Chullin Daf 66 צולין דַף 66

The Gemara analyzes the two Baraisos from the previous Daf. It explains that "תנא דבי רב" (the Baraisa of Toras Kohanim) darshens the pesukim of grasshoppers as a כלל ופרט, and only includes species which share identical characteristics with those mentioned in the Torah. The Baraisa of Rebbe Yishmael’s yeshivah darshens it as a כלל ופרט וכלל, which is more inclusive. The Gemara objects to this: והא לא דמי כללא קמא לכללא בתרא – but the first כלל is not similar to the last כלל!? The first כלל, which is אשר לו כרעים – one which has jumping legs implies that any grasshopper with this single characteristic is kosher, whereas the second כלל ("למינהו") implies it is not kosher עד דשוו בארבעה סימנין – unless it shares all four signs with the mentioned species!? The Gemara answers that the Tanna of Rebbe Yishmael’s yeshivah holds that we can even darshen a כלל ופרט וכלל in such a case. Actually, when it says elsewhere in Shas that Rebbe Yishmael’s yeshivah darshens כלל ופרט וכלל even where the first כלל is different from the second, this Baraisa is the source.

A Mishnah states: כל שיש לו קשקשת יש לו סנפיר – any fish which has a scale has a fin, but there are fish with a fin which have no scales. If it has a scale and a fin, it is kosher, but if it has a fin and not scales, it is not kosher. The Gemara asks that since we may rely alone on scale to establish that a fish is kosher, ליכתוב רחמנא קשקשת ולא ליכתוב סנפיר – let the Torah write “scale,” and not write “fin”!? The Gemara initially answers that if the Torah had only written "קשקשת", one might have mistakenly interpreted it to mean “fin,” and permit fish without scales. However, the Gemara proves that קשקשת means לבושא – a coat of scales, because the passuk says (about גלית): ושריון קשקשים הוא לבוש – and he was wearing a coat of “scales” (i.e., armor of mail). Therefore, the Gemara again asks that the Torah should have written only the requirement for קשקשת, and concludes: יגדיל תורה ויאדיר – [Hashem] expands the Torah and amplifies it (Tosafos explains that the Torah clarified internally what קשקשת means).

A Baraisa asks why the Torah needed to write the phrase "תאכלו מכל אשר במים" – [this] you may eat from everything which is in the water, since the end of the passuk clearly permits eating fish with kosher signs. It answers that since the Torah permits eating water שרצים in two pesukim, one of them clearly and the other indistinctly (as explained on the next Daf), one might say that just as the distinct permit is only for שרצים which germinate בכלים – in vessels, so too the indistinct permit only applies to שרצים which germinate in כלים. Therefore, the passuk says "תאכלו מכל אשר במים", to include בורות שיחין ומערות – pits, ditches, and caves, ששוחה ושותה מהן ואינו נמנע – that one may bend down and drink from them and not abstain because of the creatures in the water. The original source permitting שרצים which germinate in כלים is the passuk: את זה תאכלו מכל אשר במים וגו' – this you may eat from everything which is in the water, [in the seas and in the streams, those you may eat]. This implies that only creatures which germinate בימים ובנחלים – in the seas and in the streams require fins and scales to be eaten, but those in כלים are permitted without them. This derashah is further analyzed.