Study Eruvin folio 28A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
אכל פוטיתא — לוקה ארבע. נמלה — לוקה חמש. צירעה — לוקה שש. ואם איתא — פוטיתא נמי לילקי משום ״השרץ השרץ על הארץ״!
If one ate a putita, a certain water insect, he is given 4 sets of lashes, as he has transgressed 4 separate negative Torah commandments, two that relate to creeping animals in general and two that relate to water insects in particular. If he ate an ant, he is given 5 sets of lashes for violating the two general prohibitions and another 3 negative commandments stated with regard to insects that creep upon the earth. If he ate a hornet, he is given 6 sets of lashes, for in addition to the prohibitions applying to an ant, he has transgressed a prohibition stated with regard to flying insects. And if it is correct that something that lives in water is considered as growing from the ground, one who eats a putita should also be given lashes for violating the following prohibition: “And every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth is a detestable thing; it should not be eaten” (Leviticus 11:41). Rather, fish must certainly not be considered as growing from the ground, and therefore this explanation is to be rejected.
אלא אמר רבינא: עופות איכא בינייהו. למאן דאמר פרי מפרי וגידולי קרקע, הני נמי — גידולי קרקע נינהו. למאן דאמר ולד ולדות הארץ, הני עופות — מן הרקק נבראו.
Rather, Ravina said: There is a practical difference between the two baraitot with regard to fowl. According to the one who said that one may use second-tithe money only to purchase food which is the produce of produce and grown from the ground, these fowl are also regarded as having grown from the ground. However, according to the one who said that we apply it to that which is the offspring of the offspring of the earth, these fowl were created from mud and not from the ground, and consequently they are not included among the items that may be bought with second-tithe money.