Chullin 57b — the Talmud in English

After you had ascended from Babylonia to the Land of Israel,

we had an opening to speak before Rav Huna,

we were compelled to speak to him about a dislocated thigh,

and we asked him

what is the status of a dislocated thigh in a bird,

and he said to us: A dislocated thigh in a bird is fit.

We also found Rav Yirmeya bar Abba sitting and examining the junction of the tendons. And we challenged him:

But

does the Master not hold this that Rav Huna said in the name of Rav: A dislocated thigh in a bird is fit,

and what need do you have to examine the junction of the tendons?!

And

he said to me: I know the Mishna! For we learned: An animal whose legs were cut from the knee and below is fit. From the knee and above, it is disqualified. And likewise one whose junction of the tendons was removed.

And Rav said concerning it: And likewise in a bird.

And we said to him,

to Rav Yirmeya bar Abba:

If so, Rav contradicts Rav,

for Rav Huna said in Rav’s name that a dislocated thigh is fit, whereas you said in Rav’s name that an animal whose legs were cut from the knee and above, and likewise one whose junction of the tendons was removed, is disqualified, and so it is in a bird?!

And

Rav Yirmeya bar Abba was silent

.

And we challenged him: Perhaps Rav distinguishes between a dislocated

thigh in a bird, which is permitted,

and one that was cut,

whose legs or junction of the tendons were cut, which you prohibited in Rav’s name?!

And he said to me:

Indeed, that is the distinction, but

do

you

interpret Rav’s teaching?

For

Rav explicitly said,

as you said:

A dislocated limb is fit; a cut limb is disqualified.

Now Rabbi Abba asked Rabbi Zeira:

And what do you have,

did you hear something in the name of another Rav after you ascended to the Land of Israel?!

Rabbi Zeira said to him:

This is what Rav Hiyya bar Ashi said in the name of Rav: A dislocated thigh in a bird—

it is a tereifa.

And likewise Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: A dislocated thigh in a bird—

it is a tereifa.

And Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi said: Had

it been that

Rabbi Yohanan

were present

in a place where his colleagues had issued a ruling

in the place where our colleagues had ruled

to permit,

not in accordance with him,

he would not have moved

a wing; that is, Rabbi Yohanan would not have been able even to hint that the halakha was according to his view, to declare a dislocated thigh a tereifa, since our colleagues who disagreed with him were greater than he.

For Rabbi Hanina said in the name of Rabbi: A dislocated thigh in a bird—

it is fit.

And Rabbi Hanina had a hen whose thigh had become dislocated, and he brought it before Rabbi, and Rabbi permitted it to him, and Rabbi Hanina salted it

so that it would remain for a long time and he would be able to show it,

and he would teach with it

with regard to this dislocated thigh

a ruling to the students: “Rabbi permitted this to me! Rabbi permitted this to me!”

And we conclude:

But the halakha is not in accordance with any of these teachings

to permit a dislocated thigh in a bird.

Rather,

as

this

that we find: They said that it is an established ruling that a dislocated wing is a tereifa.

For Rabbi Yosei ben Nehorai asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:

“A perforation of the windpipe,”

if a piece was cut from the windpipe in the form of an opening,

at what size

is it a tereifa?

He said to him: We learned a complete Mishna: Up to the size of an issar coin, it is fit.

He said to him: But was there not one ewe in our neighborhood whose windpipe was perforated,

a part of whose windpipe had been cut,

and they made for it membranes

in the shape

of a windpipe,

and placed it in the place where the windpipe was missing,

and it lived,

and since it lived, it should be permitted, for it is not a tereifa?!

He said to him: And on that do you rely,

can you rely on this and permit it because you saw that the injury can be repaired?

But is it not an established ruling in Israel that a dislocated thigh in a bird is a tereifa! And

nevertheless we find:

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta had a hen whose thigh had become dislocated, and they made for it a tube of a reed—

and it lived?!

But a tereifa does not live twelve months!

Rather, what can you say? It was within twelve months,

the injury healed, but at the end of twelve months it died, for a tereifa does not live more than twelve months.

Here too,

with regard to an animal whose windpipe had been perforated and they repaired it,

it was within twelve months.

