Midrash su Levitico 11:2

1) (Vayikra 11:1) "And the L–rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron to say to them": (to say) to the sons, to Elazar and Ithamar, or to say to Israel? "Speak to the children of Israel" (Vayikra 11:2) is the speaking to Israel. How, then, are we to understand "to say to them"? To say to the sons, to Elazar and to Ithamar.

2) (Vayikra 11:2) "This is the animal that you may eat": We are hereby taught that Moses took hold of each animal and showed it to Israel and said to them: This you may eat and this you may not eat. (Vayikra 11:9): "This you may eat of all that is in the waters" — This you may eat and this you may not eat. (Vayikra 11:9): "These shall you hold in detestation of the fowl" — These shall you hold in detestation and these shall you not hold in detestation. (Vayikra 11:29): "This to you is what is tamei among the creeping things" — This is tamei and this is not tamei.

(Fol. 42) In the academy of R. Ishmael it was taught concerning the passage (Lev. 11, 2) These are the living things which ye may eat; from this it may be inferred that the Holy One, praised be He! took hold of every kind of animal and showed it unto Moses and He said unto him: "This ye eat."

3) (Vayikra 11:2): "This is the animal that you may eat, of every beast that is upon the earth": One declaration replaces another. From (Bereshith 9:3): "As the green herb, I have given you (the sons of Noach) everything," I might assume that everything was permitted; it is, therefore, written (Devarim 14:4): "This is the beast that you may eat: the ox, the lamb of sheep, and the kid of goats, (Devarim 14:5) the hart, the gazelle, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the dyshon, and the wild ox, and the chamois."

[Another interpretation] (of Numb. 8:2, 4): WHEN YOU SET UP THE LAMPS […. THIS IS THE MAKING OF THE MENORAH]. You find that Moses experienced more difficulty in making the menorah then for all the <other> vessels of the Tabernacle until the Holy One showed him with his finger.¹¹Above Lev. 3:11 and the parallels listed there; Tanh. Numb. 3:3 cont.; Numb. R. 15:4. It was the same concerning the hoofs of a clean animal, as it is stated (in Lev. 11:2, 4): NOW THESE ARE THE CREATURES [THAT YOU MAY EAT…. HOWEVER THESE YOU MAY NOT EAT.] And it was the same concerning the <new> moon. The Holy One had said to him (in Exod. 12:2): THIS MONTH. So it was the same concerning the making of the menorah, where it is stated (in Numb. 8:4): THIS IS THE MAKING OF THE MENORAH, HAMMERED WORK OF GOLD. What is the meaning of HAMMERED WORK (MQShh)? It is like saying: How difficult (MH QShh) it is to make; for Moses spent a lot of effort before the menorah was made, since it says so (in Exod. 25:31): WITH DIFFICULTY (MQShh revoweled as miqqashah)¹²A typical translation of the Masoretic pointing would be: OF HAMMERED WORK. SHALL THE MENORAH BE MADE. [<The situation is> like a person who says: How difficult (MHQShh) this task is for me!] When it became difficult for him, the Holy One said to him: Moses, take a talent of gold and cast it into the fire. Then take it out, and it will have been made automatically. [Thus it is stated] (ibid. cont.): {ITS KNOBS, ITS BLOSSOMS, ITS CUPS, AND ITS SHAFTS} [ITS BASE, ITS SHAFT, ITS CUPS, ITS KNOBS, AND ITS FLOWERS SHALL COME OUT OF IT.]¹³English translations usually render the end of this verse: …SHALL BE OF ONE PIECE or something similar; however, the midrash follows the interpretation given here. There was a blow with a hammer, and it was made automatically. It was therefore stated (in Exod. 25:31): OF HAMMERED WORK (i.e. with difficulty) SHALL <THE MENORAH> BE MADE (TY'SH). <The verb is spelled> fully with a Y (yod in Hebrew) and not written <with the normal spelling> as T'SH (which could be translated, "you shall make"). <It is written with the extra letter> so as to say: It SHALL BE MADE automatically. What did Moses do? He took a talent of gold and threw it into the fire. Then Moses said: Sovereign of the World here is the talent; [it is cast into the midst of the fire]. Let it be made (TY'SH) for you just as you wish. Immediately the menorah came forth made as it should be. It is therefore written (in Numb. 8:4 end): ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH THE LORD HAD SHOWN MOSES, SO DID HE MAKE THE MENORAH. "Moses made" is not written here, but merely HE MADE. So who did make it? The Holy One. Therefore, the Holy One told Moses to warn Aaron to [light <the lamps> as stated] (in Numb. 8:2): WHEN YOU SET UP <THE LAMPS >. The Holy One said to Israel: If you light <the lamps > before me, I also will preserve your souls from everything evil, so that nothing touches you. Thus their souls are likened to a lamp as stated (in Prov. 20:27): A PERSON's BREATH IS THE LAMP OF {GOD} [THE LORD SEARCHING ALL THE CHAMBERS OF THE BELLY.

