Note: This is the work of one evening, rather than something thought out over months. There may be sources of which I am embarrassingly unaware. I haven't looked at other gemaras to see if this works out consistently, or at midreshei halacha such as Sifra, and so on. Rather, this is a way of playing with the text, on the basis of a discovered variant text. So this likely requires more thought, and certainly should not be the basis for any changes in practice.
(Initially posted at Girsology, but at present, few people visit that site. So now cross-posted here.)
0. Table of contents
1. The variant texts and their implications
2. Evidence from piskaot
3. Evidence from the gemara's question
4. The straightforward implication of the Tosefta
5. A possible nafka mina
1. The variant texts and their implications
If one examines the Munich manuscript of the Talmud, Chullin 59a, one would discover a fascinating variant version of the Mishna:
It reads:
This brings it in line with the Mishna we have in our printed editions of Chullin 59a:
The difference between these two girsaot is that, with the word וחיה present, the Mishna definitively and explicitly states that the signs of kosher wild animals are Biblical, and written in the Torah text. These signs would then be identical to the signs of kosher domesticated animals. As Rashi notes, in explaining a question of the gemara:
The pasuk begins with זֹאת הַחַיָּה and afterwards lists the signs of split hoof and rumination. Thus, chayot, wild animals, are included in this topic of signs for kosher animals.
If one wanted, though, one could argue that as a matter of peshat, זֹאת הַחַיָּה need not refer to wild animals in particular. The word חַיָּה simply means "living creature", rather than the particular halachic connotation it often takes of wild animal. For instance, in the first perek of Bereishit,
...
It means "living creature" in general. If so, when the pasuk states זֹאת הַחַיָּה, it could be referring to the living creatures within the specified subgroup of מִכָּל-הַבְּהֵמָה. Instead of saying זֹאת אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכְלוּ, מִכָּל-הַבְּהֵמָה, the pasuk was a little more expansive and added the general and appropriate selector of הַחַיָּה.
Then, if we take בְּהֵמָה in its halachic sense of domesticated animal in particular, to the exclusion of wild animals. This is a sort of klal and prat, and we should only consider those within the prat.
And if so, the Mishna can be read as deliberately agnostic as to whether wild animals, chayot, are explicitly Biblical. Thus,
Those are the two girsaot. Let us consider if we can harness evidence towards one reading of the Mishna or the other.
2. Evidence from piskaot
There is a piska in the gemara which begins the discussion of the signs of kosher domesticated animals. A piska is typically a quote from the Mishna, separated by space, or two dots. This piska reads:
Perhaps the fact that the piska states סימני בהמה and does not continue with the word וחיה should be taken as evidence that the Mishna itself did not continue with that word. However, an obvious rejoinder is that the topic at hand in the gemara is specifically the signs of the בהמה, and that חיה is going to be discussed in the very next sugya. As such, it makes sense to cut off the citation of the Mishna right at this point. Also, we should note that the piskaot were composed by the Geonim (or later), and so might only shed light as to the text of the Mishna at a later stage.
However, there is a later piska, starting off the next sugya:
This one does appear in our printed text:
a. This piska dates from the Geonim, and cannot be taken as definitive proof.
b. The Mishna, as we have it, states סימני בהמה וחיה נאמרו מן התורה. Note how the word וחיה has a connective vav, while the piska does not. Note how the preceding word in the Mishna as we have it is בהמה, while the piska has סימני. To try to make this a valid quote of the Mishna, we would need to emend the Mishnaic text to סימני בהמה וסימני חיה נאמרו מן התורה. But even that would not work, because the piska has no vav before the word סימני.
We can salvage this piska by stating that it is a selective citation of the Mishna. That is, imagine an ellipses. The word סימני was important to quote. But the word בהמה would be misleading and distracting from the main topic, namely the signs of חיה. And so בהמה ו was removed from the quote.
Alternatively, we can suggest that the authors of the piskaot were working off of the Tosefta 3:7 for their quotations. If so, the quote in the first piska would have nothing to do with whether the signs of בהמה were Biblical. Rather, these are quotes from the braytot which immediately follow, put in as signposts for the beginning of new sugyot.
