TEREIFAH

A Tereifah is an animal or bird that has acquired or was born with a fatal defect that will result in its death within a year. (There are some who maintain that a Tereifah can live for more than a year, as mentioned in the Gemara - Chulin 42a.) The signs of the Tereifos do not have logical reasons; rather, they are Halachos l'Moshe mi'Sinai (RASHI to Chulin 42a DH Naflah. The Gemara (Chulin 128b) teaches that when an animal that is a Tereifah (an animal with a fatal blemish) is killed by being slaughtered with a proper act of Shechitah, its carcass does not become a Neveilah and is not Metamei (although, of course, it is forbidden to eat) The signs of the Tereifos do not have logical reasons; rather, they are Halachos l'Moshe mi'Sinai (RASHI DH Naflah). Tana d'Vei Rebbi Yishmael records eighteen types of Tereifos, as follows: (This list is found in YOSEF DA'AS to Chulin, pp. 436-437; the sources to the main discussions in the Gemara of each Siman Tereifah have been added.) 1. Nekuvim - holes in various organs; these holes are even of the minutest size, but must be Mefulashin, punctured through the organ or membrane. The organs included are: a] the Veshet (esophagus; included is a condition in which the outer and inner membranes of the esophagus are switched at any place on this organ; Daf 43a-44a); b] the Kerum ha'Mo'ach (cranial membrane; Daf 45a-b); c] the Lev (heart; Daf 45b); d] the Rei'ah (lung; 46a-49a); e] the Keivah (the fourth stomach of ruminants, or abomasum; Daf 49a); f] the Marah (gall bladder, according to Rebbi Yosi b'Rebbi Yehudah; the Chachamim argue, but our Mishnah follows his opinion; Daf 42b-43a); g] the Dakin (small intestines; a hole in the small intestines allow the waste material to leak out and contaminate the abdominal cavity; RAMBAM Hilchos Shechitah 6:13); h] the Keres ha'Penimis (the "inner" stomach; the Keres is the first stomach of ruminants. There is a Machlokes (Daf 50b) as to the identification of the inner and outer parts of the Keres. The most strict opinion (which is the ruling of the SHULCHAN ARUCH YD 48:2) is that the entire Keres is the Keres ha'Penimis and the surrounding flesh is what the Mishnah terms the Keres ha'Chitzonah); i] the Techol (spleen, according to Rav Avira; Chiya bar Rav argues. The puncture must occur in the thicker, dorsal part of the organ; Daf 42b, 55a-b); j] the Beis ha'Kosos (the second stomach of ruminants, or reticulum. The puncture must occur in the outer surface of the organ, not the surface adjacent to the Hemses; Daf 50b-51a) k] the Hemses (the third stomach of ruminants, or omasum. The puncture must occur in the outer surface of the organ, not the surface adjacent to the Beis ha'Kosos; Daf 50b-51a) 2. Pesikos - splits in various organs. The organs included are: a] the Gargeres or Kaneh (trachea; the split must be in the majority of the circumference of the trachea; Daf 44a-45a); b] the Chut ha'Shidra (the spinal chord; Daf 45b) 3. Nital ha'Kaved - the liver is completely removed (the gall bladder remains attached to various veins and ducts - TOSFOS DH Nikev; the Tana'im and Amora'im argue (Daf 46a) as to the status of the animal if less than a k'Zayis of the Kaved remains) 4. Rei'ah she'Chasrah - part of the lung is missing (included are various other Tereifos of the Rei'os, which have their basis in either Nikev or Chisaron; Daf 48b) 5. Nikra Rov ha'Keres ha'Chitzonah - most of the circumference of the outer Keres (see above) is torn 6. Behemah she'Naflah Min ha'Gag - an animal that falls off a roof (or any fall of at least ten Tefachim, even if there are no signs of injury) that was slaughtered immediately (Daf 51a) 7. Nishtabru Rov Tzela'ose'ha - most of its ribs are broken (the Gemara, Daf 52a, discusses which ribs are counted) 8. Derusas ha'Ze'ev, ha'Ari, etc. - the clawing of a wolf, lion, etc. (Daf 52b-54a; see Insights)

9. Nechtechu Ragleha Min ha'Arkuvah ul'Ma'alah - its hind legs were cut above the knees (according to the Tana'im who argue with Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar (Tosefta 3:3), since he rules that this is not a Tereifah; this Siman Tereifah also includes the removal of the "Tzomes ha'Gidin," the "meeting point of the sinews (or tendons)," tendons that attach the muscles of the middle of the leg to the bones of the lower leg; the exact location is discussed in the Gemara Daf 76a; see below, entry #32 for a short description of the hind legs of Kosher animals) 10. Chisaron Chuliyos ba'Shidrah - missing vertebrae of the spine (according to Beis Shamai, two vertebrae; according to Beis Hillel, one - Daf 42b, 52b) 11. Geludah - the hide is stripped off (according to the Tana'im who argue with Rebbi Meir, since he rules that this is not a Tereifah; the Gemara (Daf 55b) discusses how much of the hide must be left (and at what part of the animal's body) for the Chachamim to consider this not a Tereifah Daf 42b, 54a, 55b) 12. Charusah - the lung is withered and hardened as a result of noises (made by people) that terrified the animal (Daf 42b, 54a, 55b) 13. Buka d'Atma she'Ne'ekrah mi'Mekomah - the hip joint is dislocated (according to Rav Masna; some opinions rule that in addition, the ligaments that attached them must be torn; Daf 42b, 54b) 14. Laksah b'Achas mi'Chilyoseha - one (and certainly two) of the kidneys is diseased, where the infection has penetrated the Makom heCharitz, the renal sinus (according to Rachish bar Papa; Ula argues. A puncture in the kidney is not a Tereifah; Daf 42b, 55a-b) 15. Simanim she'Nidaldelu b'Ruban - the trachea and esophagus that were detached in several places from where they were previously attached, such that a majority of these "Simanim" are detached (RABEINU CHANANEL rules that the trachea and esophagus must be detached from each other; Daf 42b) 16. Ne'ekrah Tzela mi'Ikarah - one of the ribs was dislocated, along with half of the vertebra to which it was attached (some opinions rule that the a majority of the ribs (of one or two sides) must be dislocated; Daf 42b, 52a) 17. Gulgoles she'Nechbesah - the skull was dealt blows without disconnecting any of the bone or puncturing the cranial membrane (Daf 42b, 52b) 18. Nikra (O Nital) Rov ha'Basar ha'Chofeh Es ha'Keres - most of the flesh that surrounds the abdominal cavity is torn (or missing) (Daf 42b, 52b)