Chullin 34b — the Talmud in English

He said to him

Rabbi Yehoshua:

I, too

agree that one who eats third-degree [food] of non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings, which was not prepared for second-degree status,

I did not say

that one who eats third-degree [food] is made [into one who eats] second-degree [food]

except in

non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of

teruma, for

the caution concerning

its purity

is still with a concern of ![](pamud.bmp "Exact page location

impurity with regard to sacred offerings,

for thus we learned: “The garments of those who eat teruma are a support for sacred offerings” [Mishna Hagiga 18b]. It follows that although support-impurity renders even non-sacred produce impure, and certainly those who eat teruma take precautions against it, nevertheless, since the caution concerning sacred offerings, which are more stringent, is greater, with regard to sacred offerings we are concerned that the garments of those who eat teruma are impure with support-impurity, because a menstruating woman sat upon them. Likewise, a third-degree [item] that was guarded against another impurity with the caution of teruma: we are concerned that it is second-degree with regard to sacred offerings, and one who eats it has the status of second-degree, like one who eats second-degree [food] with regard to sacred offerings .

From now on, we have three ways to explain the words of Rabbi Yehoshua in the Mishna, when he said: “With non-sacred produce prepared with all the purity of teruma.”

A. Rabbi Yehoshua innovated that it is possible to impose upon non-sacred produce the impurity laws of teruma, even though it is less stringent than sacred offerings; all the more so that this statement was made concerning non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings.

According to this way, even one who eats third-degree [food] of non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings becomes, in his body, second-degree with regard to sacred offerings, because the guarding of non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings is not sufficient for sacred offerings themselves, for they are guarded more carefully.

There is an opinion in the Gemara below that holds this way, but it is clear that Rabba bar bar Hana disagrees with it, for according to his words Rabbi Yehoshua explicitly said that he did not say that one who eats [it] becomes [one of] second-degree except with teruma, and not with non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings.

B. Rabbi Yehoshua came to explain why he holds that one who eats third-degree [food] becomes second-degree, and he explains that he is speaking of teruma, and the purity of teruma is impurity with regard to sacred offerings.

According to this way, it may be said that Rabbi Yehoshua agrees that it is possible to impose the purity of sacred offerings upon non-sacred produce, but one who eats it does not become second-degree.

This way, too, does not fit with the give-and-take that is the continuation of the Mishna according to the tradition of Rabba bar bar Hana, for if Rabbi Yehoshua had already explained in the Mishna why one who eats third-degree [food] becomes second-degree with regard to sacred offerings, Rabbi Eliezer would not have asked him about it, and Rabbi Yehoshua would not have returned and explained it.

C. Rabbi Yehoshua came to limit the reality of the third-degree [item] of which he is speaking. And he says that it is only with non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of teruma, and not with non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings, because there is no third-degree [status] in them.

Only according to this way is it possible to understand the give-and-take. Rabbi Eliezer did not know Rabbi Yehoshua’s reason from his words in the Mishna, because their principal purpose was to limit the reality of the third-degree [item] in non-sacred produce; and when Rabbi Eliezer asked Rabbi Yehoshua for his reason, he answered him that he was speaking only of non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of teruma, and this is also his reason: the purity of teruma is impurity with regard to sacred offerings.

It follows that the one who established our Mishna as not according to Rabbi Yehoshua was Rabba bar bar Hana, and he is the amora to whom Ulla was referring when he said: “The colleagues say” .

Rabbi Zeira said that Rabbi Asi said that Rabbi Yohanan said that Rabbi Yannai said: One who eats third-degree [food] of non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings becomes, in his body, second-degree with regard to sacred offerings

according to Rabbi Yehoshua, whose ruling is the halakha, because even non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings is not guarded so carefully , and with regard to sacred offerings themselves we are concerned that they are second-degree, and one who eats second-degree [food] becomes second-degree.

