No community start suggestion yet.
If Adam HaRishon was already prohibited from eating any meat, why did the Torah (תורה) need a separate prohibition of ever min hachai? The shiur analyzes how Tosfos and the Rambam (רמב"ם) understand these as manifestations of one principle: not eating what isn't designated as food. This explains why Noach needed explicit clarification about ever min hachai when meat consumption was permitted.
This shiur provides an in-depth analysis of Sanhedrin 56b, focusing on the prohibition of ever min hachai (eating a limb from a living animal) and the complex interpretations offered by Rashi (רש"י) and Tosfos. The Gemara (גמרא) establishes that the source for this prohibition comes from the pasuk 'achol tochel,' which teaches that one should eat what is prepared for eating, not what is meant for procreation - since living animals are designed for reproduction, not consumption. The discussion begins with a technical question: since an animal doesn't need all its limbs for reproduction, perhaps those unnecessary limbs should be permitted. However, the analysis moves to more fundamental issues. Tosfos raises a significant question based on a Gemara in Nedarim stating that Adam HaRishon was not permitted to eat meat at all, as the pasuk indicates vegetables were given for human and animal consumption, but animals were not given for human consumption.
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Sanhedrin 56b
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Gemara
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
When an animal damages crops, the Torah prescribes a unique payment formula based on multiplying the damaged area by sixty. Does this formula redefine the actual loss, or does it merely create a payment mechanism that still acknowledges the full damage sustained? The Gemara explores whether someone who ate in doubt should pay the higher-quality amount, examining how the principle of motzi me-chaveiro alav haraya applies when payments fall within the range of actual loss.
What makes testimony valid when different witnesses testify to different parts of the same event? The Gemara debates whether the principle of "davar v'lo chatzi davar" (complete testimony, not partial) disqualifies witnesses who testify separately to theft and slaughter. Rashi's approach reveals that the issue is not merely combining elements, but whether each witness's statement is independently meaningful.
Why is a ganav who sells a stolen animal on Shabbos exempt from the fourfold/fivefold payment? The shiur analyzes whether this exemption stems from kam lei b'derabbah or from the absence of a valid mechira. The Rashba's principle that matana resembles mechira when it is "nishtarish b'chet" is explored, along with the Rambam's position on hekdesh and the distinction between giving to bedek habayis versus mizbe'ach.
When a ganav shechts a stolen animal l'avodah zarah, why isn't he patur from payment since it's already isur hana'ah? The shiur explores the fundamental machloket Rashi-Tosafot on whether the isur derives from the act of shechita or from the din shechita itself. The Gemara's application of davar garem be'mamon ke'mamon domi extends the analysis to when borrowed animals become niskal.