4) I might think that the entire beast is permitted; it is, therefore, written (Bereshith 9:4): "Only the flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat" — ever min hechai (a limb torn from a living animal) is forbidden. (Bereshith 32:33): "Therefore, the children of Israel may not eat the thigh sinew (gid hanasheh)" — the gid hanasheh is forbidden. (Vayikra 7:3): "All fats (cheilev) of ox or sheep or goat you shall not eat" — cheilev is forbidden. (Vayikra 7:26): "And all blood you shall not eat" — blood is forbidden. I might think that they are permitted whether slaughtered (by shechitah) or not slaughtered, (but killed in some other way); it is, therefore, written (Devarim 27:7): "And you shall slaughter (by shechitah) … and you shall eat."

5) I might think that only "the lamb of sheep" (i.e., of two sheep) "and the kid of goats" (i.e., of two goats), (were permitted). Whence would I derive (as also permitted) kilaim (an admixture, e.g., the offspring of a lamb and a goat)? From the fact that it is written (Vayikra 11:2) "animal" and "beast" (unqualified, to indicate that anything called "animal" or "beast," with the required cleanliness signs, may be eaten.) This tells me only of kilaim of (one kind of) animal (begotten) from (a different kind of) animal, or of beast from beast. Whence do I derive (the same for) beast from animal or animal from beast? From (Vayikra 11:2): "the animal … of every beast" — "animal," in any event; "beast," in any event.

6) I might think that the same applies to an animal and a sea-beast (i.e., that a sea-beast or a sea-animal begotten by a (land) animal could be eaten); it is, therefore, written (Vayikra 11:2) "that is on the land" — to exclude a sea creature.

7) Bur perhaps "that is on the land" signifies that (if the offering is on the land, it is permitted with the signs (of clean land animals, and if on the sea, (it is permitted) with or without those signs. It is, therefore, written "This … that is on the land" — only what is on the land is permitted.