Rabbi Zeira raised an objection to Rabbi Asi

from the Mishna: Rabbi Yehoshua says: One who eats

third-degree

is

second-degree with regard to sacred offerings, and not second-degree with regard to teruma, with non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of teruma.

And Rabbi Zeira asks:

With the purity of teruma, yes; with the purity of sacred offerings, no

did Rabbi Yehoshua say that one who eats [it] becomes [one of] second-degree—either because he holds that there is no third-degree in non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings, or because there is a third-degree in them, but they are not subject to a concern of impurity with regard to sacred offerings, since they were prepared with the purity of sacred offerings!

Rabbi Asi said to him:

Rabbi Asi: Rabbi Yehoshua did not specifically say teruma, but

he stated it as: “It is not necessary to say,”

and Rabbi Yehoshua’s intention was to innovate that non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of teruma has the impurity law of teruma; all the more so, non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of sacred offerings has the law of sacred offerings, and their law is equal with regard to one who eats them.

And we raise an objection:

But

Rabbi Asi said his words in the name of Rabbi Yohanan, whereas Rabba bar bar Hana said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan the give-and-take in which

Rabbi Yehoshua says: “I, too, said [it] only with teruma”

Rabbi Yehoshua!

And we answer:

They are amoraim, and [they differ] according to Rabbi Yohanan,

and according to Rabbi Asi in the name of Rabbi Yohanan, Rabbi Yehoshua never said these words .

Ulla said: One who eats third-degree [food] of non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of teruma,

although according to Rabbi Yehoshua it renders impure through contact only sacred offerings, but teruma that he touched remains pure, nevertheless

his body is disqualified from eating teruma,

for the prohibition against eating does not depend upon the fact that the food renders teruma impure; and although according to Rabbi Yehoshua one who eats first-degree [food] becomes second-degree, and likewise we should have said that one who eats third-degree [food] becomes fourth-degree and is permitted with teruma, we do not say this, because Rabbi Yehoshua said that one who eats [food] descends in its degree of impurity from the food only with regard to impurity through contact; but one who eats third-degree [food], even when we say that he is third-degree, does not render teruma impure through contact, but is forbidden to eat teruma , and in this Rabbi Yehoshua agrees that one who eats [it] is as stringent as the food.

And we raise an objection:

What does it teach us

Ulla? Is this not what follows from Rabbi Yehoshua’s words?

For

we learned: One who eats

the

third-degree

is

second-degree with regard to sacred offerings and not second-degree with regard to teruma, with non-sacred produce prepared with the purity of teruma. Second-degree

with regard to teruma

is what it is not, but third-degree

with regard to teruma

it is!

And we answer:

If [we derived it] from that [statement], I would have said: It is not second-degree

with regard to teruma

and it is not third-degree

with regard to teruma

and since

[and on account]

he said

Rabbi Yehoshua that one who eats [it] is

second-degree with regard to sacred offerings, he also said: “There is no second-degree with regard to teruma”; Ulla teaches us

that he becomes third-degree with regard to teruma.

Rav Hamnuna raised an objection to Ulla

from a Mishna in tractate Tohorot [2:3]:

The first-degree among non-sacred produce is impure and renders impure

teruma, in such a manner that it disqualifies other teruma.

And the second-degree

among non-sacred produce

disqualifies

teruma

but does not render

it impure so that it would render other teruma impure.

And the third-degree,

when it exists among non-sacred produce, such as when it was prepared with the purity of teruma, is

eaten in a stew of teruma,

which is a cooked dish in which garlic and oil of teruma are mixed, and there is no prohibition against eating it because teruma does not contract impurity from the stew, which is third-degree.

And Rav Hamnuna asks:

And if you say

that one who eats third-degree [food]

his body is disqualified from eating teruma,

how do they permit him to eat the stew? Is it that

we feed him something that disqualifies his body

from eating teruma, and meanwhile he eats the spices of teruma!