3. Evidence from the gemara's question
Perhaps we can harness the gemara's question to prove the correct text of the Mishna. The gemara (59a-b) asks:
Thus, Rabbi Zera, and the setama degemara, understand this brayta to refer to signs which make a kosher animal a chaya as opposed to a beheima.
Rashi's proof to this is from an interpretation of a pasuk, rather than the explicit Mishna, which is interesting. But that does not necessarily mean that Rashi didn't have the word חיה in the Mishna. Perhaps a conflict between a brayta and a Mishna could be read as a Tannaitic conflict, while an appeal to a pasuk is unambiguous, and the author of the brayta would have to accept this.
4. The straightforward implication of the Tosefta
Looking at the Tosefta, the straightforward explanation seems to be that the סימני חיה are signs of kosher status, rather than signs of chaya status. Consider the structure formed in the Tosefta:
The Tosefta continues:
I think this means that if an animal is makrin -- has horns, then it is also mafris -- has split hooves, or telafim. (I don't see explicitly that the טלפים are split, but maybe that is definitional.)
There is also the analysis made by Tosafot on our daf (Chullin 59a):
Kashrut could then also be all of it, though. If these two, or this one, is sufficient to identify it as a wild animal and to exclude non-kosher wild animals, then it is kosher! And so, why would one need to appeal to the signs for the beheima?
The Tosefta continues:
The Tosefta continues:
Next, the Tosefta states:
Finally, the Tosefta states:
If so, it is extremely out of the ordinary for the סימני חיה alone to be for the permissibility of the cheilev. Yes, this is dealing with whether one is allowed to eat the cheilev or not, but still, it is unlike the topic of domesticated animals, of birds, of eggs, of locusts, and of fish. If the topic were only the status of the cheilev, this is something that perhaps should have been stated explicitly.
Perhaps Rabbi Zera is explaining how this is practical and useful. Even though the brayta spoke of kashrut is general, we would know its kashrut status anyway based on the signs of beheima. And so, this second set of signs are useful for this other purpose.
5. A possible nafka mina
Can one rely on these signs of horns and hooves if one cannot determine rumination? (Similar to Rav Chisda earlier in the gemara)? What if the animal does not ruminate, but does have horns and hooves?
(Initially posted at Girsology, but at present, few people visit that site. So now cross-posted here.)
0. Table of contents
1. The variant texts and their implications
2. Evidence from piskaot
3. Evidence from the gemara's question
4. The straightforward implication of the Tosefta
5. A possible nafka mina
1. The variant texts and their implications
If one examines the Munich manuscript of the Talmud, Chullin 59a, one would discover a fascinating variant version of the Mishna:
It reads:
סימני בהמהנאמרו מן התורה וסימני העוף לאנאמרוHowever, on that first line, there is a marginal gloss, adding in the word וחיה.
This brings it in line with the Mishna we have in our printed editions of Chullin 59a:
מתני' סימני בהמה וחיה נאמרו מן התורה וסימני העוף לא נאמרו אבל אמרו חכמים כל עוף הדורס טמא כל שיש לו אצבע יתירה וזפק וקורקבנו נקלף טהור ר' אלעזר בר' צדוק אומר כל עוף החולק את רגליו טמא ובחגבים כל שיש לו ארבע רגלים וארבע כנפים וקרצולים וכנפיו חופין את רובו רבי יוסי אומר ושמו חגב ובדגים כל שיש לו סנפיר וקשקשת רבי יהודה אומר שני קשקשין וסנפיר אחד ואלו הן קשקשין הקבועין בו וסנפירים הפורח בהן:What would the implications be of the word וחיה being absent from the Mishna? This omission might well be a scribal error, which was corrected by the same or some other scribe, but we should still consider what the implications would be of its omission, as this could help us decide if it is a mere error or something significant. Further, if the word וחיה was indeed originally absent, what would drive a scribe to add it?
