Study Bekhorot folio 28B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מתניתין נמי דיקא, רבי מאיר אומר: הואיל ונשחט שלא על פי מומחה אסור. שמע מינה קנסא קא קניס רבי מאיר, שמע מינה.
The Mishnah is also precisely formulated, as it states that R' Meir says: Since it was slaughtered not according to the ruling of an expert, it is prohibited. Conclude from this wording that R' Meir penalizes him for not showing it to an expert. In other words, this indicates that the animal is deemed prohibited as a penalty. It is not due to any uncertainty, as blemishes on the body do not change after death, but it is due to a rabbinic decree. The Talmud comments: Conclude from it that the Mishnah should be understood as Rabba bar bar Ḥana explained.
איבעיא להו: מפני המשתנין — דכולהו משתני, או דלמא איכא דמשתני ואיכא דלא משתני?
A dilemma was raised before the rabbis: The baraita states: Due to the blemishes on the cornea, which change. But does this mean that all blemishes on the cornea of the eye definitely change after the death of the animal? Or perhaps there are some that change after death and there are others that do not change.
The Talmud asks: What is the practical difference of this dilemma? The Talmud explains: The difference is with regard to contradicting witnesses who claim that the animal had the identical blemishes in its eye when it was alive. If you say that all corneas change after the death of the animal, they are liars. But if you say that there are some that change after death and there are others that do not change, the court relies on such witnesses. Therefore, what is the resolution of the dilemma?
תא שמע, דאמר רבה בר בר חנה: שח לי רבי יאשיה דמן אושא, בא ואראך בדוקין שהן משתנים. מדקאמר ליה ״בא ואראך״, מכלל דאיכא דמשתני ואיכא דלא משתני.
The Talmud answers: Come and hear a baraita, as Rabba bar bar Ḥana says: R' Yoshiya from Usha told me: Come and I will show you the corneas that change. Since he said to him: Come and I will show you those that change, one can conclude by inference there are some corneas that change after death and there are others that do not change.