Chullin

the ‘daughter of the wine mixer’1 is permitted, and to remember this think of the saying: ‘The position of the son is better than that of the father’. 2 Rab Judah said: The shakitna3 with the long legs and red body is permitted, and to remember this think of murzama;4 that with the short legs and red body is forbidden, and to remember this think of the law, ‘The dwarf is unfit’;5 and that with the long legs and green body is forbidden, and to remember this think of the rule, ‘If they turned green it is invalid’. 6 Rab Judah said: The shalak7 is the bird that catches fish out of the sea; the dukifath8 is so called because its crown appears double. There is also [a Baraitha] taught to this effect : The dukifath is so called because its crown appears double, and it was this bird that brought the shamir to the Temple.9 Whenever R. Johanan used to see the shalak he would exclaim: Thy judgments are like the great deep,10 and whenever he used to see an ant he would exclaim: Thy righteousness is like the mighty mountains.10 Amemar said: Lakni11 and batni11 are permitted; as for shaknai11 and batnai,11 wherever it is the custom to eat them they are permitted. and wherever it is not the custom to eat them they are forbidden. But is it a matter of custom?12 — Indeed it is; nevertheless, there is no difficulty. The former custom obtains in that place where the peres and the ‘ozniah are not found,13 whereas the latter custom obtains in that place where the peres and the ‘ozniah are found. Abaye said: Kuai14 and kakuai14 are forbidden, but kaku'atha14 is permitted; in the West [palestine], however, one would incur stripes [for eating it], and it is called by them tahwatha. Our Rabbis taught: The tinshemeth15 is the bawath16 among the birds. You say: ‘the bawath among the birds’, but perhaps it is not so but rather ‘the bawath among the reptiles’? — You can reply: Go and derive it by one of the thirteen exegetical principles by which the Torah is interpreted, namely, ‘The meaning of a passage is to be deduced from its context’. Now what does the passage deal with? Birds; then this too is a bird. It was likewise taught with regard to reptiles: The tinshemeth is the bawath among reptiles.17 You say: ‘the bawath among reptiles’, but perhaps it is not so but rather ‘the bawath among the birds’? — You can reply: Go and derive it by one of the thirteen exegetical principles by which the Torah is interpreted, namely, ‘The meaning of a passage is to be deduced from its context’. Now what does the passage deal with? Reptiles; then this too is a reptile. Abaye said: The bawath among the birds is the bat, and the bawath among the reptiles is the mole. Rab Judah said: Ka'ath18 is the sea crow, raham19 the sherakrak [vulture]. R. Johanan said: Why is it called raham? Because when the raham comes mercy [rahamim]20 comes to the world. R. Bibi b. Abaye said, provided it perches upon something and cries ‘sherak-rak’. There is a tradition that if it settles upon the ground and hisses, the Messiah will come at once, for it is said: I will hiss for them21 and gather them.22 R. Adda b. Shimi said to Mar the son of R. Iddi: Did not [a raham] once settle upon a ploughed field and commence to hiss when a stone fell upon it and broke its head? That one was a liar,23 he replied. Our Rabbis taught: Raven24 signifies the raven, every raven includes the raven of the valley, after its kind includes the raven that moves ahead of the doves. The Master said: Raven signifies the raven. But is it here before us?25 — Render, Raven signifies the black raven, as it is said: His locks are curled and black as a raven.26 ‘The raven of the valley’ is the white spotted raven,27 as it is said: And the appearance thereof is deeper than the skin28 that is, as the sunlight that appears deeper than the shadow. ‘The raven that moves ahead of the doves’. R. Papa said: Read not ‘that moves ahead of the doves’, but ‘whose head resembles that of a dove.29 Our Rabbis taught: The nez30 is the hawk, after its kind includes the bar hiria. What is the bar hiria? — Abaye said: It is the falcon. R. Hisda said: The hasidah31 is the white stork. And why is it called hasidah? Because it shows kindness [hasiduth] to its companions. The anafah32 is the heron. And why is it called anafah? Because it quarrels [mean'efeth] with its companions. R. Hanan, son of R. Hisda, stated in the name of R. Hisda, who reported in the name of R. Hanan, son of Raba, on the authority of Rab, There are twenty-four unclean birds [enumerated in the Torah]. Where? In Leviticus33 there are only twenty enumerated, and in Deuteronomy34 there are but twenty-one! And should you say that the da'ah35 mentioned in Leviticus, but not in Deuteronomy, should be added to the list, even then there would only be twenty-two! — He replied: Thus did your mother's father report in the name of Rab, The words ‘after its kind’,36 stated four times, represent four more birds. Then there would be twenty-six? — Abaye answered: The da'ah and the ra'ah37 are one and the same. For should you say that they are two distinct birds together, doubled’. In the versions it is translated as the hoopoe; most probably it is the wood grouse. mighty mountains; whereas his judgments reach the rapacious cormorant so that it must search for its food out of the depths of the sea (Rashi). fear of an any confusion with the peres or the ‘ozniah; cf. supra 62a. forbidden creeping things in v. 30. According to Rashi it is the bat. V. infra dictum of Abaye. impostor’, i.e., it was not a raham (R. Gershom). particular kind. Which then did he mean? whatsoever is bright always appears to be deeper, ‘in the valley’, than that which is dark. are all different appellations of one bird. Generally identified with the vulture, v. Lewysohn op. cit. p. 167.