. ResolutionLashes come from the שרץ ban, not from the blood ban
  21. StatementFish blood gathered into a vessel is forbidden
  22. ChallengeA ברייתא permits fish blood
  23. ResolutionGathered versus not gathered
  24. ChallengeHuman blood that was not gathered is permitted
  25. ResolutionScales make the difference for fish blood
  26. StatementHuman blood has no requirement to avoid it
  27. ChallengeA ברייתא says human blood is forbidden
  28. ResolutionStarting to explain the ברייתא's 'forbidden'