Author Archives: rabbigreengrass

Today’s daf talks about the sacrifice of a turtledove verses the sacrifice of a pidgeon. And from this we get a gorgeous gem from the Rambam, just wait!! Doves, when they are older, are fit for sacrifice; when they are younger, they are unfit. Pigeons, when they are younger, are fit for sacrifice; when theyContinue reading “Chullin 22”

How do you call time of death? Is it when the brain dies? The heart stops beating? In our world today, we have instruments that let us know when someone is no longer alive. But, in the time of the Talmud, these things didn’t exist. Because a corpse imparts impurity, the time of death wasContinue reading “Chullin 21”

We have been learning about how to slaughter meat in places (and times) outside of the Temple. We have learned that slaughtering animals outside of the Temple is similar to inside the Temple- the animal must die with the first act of slaughter, must not suffer, must be slaughtered and not stabbed, etc. But whatContinue reading “Chullin 20”

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who seems to always just want to disagree with anything you say? I can just drive you crazy. My favorite moment on the top today is when a rabbi gets all in a huff because no matter what he says, another ribbon expert disagrees with him. Continue reading “Chullin 19”

Today’s daf has such a beautiful passage. In a discussion about kosher slaughter, we learn that if someone slaughters meat without presenting the knife to the religious authority, that the slaughter is not kosher, in fact, they are ostracized form the community and they cover the meat in excrement so it’s not sold to anyone.Continue reading “Chullin 18”

Have pigs ever been kosher? No. But have Jews ever been permitted to eat them? Yes! Apparently for 7 years… If we say that the dilemma is with regard to the seven years during which they conquered the land, now, non-kosher items were permitted for them during that period, as it is written: “And it shall be, when the Lord your God shall bring you intoContinue reading “Chullin 17”

Okay not the real gem, but, on our daf today, we learn that the rabbis refer to the rectum as “lower teeth.” Now to the gem – the daf showing a reform in Judaism! (Hey, that has a nice ring to it.) The reform is the ability to eat meat that is not from theContinue reading “Chullin 16”

How much time do we spend worrying about things that might never happen? “What if I lose my job?” “Then I lose my home…” “What id this falls apart…” Today’s daf reminds us that it’s unhelpful to worry about things that are unlikely to happen. The Rabbis said to Rabbi Meir: Don’t you concede thatContinue reading “Chullin 14”

Today’s gem: The Gemara asks: But don’t we see that there are? The Gemara answers: Say the majority of the people of the nations of the world are not heretics, and with regard to slaughter one follows the majority. The Gemara notes: Rabba bar Avuh holds in accordance with that which Rabbi Ḥiyya bar AbbaContinue reading “Chullin 13”