Chullin Daf 19 צולין דַף 19

The Gemara discusses: הגרים שליש ושחט שליש והגרים שליש – if one cut a third of the קנה beyond the shechitah area, then cut a third within the correct area, and cut the final third beyond the correct area, Rav Huna quotes Rav saying the animal is kosher, but Rav Yehudah quotes Rav saying it is not kosher. Rav Huna holds: כי נפקא חיותא – when the animal’s life left it (i.e., the moment the majority of the קנה was cut), בשחיטה קא נפקא – it left through shechitah. Rav Yehudah holds בעינן רובא בשחיטה וליכא – we require most of the קנה to be cut with shechitah, and that is lacking here. In the opposite case, where he shechted the first third correctly, the middle third with הגרמה, and the final third correctly, Rav Yehudah quoted Rav saying it is kosher (since most of the קנה was cut correctly). Rav Huna said it was not kosher, and Rav Yehudah was upset, because Rav Huna appeared to rule the opposite of whatever Rav Yehudah said. Rav Huna considered retracting, but Rav Chisda said that his second ruling fits well with his first, since in this case, the animal’s life left it through הגרמה, and is invalid.

Rav Yehudah told Rav Kahana that שחט במקום נקב – if one shechted through a hole which was torn halfway across the קנה, cutting slightly further so that the majority was cut, the shechitah is valid. However, שחט ופגע בו נקב – if he shechted halfway across and reached a hole in the back of the קנה, the shechitah is פסול. Rebbe Elazar explained the difference: where he began the cutting from the hole, נעשה כמי ששחט עובד כוכבים וגמר ישראל – it is as if an idolator cut halfway across and a Yisroel finished it, which is valid, whereas where he cut until reaching the hole, it is as if a Yisroel shechted only halfway and the idolator finished it, which is invalid. Rebbe Yochanan declared: עובד כוכבים, עובד כוכבים – “Idolator! Idolator!”, objecting that he can explain away the rulings with comparisons to idolators all day, but they are not similar, as Rava explained: where the קנה began intact, and the Yisroel should have cut most of the קנה, and instead only cut half, כי נפקא חיותא – when [the animal’s] life left it, בידא דעובד כוכבים קא נפקא – it left through the idolator’s hand, which is invalid. But where the קנה was torn halfway and he cut more, thereby killing the animal, what difference is there if he began or ended with the hole?

The next Mishnah states: השוחט מן הצדדין – if one shechts from the sides of the neck, the shechitah is valid, but מליקה from the sides of the neck is invalid. If one shechts "מן העורף", it is invalid, but מליקה from the עורף is valid. The Gemara will explain this means ממול עורף – from that which faces the back of the head, i.e., the nape of its neck. Shechitah מן הצואר – from the throat is valid, but מליקה from the throat is invalid. The Mishnah explains that the entire עורף is fit for מליקה, and the entire צואר is fit for shechitah. נמצא כשר בשחיטה פסול במליקה – It emerges that what is valid for shechitah is invalid for melikah, כשר במליקה פסול בשחיטה – and what is valid for melikah is invalid for shechitah.

Rebbe Chiya’s sons said: מצות מליקה מחזיר סימנים לאחורי העורף ומולק – the mitzvah of melikah is performed where one first moves the סימנים around to the back of the neck and then performs melikah, without breaking the neck bone. There are two versions if this means that melikah may also be performed this way, or must be performed this way, and the Gemara supports the former version.