The difference between these two girsaot is that, with the word וחיה present, the Mishna definitively and explicitly states that the signs of kosher wild animals are Biblical, and written in the Torah text. These signs would then be identical to the signs of kosher domesticated animals. As Rashi notes, in explaining a question of the gemara:
חיה בכלל בהמה היא לסימנין - קושיא היא דהא כתיב זאת החיה כו' וכתיב סימנין בתריה:That is, there is an explicit pasuk, in Vayikra 11:
The pasuk begins with זֹאת הַחַיָּה and afterwards lists the signs of split hoof and rumination. Thus, chayot, wild animals, are included in this topic of signs for kosher animals.
If one wanted, though, one could argue that as a matter of peshat, זֹאת הַחַיָּה need not refer to wild animals in particular. The word חַיָּה simply means "living creature", rather than the particular halachic connotation it often takes of wild animal. For instance, in the first perek of Bereishit,
| כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ, לְמִינָהּ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. | 24 And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so. |
| ל וּלְכָל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אֶת-כָּל-יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, לְאָכְלָה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. | 30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so. |
It means "living creature" in general. If so, when the pasuk states זֹאת הַחַיָּה, it could be referring to the living creatures within the specified subgroup of מִכָּל-הַבְּהֵמָה. Instead of saying זֹאת אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכְלוּ, מִכָּל-הַבְּהֵמָה, the pasuk was a little more expansive and added the general and appropriate selector of הַחַיָּה.
Then, if we take בְּהֵמָה in its halachic sense of domesticated animal in particular, to the exclusion of wild animals. This is a sort of klal and prat, and we should only consider those within the prat.
And if so, the Mishna can be read as deliberately agnostic as to whether wild animals, chayot, are explicitly Biblical. Thus,
סימני בהמהנאמרו מן התורה וסימני העוף לאנאמרובהמה is written in the Torah, עוף is not written in the Torah, and the חיה is left as an exercise to the reader.
Those are the two girsaot. Let us consider if we can harness evidence towards one reading of the Mishna or the other.
2. Evidence from piskaot
There is a piska in the gemara which begins the discussion of the signs of kosher domesticated animals. A piska is typically a quote from the Mishna, separated by space, or two dots. This piska reads:
סימני בהמהIn our printed gemaras, this text does not occur. This is because it is unnecessary. Recall that in manuscript gemaras, the Mishna appeared separately, and so piskaot were required to identify what part of the Mishna the gemara was going on. However, in our printed gemara, the text of the gemara which immediately follows this piska, namely, תנו רבנן אלו הן סימני בהמה, is printed right after the Mishna. If so, there is no need for a piska, and it is omitted. This is a pity, since we lose out on Talmudic text.
Perhaps the fact that the piska states סימני בהמה and does not continue with the word וחיה should be taken as evidence that the Mishna itself did not continue with that word. However, an obvious rejoinder is that the topic at hand in the gemara is specifically the signs of the בהמה, and that חיה is going to be discussed in the very next sugya. As such, it makes sense to cut off the citation of the Mishna right at this point. Also, we should note that the piskaot were composed by the Geonim (or later), and so might only shed light as to the text of the Mishna at a later stage.
However, there is a later piska, starting off the next sugya:
This one does appear in our printed text:
סימני חיה:ת"ר אלו הן סימני חיה חיה בכלל בהמה היא לסימנין אמר רבי זירא
If so, this would indicate that the word חיה does appear in our Mishna.
However, we should consider the following counterpoints.
a. This piska dates from the Geonim, and cannot be taken as definitive proof.
b. The Mishna, as we have it, states סימני בהמה וחיה נאמרו מן התורה. Note how the word וחיה has a connective vav, while the piska does not. Note how the preceding word in the Mishna as we have it is בהמה, while the piska has סימני. To try to make this a valid quote of the Mishna, we would need to emend the Mishnaic text to סימני בהמה וסימני חיה נאמרו מן התורה. But even that would not work, because the piska has no vav before the word סימני.
We can salvage this piska by stating that it is a selective citation of the Mishna. That is, imagine an ellipses. The word סימני was important to quote. But the word בהמה would be misleading and distracting from the main topic, namely the signs of חיה. And so בהמה ו was removed from the quote.
