Sifra 4.0.23

Shemini, Chapter 12

1) (Vayikra 11:41) ("And every creeping thing (sheretz) that creeps upon the earth is detestable; it shall not be eaten.") "every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth": to exclude the insects in peas and the mites in lentils and the worms in dates and figs. "it shall not be eaten": to include (in liability) the feeder (of a minor) as well as the eater.

2) (Vayikra 11:42) "that go upon the belly": This is the snake. "all that go upon the belly": to include snails and the like. "that go upon four": This is the scorpion. "all that go upon four": to include the beetle and the like. "the many-footed": This is the centipede. "until all that are many-footed" to include their like. "of all creeping things that creep": to include the worms in the roots of olives (i.e., while they are attached) and in the roots of figs. "You shall not eat them": I might think they could be fed to minors; it is, therefore, written (Vayikra 11:41): "it shall not be eaten."

3) (Vayikra 11:43): "Do not make your souls detestable by (eating) every creeping thing that creeps" (Vayikra 11:41): "upon the earth": to include (for liability) sheratzim that separated (from the host to the earth) and returned (to the host). (Vayikra 11:43): "and you shall not be tamei by (eating) them": This tells me only of stringent tumah (i.e., that he does not confer tumah upon men and vessels. Whence is it derived that he does sustain the lesser tumah of himself becoming tamei? From (Vayikra 11:43): "and you will be rendered tamei through them." I might think that their blood and their fats are like them (to render the eater tamei); it is, therefore, written "through them," and not through their blood and their fats. "And you shall not become tamei with them, and you will be rendered tamei through them" — If you make yourselves tamei with them, your end will be to have been rendered tamei through them. (Vayikra 11:44) "For I am the L–rd your G d. And you shall make yourselves holy and you shall be holy, for I am holy." Just as I am holy, so are you holy. Just as I am divorced (from the material), so, you, divorce yourselves (from materialism).

4) "and you shall not make yourselves tamei with every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth": even if it does not reproduce. (Vayikra 11:45): "For I am the L–rd, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt": It is for this reason that I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, on condition that you accept upon yourselves the yoke of mitzvoth. For all who accept the yoke of mitzvoth acknowledge the exodus from Egypt, and all who do not accept the yoke of mitzvoth deny the exodus from Egypt. "to be a G d to you" — perforce! "And you shall be holy, for I am holy.": Just as I am holy, so you are holy. Just as I am divorced (from the material), so, you, divorce yourselves (from materialism).

5) (Vayikra 11:46): "This is the law of the beast and the bird": In which law is the beast similar to the bird, and birds, to the beast? A beast confers tumah by being touched or being carried, and a bird does not confer tumah by being touched or being carried, (but only by being eaten)! A bird confers tumah upon one's clothing (if another stuffs it) into his esophagus; and not, a beast! In which law, then, is the beast similar to the bird, and the bird, to the beast? We are hereby being taught that just as a beast (is slaughtered) by shechitah, so birds (are slaughtered) by shechitah. — If so, (why not say, then, that) just as a beast required two (shechitah) signs (to be severed), so, a bird, requires two, or the greater part of two? It is, therefore, written "This" (i.e., only in this respect (shechitah in general) that they are similar, but not in the other). R. Elazar says: In which law is a beast similar to a bird, and a bird to a beast? To teach us that both (are rendered fit) through the throat. — If so, (why not say, then, that) just as a bird (is "pinched") opposite its nape (viz. Vayikra 5:8), so a beast, opposite its nape; it is, therefore, written (Vayikra 5:8) "its head" — the head of a bird opposite its nape, and not the head of a beast.

6) "… and of every living creature that swarms in the water": (as requiring "distinguishing" [viz. Vayikra 5:47]). "and of every creature that creeps on the earth": including grasshoppers. And what is the nature of this "distinguishing" ("havdalah")? It is not enough to learn about them, but one must have perfect "recognition" of which (of them) are unclean and which are clean.

7) (Vayikra 11:47): "to distinguish between the unclean and the clean": It should say "between cow and ass." And are they (their differences) not already explained (in the Torah)? What, then, is the intent of "between the unclean and the clean"? Between what is unclean to you (through perfect recognition) and clean to you: between shechitah of the greater part of the windpipe (after shechitah of the gullet, in which case it is kasher), and shechitah of half of it (after shechitah of the gullet, in which case it is neveilah). And what constitutes that difference? A full hairsbreadth.

8) "between the animal which may be eaten and the animal which may not be eaten": It should say "between the deer and the arod (a wild ass)." And are they not already explained? If so, what is the intent of the above? Between a treifah (an animal with a defect), which is kasher (for eating) and a treifah that is unfit. Others say: "between the animal that may not be eaten": This is an exhortation (against violation of a negative commandment) vis-à-vis (eating) an (unclean) animal.