Study Zevachim folio 70B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
כשבא בדרך זו – היא בטהורה, וכשבא בדרך זו – היא בטמאה; תלמוד לומר: ״טרפה״ – מי שיש במינה טריפה.
When one approaches the matter this first way, the halakha that forbidden fat is pure applies specifically to kosher animals, but when one approaches the matter that second way, the halakha applies specifically to non-kosher animals. To decide the matter, the verse states: “The fat of a tereifa may be used for any other service” (Leviticus 7:24), indicating that only the forbidden fat of those animals to whose species the halakha of tereifa applies, i.e., kosher animals, is ritually pure. The status of tereifa is immaterial to a non-kosher animal as its consumption is prohibited in any event.
אוציא את הטמאה – שאין במינה טריפה, ולא אוציא את החיה שיש במינה טריפה! תלמוד לומר: ״ואכל לא תאכלוהו״ – מי שחלבה אסור ובשרה מותר, יצא חיה שחלבה ובשרה מותר.
The baraita concludes: One might still assume that I will exclude from this halakha only the forbidden fat of a carcass of a non-kosher animal, as the halakha of tereifa does not apply to its species, but I will not exclude the fat of a carcass of an undomesticated kosher animal, as the halakha of tereifa applies to its species. Therefore, the verse states in conclusion: “But you should in no way eat of it,” indicating that the reference is only to animals whose fat is forbidden for consumption if slaughtered but whose meat is permitted, i.e., kosher livestock. Excluded are kosher undomesticated animals, whose fat and meat are both permitted for consumption.
אמר ליה רב יעקב בר אבא לרבא: אלא מעתה – נבלת בהמה טהורה הוא דמטמאה, נבלת בהמה טמאה לא מטמאה?! אמר ליה: כמה סבי שבישתו בה! סיפא אתאן לנבלת עוף טמא.
Rav Ya’akov bar Abba said to Rava: If that is so, it appears from the baraita that the carcass of a kosher animal imparts impurity, but the carcass of a non-kosher animal does not impart impurity. Rava said to him: How many elders have you caused to err in the interpretation of this baraita? In the latter clause we come to discuss only the carcass of a non-kosher bird, which does not impart impurity. By contrast, carcasses of non-kosher animals are impure.