Alternatively, we can suggest that the authors of the piskaot were working off of the Tosefta 3:7 for their quotations. If so, the quote in the first piska would have nothing to do with whether the signs of בהמה were Biblical. Rather, these are quotes from the braytot which immediately follow, put in as signposts for the beginning of new sugyot.
3. Evidence from the gemara's question
Perhaps we can harness the gemara's question to prove the correct text of the Mishna. The gemara (59a-b) asks:
סימני חיה:ת"ר אלו הן סימני חיה
חיה בכלל בהמה היא לסימנין
אמר רבי זירא להתיר חלבה
The brayta begins to list the signs of the חיה, namely horns and hooves. The setama degemara fills in the question underlying Rabbi Zera's explanation of that brayta. The signs which make a chaya kosher are the same as those which make a beheima kosher. If so, what is the significance of these signs? That is why Rabbi Zera assumes that the brayta here deals with the signs of a chaya as separate from a beheima, such that its fats are permitted.והכי קאמר אלו הן סימני חיה שחלבה מותר כל שיש לה קרנים וטלפים
Thus, Rabbi Zera, and the setama degemara, understand this brayta to refer to signs which make a kosher animal a chaya as opposed to a beheima.
Rashi's proof to this is from an interpretation of a pasuk, rather than the explicit Mishna, which is interesting. But that does not necessarily mean that Rashi didn't have the word חיה in the Mishna. Perhaps a conflict between a brayta and a Mishna could be read as a Tannaitic conflict, while an appeal to a pasuk is unambiguous, and the author of the brayta would have to accept this.
4. The straightforward implication of the Tosefta
Looking at the Tosefta, the straightforward explanation seems to be that the סימני חיה are signs of kosher status, rather than signs of chaya status. Consider the structure formed in the Tosefta:
ג,ז אלו הן סימני בהמה (ויקרא יא) לכל הבהמה אשר היא מפרסת פרסה ושוסעת שסע פרסות מעלת גרה בבהמה אותה תאכלו כל מעלת גרה אין לה שינים שלמעלה איזה שור שקדמו קרניו לטלפיו זה פרו של אדם הראשון שנא' (תהילים סד) ותיטב לה' משור פר מקרין מפריס.These are simanei kashrut. Also note that only simanei beheima are mentioned, not simanei beheima vechaya, which we might have expected if it encompassed chaya as well. The quote is from Vayikra 11:3, such that it only mentioned beheima, and skipped over the passing and ambiguous reference to chaya in Vayikra 11:2. (Though it starts at 11:3 because that where the Biblical text lists the signs.)
The Tosefta continues:
אלו הן סימני חיה כל שיש לה קרנים וטלפים ר' דוסא אומר יש לה קרנים אי אתה צריך לשאול על הטלפים אע"פ שאין ראיה לדבר זכר לדבר ותיטב לה' משור פר מקרין מפריסSimply by context, we would expect these to also be simanei kashrut. There is also the zecher to Rabbi Dosa's opinion, based on Tehillim 69:
| לב וְתִיטַב לַה', מִשּׁוֹר פָּר; מַקְרִן מַפְרִיס. | 32 And it shall please the LORD better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs. |
I think this means that if an animal is makrin -- has horns, then it is also mafris -- has split hooves, or telafim. (I don't see explicitly that the טלפים are split, but maybe that is definitional.)
There is also the analysis made by Tosafot on our daf (Chullin 59a):
אלו הן סימני חיה כל שיש לה קרנים וטלפים. קרנים אתי לאפוקי מבהמה דכיון דיש לה קרנים חרוקות וכרוכות כדלקמן אם כן לאו בהמה היא אבל אכתי איכא לספוקי בחיה טמאה לכך בעינן טלפים פרסות הסדוקות דהשתא ליכא לספוקי לא בחיה טמאה ולא בבהמה טהורה וחלבה מותר רבי דוסא אומר כל שיש לה קרנים קרני חיה אי אתה צריך לחזור על הטלפים דסבר דחיה טמאה אין לה קרניםThat is, the purpose of horns is to distinguish chaya from beheima, and the purpose of (split) hooves is to distinguish kosher from non-kosher chaya. And Rabbi Dosa holds that no kosher wild animal has horns. If so, kashrut is at least part of the equation.