Three things Moses found difficult and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed them to him with a finger and these are them: The making of the menorah, the moon, and creeping things.³⁵Below, Numb. 3:4; Mekhilta, Pisha 2; Men. 29a; PRK 5:15; PR 15:21; Numb. R. 15:4; cf. Sifre to Numb. 8:4 (61); Exod. R. 15:28; Numb. R. 15:10; also below, Numb. 3:11, and the notes there. In the making of the menorah, how [was it]? When Moses ascended [Sinai], the Holy One, blessed be He, was showing him on the mountain how he would make the tabernacle. When He showed him the making of the menorah, Moses found it difficult.³⁶Below, Numb. 3:4. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “See, I am making it before you.” What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He showed him white fire, red fire, black fire, and green fire. Then from them He made the menorah, its bowls, its knobs, its blossoms, and the six branches. Then He said to him (in Numb. 8:4), “This is the making of the menorah.” This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him with a finger. But nevertheless, [Moses] found it difficult. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He engraved it on the palm of Moses’ hand. He said to him, “Go down and make it just as I have engraved it on your hand.” Thus it is stated (in Exod. 25:40), “Observe and make them [by means of] their pattern.” Even so, he found it difficult and said (in Exod. 25:31), “with difficulty (mqshh)³⁷While this meaning, so understood by the midrash, is possible, a more usual English translation would read, HAMMERED WORK, or something similar. will the menorah be made,” meaning to say, how difficult it was to make. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Cast the gold into the fire, and it will be made automatically.” So it is stated, “with difficulty will the menorah be made” [be made (a reflexive form, in the niph'al) is what is written, i.e.,] was made of its own accord. This teaches that Moshe had difficulty with the menorah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed it to him with a finger, as stated (in Numb. 8:4), “this.” In reference to the moon (yareah), where is it shown [that Moses had difficulty]? (Exod. 12:1-2) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses…, ‘This month (hodesh) for you.’”³⁸Hodesh also means “new moon.” He said to him, “In the month of Nissan, you will see like this and like that and [you shall] sanctify [it].” This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him with a finger. In reference to creeping things, where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Lev. 11:29), “Now this shall be unclean for you from among the swarming things which swarm on the earth.” The Holy One, blessed be He, caught each and every species, showed them to Moses, and said to him, “This you may eat, and this you may not eat.” [Thus it is stated (in Lev. 11:2, 4),] “This is the creature that you may eat …. However this you may not eat.” Moreover, do not be surprised over [this] thing, since it is a fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed all creatures to the first Adam, and he gave them names. And where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Gen. 2:19), “and all that man called the soul ….” After he had given names to all of them, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “And I, what is My name?” He said to him, “It is Y____.” Thus it is written (in Is. 42:8), “I am Y____; that is My name,”³⁹Below, Numb. 6:12. this My name, which the first Adam gave Me. It is My name, which I have agreed upon [for use] between Me and My creatures. So if in the case of the first Adam, the Holy One, blessed be He, had the creatures pass before Him; in the case of Moses, when the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to warn Israel about the unclean and about the clean, are you surprised that He showed him and said to him, “These you may eat, and these you may not eat?” Lest your [evil] drive lead you astray, saying that the Holy One, blessed be He, has forbidden Israel from having good things, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Whatever I have forbidden you from having, I have permitted you to have [something] that corresponds to it.⁴⁰Cf. Hul. 109b; Lev. R. 22:10. How is this? I have forbidden you menstrual blood; I have permitted you virginal blood. I have forbidden you [animal] blood; I have permitted you the liver, which is wholly blood. I have forbidden you the flesh of swine; I have permitted you the tongue of a fish with the name shibbuta, which resembles swine.⁴¹According to Jastrow, s.v., a shibbuta was probably a mullet. The Arukh (Plenus Aruch, ed. A. Kohut [Vienna: G. Broeg, 1878–92], s.v.) suggests that the fish here is a sturgeon. In any case shibbuta apparently had a pork taste. So Rashi on Hul. 109a. I have forbidden you [another] man's wife; I have permitted you a man’s divorcee. I have forbidden a gentile woman; I have permitted a beautiful woman [captive]. I have forbidden you a brother's wife; I have permitted her for you after his death, with no children, as stated (in Deut. 25:5), ‘her brother-in-law shall have sexual intercourse with her.’ I have forbidden you mingled seeds, but I have permitted you a sindon⁴²The Greek word, sindon, designates a garment of fine Indian linen. with a woolen fringe.⁴³See Jastrow, s.v., SDYN. I have forbidden you the fat of cattle, but I have permitted you the fat of game animals.” R. Bisna said in the name of R. Hiyya, “What the Holy One, blessed be He, forbade for cattle He permitted for game animals, and what He forbade for game animals He permitted for fowl, and what He forbade for fowl He permitted for fish. How? He forbade the fat in the case of cattle; He permitted it in the case of game animals. He forbade the thigh muscle in the case of game animals; He permitted it in the case of fowl. He forbade blood in the case of fowl; He permitted it in the case of fish. And why all this? In order to give Israel a good reward for observing the commandments.” Ergo, it states (II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31) “As for God, His way is perfect…”; for all the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, are perfect.⁴⁴Gen. R. 44:1; cf. Lev. R. 13:3. And likewise, what does the Holy One, blessed be He, care whether one ritually slaughters cattle and eats [the meat] or whether one slaughters cattle by stabbing and eats it? Will some such thing benefit Him (i.e., the Holy One, blessed be He,) or harm Him? Or what does He care whether one eats carcasses or eats what is clean? Solomon said [about this] (in Prov. 9:12), “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; [and if you scoff, you will bear it alone].” Thus, the commandments were given only to purify (rt.: tsrp) [mortals] through them, as stated (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31, cont.), “the word of the Lord is pure (rt.: tsrp).” Why? So that He might be a shield over you, [as stated] (ibid., cont.), “He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.” Ergo (in Lev. 11:2:), “These are the creatures [that you may eat].”

