Chullin 36b — the Talmud in English

No; to exclude [ [A0003]is this not coming to exclude]

does this not come to exclude]

the fondness of sanctity,

and to say that there is a power of preparation that exists only with water and not with anything else.

And we reject this:

No. One

verse teaches that preparation is required

with corpse impurity.

And one

verse teaches this

with creeping-creature impurity.

And both are necessary.

For if it had taught us

with

corpse impurity

alone, I would have said:

There, it requires preparation because it does not impart impurity with

a small measure,

the size of a lentil,

but only with an olive-sized measure of it.

But with a creeping creature, which imparts impurity with the size of a lentil, I would say

that it is more stringent even with regard to this, and

does not require preparation.

And if it had taught us

with

a creeping creature

alone, I would have said:

Because it does not impart

impurity to a person and vessels

for seven days, but a corpse,

which is more stringent,

which imparts

impurity to a person and vessels

for seven days, I would say that it does not require preparation

with regard to foods.

It is necessary.

Rav Yosef raised an objection

from our Mishna:

Rabbi Shimon says: They became prepared through slaughter.

Rabbi Shimon’s words concern non-sacred meat that is not forbidden for consumption when it is impure; and when he said

“they became prepared,”

he certainly meant that it will receive impurity,

even to count in them a first-degree and a second-degree,

and they will impart impurity to teruma and kodashim, which are forbidden for consumption when they are impure .

And Rav Yosef challenges Rabbi Elazar:

Why

do they impart impurity to others? Is it not the case that, according to your words, it should be learned from the verse that only preparation effected through water causes impurity to others,

whereas this is not food that came into contact with water!

Abaye said to him: They made it

—this preparation—

like preparation through water by rabbinic decree,

but by Torah law there is no preparation that causes impurity to others except preparation through water, according to Rabbi Elazar.

Rabbi Zeira said: Come and hear: One who harvests

grapes for the purpose of

p

ressing them in

a winepress

and not for the purpose of eating them,

Beit Shammai says: They became prepared

by the liquid that emerged from them .

Beit Hillel says: They did not become prepared,

because the harvester does not want the liquid, since it is going to waste.

And

after they discussed the matter,

Beit Hillel was silent before Beit Shammai

and conceded to him. The reason is that we decree lest he place the grapes in tarred baskets, in which the liquids do not go to waste, and he is pleased with the liquids; and they effect preparation .

And Rabbi Zeira raises a difficulty:

Why

do they effect preparation ? Once the non-sacred grapes receive impurity, they impart impurity to teruma and kodashim and render them forbidden .

Yet this is not food that came into contact with water,

and according to Rabbi Elazar all we should have is that it itself becomes disqualified!

Abaye said to him: They made it like preparation through water by rabbinic decree.

Rav Yosef said

to Abaye:

I tell you

a difficulty from

“they became prepared through slaughter,” and you say to me

that

they made it like preparation through water

by rabbinic decree.

And

so

Rabbi Zeira tells you

a difficulty from harvesting for the winepress,

and you say to him: They made it like preparation through water;

thus every preparation they made like preparation through water. If so,

with regard to Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish,

who was uncertain about preparation through the fondness of sanctity,

also

we should say

they made it like preparation through water,

and it has a first-degree and a second-degree. What, then, is Reish Lakish’s uncertainty?

He said to him

—Abaye said to him: It is true that the Sages made preparation through the fondness of sanctity like preparation through water, and Reish Lakish did not have a doubt about that. But because of this rabbinic impurity, teruma and kodashim are not burned; rather, they are suspended and may not be eaten.

Is it really the case that [ [A0110]is it so that]

is it possible that]

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish’s uncertainty concerns suspension?

Certainly there is a requirement to suspend them by rabbinic law.

What he was uncertain about

is: whether it is permitted

to burn

teruma and kodashim that touched sanctified matter which became impure, and whose preparation was through the fondness of sanctity, because their impurity is by Torah law; or whether they may not be burned, because their impurity is not by Torah law.

And we learn from Abaye:

By implication,

the essential

fondness of sanctity

that effects preparation is

by Torah law

, for the entire uncertainty was only whether it creates a first-degree and a second-degree by Torah law.

And we clarify:

From where do we know [ [A0128]from where do we learn this from the Torah]?

from where is this learned from the Torah]?

If you say, from that which is written

with regard to the meat of peace-offerings:

“And the meat that touches any impure thing

shall not be eaten” [Leviticus 7:19].

And we consider this verse:

This meat—through what did it become prepared? [ [A0135]This meat, through what did it become prepared?]

This flesh, through what did it become prepared?]

If you say: It became prepared through the blood

of the slaughter, does this blood of kodashim effect preparation?

But Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: From where do we know that the blood of kodashim does not effect preparation? As it is stated: “You shall not eat it; upon the earth you shall pour it out like water.” [ [A0139]Deuteronomy 12:16]

Deuteronomy 12:16].

Blood that is poured out like water effects preparation; that which is not poured out like water

but is sprinkled upon the altar

does not effect preparation!

Rather,

let us say:

it became prepared

—the meat of the peace-offerings—

through the liquids of the slaughterhouse [ [A0148]through the liquids in the slaughterhouse of the Temple courtyard], for they washed the meat with these waters.

through the liquids in the slaughterhouse of the Temple courtyard], for the flesh was washed with this water.

And we reject this: Do these waters effect preparation?

But Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Hanina said: The liquids of the slaughterhouse—not only are they pure [ [A0151]it is not enough that they are pure] and do not impart impurity

to kodashim, as Yosei ben Yo'ezer testified,

but

also

they do not effect preparation. And if you would say: Explain [ [A0156]establish] the testimony of Yosei ben Yo'ezer as referring to

establish] the testimony of Yosei ben Yoezer as referring to

a person,

and with regard to blood Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Hanina added that it does not effect preparation, because of Rabbi Yohanan’s exposition that the blood of kodashim does not effect preparation, but the waters of the slaughterhouse do effect preparation.

And we reject this:

But “the liquids

of the slaughterhouse are pure”

he says

in the plural, implying that all the liquids of the Temple courtyard neither impart impurity nor effect preparation. The question therefore returns: through what did the meat become prepared, such that the Torah forbids its consumption because of impurity?

And we say:

Rather, is it not that it became prepared through the fondness of sanctity,

and from here it follows that the fondness of sanctity effects preparation for kodashim by Torah law, and they do not require preparation through water .

And we reject this:

Perhaps

the preparation was effected through non-sacred water, and

as Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel.

For Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel:

How can the meat of kodashim become prepared without the fondness of sanctity ?

For example, he had a cow belonging to a peace-offering,

and he led it through a stream

on the way to the Temple.

He slaughtered it

in the Temple courtyard,

and liquid was still dripping from it,

and some fell from the hide onto the meat and effects preparation.

And we conclude:

Rather,

we learn that the fondness of sanctity effects preparation

from the latter part

of the verse “And the meat that touches,” for it is written: “And the meat—everyone pure may eat meat” [Leviticus 7:19].

“And the meat”

is superfluous, and we expound from it

to include wood and frankincense

of sanctity.

But are

wood and frankincense fit for eating?

And for what reason do they receive impurity?

Rather,

because

the fondness of sanctity effects preparation for them and makes them food [ [A0203]and makes them food].

and makes them food].

Here too, the fondness of sanctity effects preparation for it

without water.