Kashrut could then also be all of it, though. If these two, or this one, is sufficient to identify it as a wild animal and to exclude non-kosher wild animals, then it is kosher! And so, why would one need to appeal to the signs for the beheima?
The Tosefta continues:
רשב"ג אומר כל שיש לו אצבע יתירה בעוף טהור כל העוף הדורס טמא רשב"א אומר כל הקולט באויר ואין קרקבנו נקלף ר"א בר צדוק אומר כל הנותן על גבי משיחה החולק שתים לפניו ושתים לאחריו טמא אחרים אומרים השוכן בין הטמאין ודומה לטמאין טמא השוכן בין הטהורים ודומה לטהורין טהור. אנשי איש כפר תמרתא שביהודה היו אוכלין את הזרזירין מפני שיש להן זפק. אנשי שוק העליון שבירושלים היו אוכלין את סינוניא לבנה מפני שקרקבנה נקלף.These are the simanei kashrut of birds.
The Tosefta continues:
ג,ח ובביצים כל שכודרת ועגולגלת בידוע של עוף טמא וכל שאינה כודרת ועגולגלת בידוע של עוף טהור הוא. לוקחין ביצים מ"מ ואין חוששין שמא של נבלות ושל טרפות הן אין מוכרין ביצים של נבלות של טרפות לעובדי כוכבים אא"כ היו נקופות לקערה לפיכך אמרו אין לוקחין מן העובדי כוכבים ביצים נקופות לקערה.These are the simanei kashrut of eggs.
Next, the Tosefta states:
ג,ט אלו סימני חגבים כל שיש לו ד' רגלים וד' סנפירים וקרסוליו וכנפיו חופין את רובו ר' יוסי אומר ושמו חגב ולא כנצרין שיש בהן סימנין הללו סומכוס אומר אף המורד ר"א בר"י אומר אין לו עכשיו ועתיד לגדל לאחר זמן כגון החולחזה כשרThese are the simanei kashrut of locusts.
Finally, the Tosefta states:
אלו הן סימני דגים כל שיש לו סנפיר וקשקשת יש לו קשקשת אי אתה צריך לשאול על סנפיר יש לו סנפיר ואין לו קשקשת טמא אלו הן קשקשין שמלובש בהן וסנפירין ששט בהן וכמה קשקשין יהיה בו אפילו אחת תחת לחיו ואחת תחת זנבו ואחת תחת סנפיר שלו ר' יהודה אומר שני קשקשת אין לו עכשיו אבל עתיד לגדל לאחר זמן כגון הסולתנית ונפיא כשר יש לו עכשיו אבל עתיד להשירם כשעולה מן הים כגון הקוליוס והפילמיס הספיתאים ואנתינוס. ר"י בן דורמסקא אומר לויתן דג טהור הוא שנאמר (איוב מא) גאוה אפיקי מגינים סגור חותם צר אחד באחד יגשו וגו' תחתיו חדודי חרס וגו' גאוה אפיקי מגינים אלו קשקשין שלו תחתיו חדודי חרס אלו סנפירין שלThese are the simanei kashrut of fish.
If so, it is extremely out of the ordinary for the סימני חיה alone to be for the permissibility of the cheilev. Yes, this is dealing with whether one is allowed to eat the cheilev or not, but still, it is unlike the topic of domesticated animals, of birds, of eggs, of locusts, and of fish. If the topic were only the status of the cheilev, this is something that perhaps should have been stated explicitly.
Perhaps Rabbi Zera is explaining how this is practical and useful. Even though the brayta spoke of kashrut is general, we would know its kashrut status anyway based on the signs of beheima. And so, this second set of signs are useful for this other purpose.
5. A possible nafka mina
Can one rely on these signs of horns and hooves if one cannot determine rumination? (Similar to Rav Chisda earlier in the gemara)? What if the animal does not ruminate, but does have horns and hooves?
2 comments:
What if the animal does not ruminate, but does have horns and hooves?
is there such an animal?
not to my knowledge. but what about hypothetically? is this a supplement and handy alternative to the simanim (since as you suggest one cannot exist without the other) or a replacement?
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