Job said (in Job 14:4), “Who can produce something clean out of something unclean, no one.” After the Holy One, blessed be He, permitted the cow and forbade the camel, who could declare clean or declare unclean? Who has done so? Is it not the One? Is it not the singular One of the world? Come and see: Originally at the creation of the world, everything was permitted, as stated (in Gen. 9:3), “as with the green grass, I have given you everything.” And it states (in Gen. 1:31), “And God saw everything that He had done, and behold, it was good.” Then after Israel stood by Mount Sinai, He increased Torah and commandments for them in order to give them a good reward. But if so, why did He not so command the first Adam? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “When I ordained an easy commandment for him, he transgressed against it. How could he fulfill all these commandments? On the very day on which it was commanded, on that day he transgressed against it. He was unable to remain obedient to the command for a single hour. How did the Holy One, blessed be He, create Adam? R. Judah ben Pedayah said, “[Twelve hours make up the day.] In the first hour the first Adam arose in the thought of the Holy One, blessed be He, [with a view] to creation.⁴⁵PRK 23:1; PR 46:2; M. Pss. 92:3; Lev. R. 29:1; cf. Sanh. 38b; ARN, A, 1; PRE 11. In the second He consulted with the ministering angels and said (in Gen. 1:26), ‘Let us make man in our image.’ In the third He gathered his dust. In the fourth He kneaded him. In the fifth He shaped him. In the sixth He stood him up as a golem. In the seventh He blew breath into him. In the eighth He brought him into the Garden of Eden. In the ninth He commanded him, ‘Eat of this, and do not eat of that.’ In the tenth [Adam] sinned. In the eleventh he was judged. In the twelfth he was expelled.” Thus you must conclude that he did not remain obedient to the commandment for even a single hour. R. Judah ben Pedayah said, “Would that someone remove the dust from your eyes, O first Adam, you who could not persevere in your temptation for even a single hour, while here your children are keeping all the commandments which were given to them and persevering in them!”⁴⁶Gen. R. 21:7; cf. Lev. R. 25:2. One of them rises to plant, till, weed, prune, take pains to irrigate, and see the fruits of his plantings when they produce first fruits. Then he folds his hands and does not taste them, in order to fulfill what is stated (in Lev. 19:23), “three years it shall be [forbidden] to you….” But in the case of the first Adam, it was told him, “Eat of this, and do not eat of that,” and he was not able to remain obedient to the commandment for a single hour. Instead (according to Gen. 3:6), “then she also gave some to her husband, and he ate,” but [when] your children were commanded to eat this and not to eat that, [they remained obedient to those commandments]. And [this obedience is] especially [evident] when someone from Israel takes a bovine, an ox, or a lamb, slaughters it ritually, skins it, washes it, and inspects its health. When it is found to be unfit, he holds back and does not eat it. Ergo (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31, cont.), “the word of the Lord is pure.” For that reason, the first Adam was not commanded, because it was revealed to the Holy One, blessed be He, that he could not remain obedient to many commandments; as behold, he was commanded [only] one commandment, and he did not persevere with it. But in the case of Israel, when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them many commandments, they observed them. He therefore expanded the Torah and commandments for them, and said to them (in Lev. 11:2-7), “These are the creatures that you may eat…. These, however, you may not eat…: the camel […]; the rock badger […]; the hare […]; and the pig.” Another interpretation of (Lev. 11:4-7). The camel (rt.: gml) represents the kingdom of Babylon, since it is stated (in Ps. 137:8), “O Daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, fortunate is the one who repays you the recompense (rt.: gml) [with which you recompensed (rt.: gml) us].” The rock badger represents the kingdom of Media, since it made Israel into a corner and ownerless (as in Esth. 3:6), “to exterminate, to kill and to destroy all [the Jews]…”;⁴⁷The exact relation of the rock badger (ha’arnevet) to Media is unclear. One possibility is suggested by Lev. 11:6, according to which the rock badger has marks of both uncleanness and cleanness. Lev. R. 13:5 reports two versions of such an interpretation. The Rabbis interpreted this mix to mean that Media produced a righteous as well as a wicked person (perhaps Haman and Mordecai or Haman and Darius the Mede of Dan. 11:1). According to R. Judah b. R. Simon, the last Darius was clean on the side of his mother Esther and unclean on his father’s side. and likewise, the name of Ptolemy’s wife was rock badger (arnevet). The hare alludes to Greece, since it brought low the Torah from the mouth of the prophets.⁴⁸Probably because prophecy ceased under Greek rule; but according to Lev. R. 13:5, “hare” alludes to the Greek kingdom, because Ptolemy’s mother was named “Hare.” Cf. yMeg. 1:11 (71d), according to which the Greek translators of Lev. 11:6 emended “hare” to “short-legged one” for the same reason. Cf. also Meg. 90b, according to which it was Ptolemy’s wife who was named Hare. In actuality the person named “Hare” (Gk.: Lagos) was Ptolemy’s father. As it is stated (in Amos 8:11), “Behold days are coming says the Lord, God, and I will send a hunger…”; and it is written (in Amos 8:12), “And they shall wander from sea to sea….” How is this? In the future to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will issue a proclamation: Whoever has been engaged in such and such a commandment may come and receive his reward. Then the gentiles also will say, “Give us our reward, for we have performed a commandment.” The Holy One, blessed be He, [however] has said, “Whoever has observed the [commandments of the] Torah may come and receive his reward.”