They said about Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta that he was an “activist” in matters. And he would do a thing to remove [the matter] from Rabbi Yehuda’s heart.

For Rabbi Yehuda used to say: If the feathers were removed, it is disqualified.

And

what did he do?

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta had a hen whose feathers had been removed. And he placed it in an oven, and he covered

it

with a cloth of coppersmiths,

in order to warm it,

and it grew

the hen

wings,

and the wings were

later than the

wings

that came first,

which it had before its feathers were removed.

And the Gemara wondered: How did this act remove Rabbi Yehuda’s position?

But perhaps Rabbi Yehuda holds that a tereifa improves,

and the improvement is not proof that it is not a tereifaจัด?!

And we answer:

If so,

it would also improve in its other limbs, but

in a matter through which it becomes a tereifa,

when its wings were removed, how

did it grow its later wings larger than the earlier ones?!

For it is impossible that it should improve in that through which it became a tereifa! And now we explain:

What is “an activist in matters”

that he was?

Rabbi Mesharsheya said:

as it is written [Proverbs 6]: “Go to the ant, lazy one;

see its ways and become wise.

Which has no

chief, officer, or ruler,

it prepares its food in summer.”

He said,

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta:

“I will go; I will see whether it is indeed true that they have no king.”

And therefore Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta was called an “activist,” for he did not rely on King Solomon, but went to examine the matter himself.

He went during the season of Tammuz, spread his cloak over a nest

he spread his cloak over a nest

of ants,

ants.

One of them came out and arrived,

from among the ants, and came outside and saw the shade.

He marked it,

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta placed

a sign

on that ant; that is, he made a sign for himself of what this ant looked like, in order to recognize it and know what the ants would do to it when they found it lying, as will be explained below.

This ant came to the nest.

It said to them,

that ant said to the ants inside the nest:

“Shade has fallen,”

there is shade outside.

They went out and came,

the ants went out and came outside.

He lifted

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta

his cloak,

and then

the sun fell.

The sun’s rays descended upon that place.

They fell upon it,

all the ants, upon that ant which had informed them about the shade,

and killed it,

and they killed it.

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta said:

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta

learn from this: They have no

the ants

king. For if they had

a king—and would the

authorization

of

the king

to kill their fellow

not be required?!

Rav Aha, son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: But perhaps there was a king with them,

and their king instructed them to kill it.

Alternatively, they held the king’s authorization

permission from the king to kill one who deceives his fellow,

in their hands,

each one of them had it?!

Alternatively,

it was a time

between one king and another.

As

it is written

[Judges 17]:

“In those days there was no king in Israel; each man would do what was upright in his eyes.”

Rather, rely on Solomon’s trustworthiness,

that he said this through the holy spirit.

Rav Huna said: A sign of a tereifa—

twelve months.

That is, if the tereifa remained alive for twelve months and did not die, it is not a tereifa.

An objection was raised: A sign of a

doubtful

tereifa is: Any one that does not give birth.

That is, it is certain that a tereifa does not give birth. Therefore, if an animal that is a doubtful tereifa gave birth, it is certainly not a tereifa.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says:

There is another sign for a doubtful tereifa: If it

improves and continues to improve, it is known that it is fit. And if it deteriorates and continues to deteriorate, it is known that it is a tereifa.

Rabbi says: The sign of a tereifa is thirty days.

For if it remained alive for thirty days, it is not a tereifa.

They said to him: But many tereifot remain alive for two or three years?!

And we say:

It is a dispute among the tannaim,

who disputed whether a tereifa that remained alive for twelve months is proof that it is not a tereifa.

For it was taught: And concerning the skull, which has one long opening—even many openings join together to reach the size of a drill,

as was explained above [45a].

Rabbi Yosei ben HaMeshullam said: An incident occurred in Anbul, involving one whose skull had been diminished, and they made for him a covering of a gourd,

a piece of dried gourd,

and he lived.

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said to him: Is that proof?

It

was during the summer season

that the incident occurred.

And once the cold season passed over him—

immediately he died.

Rav Aha bar Yaakov said: The halakha is—

a tereifa gives birth and improves.

That is, neither giving birth nor improving is proof that it is not a tereifa.

Ameimar said: These eggs

eggs

of a tereifa,