Today's Daf Yomi
A daily Talmud reading for Jews who want to be Jewish
Chullin 47a
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Summary
In Chullin 47a, we dive into a riveting discussion about koshering the insides of birds, focusing primarily on the gizzard. Rabbi Yehuda and the Rabbis engage in a spirited debate over the requirements for removing the gizzard lining. This conversation hinges on interpretations of biblical verses, dissecting which parts are deemed necessary to discard and why. As we flit through the pages, Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Judah hone in on whether the removal of the inner lining is a biblical imperative or a rabbinic decree. The daf continues with a discourse on the specifics of kashrut, detailing the complexities of what qualifies as ritually clean when handling innards, particularly in comparison to larger quadrupeds. This intricate discussion highlights the careful consideration given to even the smallest parts of the kosher process.
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Text from Chullin 47a
וְאָמַר רָבָא: הָנֵי תַּרְתֵּי בּוּעֵי דִּסְמִיכָן לַהֲדָדֵי, לֵית לְהוּ בְּדִיקוּתָא. חֲדָא וּמִתְחַזְיָא כְּתַרְתֵּי – מַיְיתִינַן סִילְוָא וּבָזְעִינַן לַהּ, אִי שָׁפְכָן לַהֲדָדֵי – חֲדָא הִיא וּכְשֵׁרָה, וְאִי לָא – תַּרְתֵּי נִינְהוּ וּטְרֵפָה.
And Rava says: These two cysts that are adjacent to one another on the lung have no need for inspection. The animal is definitely a tereifa, since it is presumed that the cysts formed around a perforation in the lung. But if there is only one cyst that looks like two, due to a depression in the middle, we bring a thorn and pierce it to remove the fluid inside. If the fluids from either side empty into one another, this indicates that it is one cyst, and the animal is kosher. And if not, they are two separate cysts, and the animal is a tereifa.
וְאָמַר רָבָא: חָמֵשׁ אוּנֵּי אִית לַהּ לְרֵיאָה, אַפַּהּ כְּלַפֵּי גַּבְרָא – תְּלָתָא מִיַּמִּינָא וְתַרְתֵּי מִשְּׂמָאלָא. חַסִּיר אוֹ יַתִּיר אוֹ חֲלִיף – טְרֵפָה.
§ And Rava says: The lung has five lobes [unnei]. When the animal hangs by its legs with its face toward the person checking it, he sees three lobes on his right and two on his left. If the animal is missing a lobe or has an extra lobe, or if the lobes were switched, with two on the right and three on the left, the animal is a tereifa.
הָהוּא יַתִּירְתָּא דַּאֲתַאי לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּמָרִימָר, הֲוָה יָתֵיב רַב אַחָא אַבָּבָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מַאי אֲמַר לָךְ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אַכְשְׁרַהּ נִיהֲלִי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הֲדַר עַיְּילַהּ קַמֵּיהּ! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: זִיל אֵימָא לֵיהּ לְמַאן דְּיָתֵיב אַבָּבָא, לֵית הִלְכְתָא כְּוָותֵיהּ דְּרָבָא בִּיתֶרֶת.
The Gemara relates that a certain lung that had an extra lobe was brought before Mareimar. Rav Aḥa was sitting at the door of Mareimar’s house. When the animal’s owner was leaving, Rav Aḥa said to him: What did Mareimar say to you? The man said to him: Mareimar deemed it kosher. Rav Aḥa was surprised by this, because it contradicts Rava’s statement, so he said to him: Turn around and bring the animal before him. The owner did so. Mareimar realized why he was being asked twice, and said to him: Go tell whomever is sitting at the door: The halakha is not in accordance with the opinion of Rava in the case of an animal that has an extra lobe.
וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי – דְּקָיְימָא בְּדָרָא דְּאוּנֵּי, אֲבָל בֵּינֵי בֵּינֵי – טְרֵפָה.
The Gemara adds: And this statement applies only when the extra lobe stands in line with the other lobes, on the left or right. But if it is in between the two sides, the animal is a tereifa.
הָהוּא בֵּינֵי בֵּינֵי דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב אָשֵׁי, סָבַר רַב אָשֵׁי לְמִיטְרְפַהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב הוּנָא מָר בַּר אַוְיָא: כֹּל הָנֵי חֵיוֵי בָּרָיָיתָא הָכִי אִית לְהוּ, וְקָרוּ לַהּ טַבָּחֵי עֵינוּנִיתָא דְּוַורְדָּא. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי מִגַּוַּאי,
The Gemara relates that a certain animal with an extra lobe in between the two sides was brought before Rav Ashi. Rav Ashi thought to deem it a tereifa. Rav Huna Mar bar Avya said to him: All those animals that graze outside in the fields have extra lobes like this, and butchers call it the little rose lobe. The Gemara adds: And this statement applies only when the extra lobe is on the inside face of the lung, facing the heart.
The Mensch's Take
Context
Today’s daf reads like a culinary chapter of Leviticus meets an episode of *Curb Your Enthusiasm*. We’re ensconced in a debate over gizzards—who knew a bird's stomach could be so compelling? The early rabbis are slicing and dicing their way through scripture, each trying to outdo the other in their quest for dietary precision. Picture a room full of sages, each vying for the title of kosher kingpin. It's as if food law is being written by a committee of Talmudic chefs, each with a penchant for detail that would make Larry David proud.
Implications
*Peering into these gizzard discussions, one might ponder the broader quest for spiritual cleanliness. The meticulous nature of these debates underscores a timeless journey towards maintaining holiness and integrity within the mundane. Our ancestors' debates reflect our daily balancing act between the sacred and the ordinary—reminding us that true spirituality often resides in the details.*