1 which implies, as the eagle is peculiar in that it has neither an extra toe nor a crop, its gizzard cannot be peeled, it seizes prey and eats it, and is unclean, so all that have the like characteristics are unclean. [It is also written,] Turtle doves, which implies, as the turtle dove has an extra toe and a crop, its gizzard can be peeled, it does not seize prey and eat it, and is clean, so all that have the like characteristics are clean! — Abaye answered: They were not expressly stated in the Torah but were inferred by the Scribes. R. Hiyya taught: A bird that has one characteristic [of cleanness] only, is clean, since it obviously is not of the same species as the eagle; for you may not eat the eagle as it has no characteristics [of cleanness], but whatsoever has one characteristic you may eat. But let us rather infer [the rule] from turtle doves thus: As turtle doves have the four [characteristics of cleanness], so all birds must have the four [characteristics]! — If so, why does the Divine Law specify all the other Unclean birds? But let us infer it from these [unclean birds specified in the Torah] thus: As these have three [characteristics of cleanness] and yet we may not eat them, so we may not eat all birds that have three [characteristics], (and a fortiori if it has but two [characteristics] or only one [characteristic of cleanness])! — If so, why does the Divine Law specify the raven? Surely if we may not eat those that have three [characteristics of cleanness] it goes without saying [that we may not eat] those that have only two [characteristics]!ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱ
2 But let us infer [the rule] from the raven thus: As it has two [characteristics of cleanness] and yet may not be eaten, so all that have two [characteristics] may not be eaten! — If so, why does the Divine Law specify the peres and the ‘ozniah? Surely if we may not eat those that have two [characteristics of cleanness] it goes without saying [that we may not eat] those that have only one [characteristic]! Then let us infer [the rule] from the peres and the ‘ozniah! — If so, why does the Divine Law specify the eagle? For if we may not eat those that have one [characteristic of cleanness] it goes without saying that we may not eat those that have none [of the characteristics of cleanness]! The inference must therefore be: You may not eat the eagle because it has none [of the characteristics of cleanness], but whatsoever has one [characteristic] you may eat. Now this is the result only because the Divine Law specified the eagle, but had it not done so we should have inferred it from the peres and the ‘ozniah. But they, the peres and the ‘ozniah, are two texts, separately stated, which teach the same thing, and one may not draw any conclusions from two verses which teach the same thing! — There is a tradition that the characteristic [of cleanness] of the one is not that of the other. But consider. There are twenty-four species of unclean birds [mentioned in the Torah]. Now it is inconceivable that the one characteristic of cleanness of each of these two species does not recur among the others, so that it is a case of two verses which teach the same thing! — There is a tradition that there are twenty four species of unclean birds and that there are four characteristics of cleanness. The same three characteristics circulate among all. Twenty [species] have each these three characteristics, the raven has two [of these characteristics], and the peres and the ‘ozniah have each one characteristic, but the characteristic of one is not that of the other. You might then have said: Let us infer the rule from that one; the Divine Law therefore specified the eagle to teach you that you may not eat the eagle as it has none of the characteristics of cleanness, but whatsoever has one characteristic you may eat. Why then does the Divine Law specify turtle doves? — R. ‘Ukba b. Hama answered: Only with regard to sacrifices. R. Nahman said,ʲᵏˡᵐⁿᵒᵖᵠʳˢᵗᵘ