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Masechet Chullin Daf 18
Dec. 15th, 2018 06:26 pmDaf 18
The Gemara returns and goes into greater depth on an earlier discussion of the rule that before shechita the shochet should present their knife to the local Rabbi for inspection. This is not required d'oraysa, we trust a shochet who is properly trained to be able to inspect their knife and the simanim. But out of kavod haRav, the rule is that the shochet presents their knife to the Rabbi for inspection. It's not clear if this is a one-time thing, perhaps the first day a shochet works they need to present their knife to the Rabbi, and if a new Rabbi takes over in town they need to repeat the procedure, or if they're supposed to do it daily or on some other more regular basis.
In any case, we learn here that even as a halacha d'rabbanan it has some teeth. If a shochet fails to present their knife for inspection, they are subject to a ban on selling meat, even if it turns out that the knife is inspected after the fact and it turns out that the knife was clean.
The Gemara tells a beautiful story of Rava bar Chinnana, who faced this situation as the town Rabbi and banned a shochet for violating this rule. He was later visited by Mar Zutra and Rav Ashi, and he asked them to do him a favor and go and visit the shochet and inspect their equipment, because the shochet was responsible for small children.
Rav Ashi and Mar Zutra go and they inspect the shochet's equipment and it's fine, so Rav Ashi proclaims publicly that this shochet is kosher again. Then Mar Zutra asks Rav Ashi if what he did was appropriate since he publicly spoke against the word of the local Rabbi without consulting him, potentially embarrassing him and undermining his authority. But Rav Ashi says that in fact he was doing exactly as Rava bar Chinanna wanted.
This speaks so beautifully to the way Torah requires careful and thoughtful balancing between concern for the well-being of others and the need to promote appropriate communal rules.
Later on the daf the topic moves to a Mishna about the exact location on the throat where shechita should occur relative to the trachea. There is a piece of cartilage surrounding a part of the trachea called the cricoid cartilage which fully surrounds the trachea towards the top, and which the Gemara therefore refers to as the 'Great Ring'. This, all agree, is an appropriate place for shechita, but there is substantial dispute about how much above and how much below is permissible, and whether it's permissible if the knife is at a slight angle and partially cuts at the cricoid cartilage and partially cuts above or below.
The Gemara tells a story of Rabbi Zeira, an Amora who lived in Babylonia, going to Israel and deeming kosher and eating an animal that had been shechted above the point where Rav and Shmuel held was permissible. He was questioned about this on the grounds that since he was Babylonia he should observe the Babylonian minhag and hold by the added stringency of Rav and Shmuel.
Several answers are given, but the most interesting answer to me is that since Rabbi Zeira intended to live permanently in Eretz Yisrael, he was no longer beholden to Minhag Bavli. This is obviously an important halacha l'maaseh now, with Aliyah being such an important part of our culture and with significant differences between the minhag of galus and the minhag of Israel, most notably second day Yom Tov. This is the rule people mostly hold by, that if they've made Aliyah they don't need to observe second day Yom Tov in Eretz Yisrael, but if they are just visiting for the holiday, they do need to observe second day Yom Tov.
The Gemara returns and goes into greater depth on an earlier discussion of the rule that before shechita the shochet should present their knife to the local Rabbi for inspection. This is not required d'oraysa, we trust a shochet who is properly trained to be able to inspect their knife and the simanim. But out of kavod haRav, the rule is that the shochet presents their knife to the Rabbi for inspection. It's not clear if this is a one-time thing, perhaps the first day a shochet works they need to present their knife to the Rabbi, and if a new Rabbi takes over in town they need to repeat the procedure, or if they're supposed to do it daily or on some other more regular basis.
In any case, we learn here that even as a halacha d'rabbanan it has some teeth. If a shochet fails to present their knife for inspection, they are subject to a ban on selling meat, even if it turns out that the knife is inspected after the fact and it turns out that the knife was clean.
The Gemara tells a beautiful story of Rava bar Chinnana, who faced this situation as the town Rabbi and banned a shochet for violating this rule. He was later visited by Mar Zutra and Rav Ashi, and he asked them to do him a favor and go and visit the shochet and inspect their equipment, because the shochet was responsible for small children.
Rav Ashi and Mar Zutra go and they inspect the shochet's equipment and it's fine, so Rav Ashi proclaims publicly that this shochet is kosher again. Then Mar Zutra asks Rav Ashi if what he did was appropriate since he publicly spoke against the word of the local Rabbi without consulting him, potentially embarrassing him and undermining his authority. But Rav Ashi says that in fact he was doing exactly as Rava bar Chinanna wanted.
This speaks so beautifully to the way Torah requires careful and thoughtful balancing between concern for the well-being of others and the need to promote appropriate communal rules.
Later on the daf the topic moves to a Mishna about the exact location on the throat where shechita should occur relative to the trachea. There is a piece of cartilage surrounding a part of the trachea called the cricoid cartilage which fully surrounds the trachea towards the top, and which the Gemara therefore refers to as the 'Great Ring'. This, all agree, is an appropriate place for shechita, but there is substantial dispute about how much above and how much below is permissible, and whether it's permissible if the knife is at a slight angle and partially cuts at the cricoid cartilage and partially cuts above or below.
The Gemara tells a story of Rabbi Zeira, an Amora who lived in Babylonia, going to Israel and deeming kosher and eating an animal that had been shechted above the point where Rav and Shmuel held was permissible. He was questioned about this on the grounds that since he was Babylonia he should observe the Babylonian minhag and hold by the added stringency of Rav and Shmuel.
Several answers are given, but the most interesting answer to me is that since Rabbi Zeira intended to live permanently in Eretz Yisrael, he was no longer beholden to Minhag Bavli. This is obviously an important halacha l'maaseh now, with Aliyah being such an important part of our culture and with significant differences between the minhag of galus and the minhag of Israel, most notably second day Yom Tov. This is the rule people mostly hold by, that if they've made Aliyah they don't need to observe second day Yom Tov in Eretz Yisrael, but if they are just visiting for the holiday, they do need to observe second day Yom Tov.