8) This is the animal that you may eat of every beast that is on the land.": We are hereby taught that "beast" is in the category of animal. Whence is it derived that "animal," too, is in the category of "beast"? From (Devarim 14:4): "This is the beast that you may eat: the ox, the lamb of sheep, and the kid of goats, (Devarim 14:5) the hart, the gazelle, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the dyshon, and the wild ox, and the chamois." (The latter mentioned are animals.)

(Lev. 11:2:) THESE ARE THE CREATURES THAT YOU MAY EAT. Three things Moses found difficult, the making of the menorah, the moon, and creeping things.⁴⁵Below, Numb. 3:4; Tanh., Lev. 3:8; Mekhilta, Pisha 2; Men. 29a; PRK 5:15; PR 15:21; Numb. R. 15:4; cf. Sifre to Numb. 8:4 (61); Exod. R. 15:28; Numb. R. 15:10; also below, Numb. 3:11, and the notes there. In making of the menorah, how < was it >? When Moses ascended < Sinai >, the Holy One was showing him on the mountain how he would make the Tabernacle. When he showed him the making of the menorah, Moses found it difficult.⁴⁶Below, Numb. 3:4. The Holy One said to him: See, I am making it before you. What did the Holy One do? He showed him white fire, [red fire,] black fire, and green fire. Then from them he made the menorah, its bowls, its pomegranates, its blossoms, and the six branches. Then he said to him (in Numb. 8:4): THIS IS THE MAKING OF THE MENORAH. When the Holy One showed him with the finger, he nevertheless found it difficult. What did the Holy One do? He engraved it on the his hand. He said to him: Go down and make it just as I have engraved it on your hand. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 25:40): OBSERVE AND MAKE THEM {LIKE} [BY MEANS OF] THEIR PATTERN. But where is it shown that he engraved it on his hand? Where it is stated (in Ezek. 8:3): HE STRETCHED OUT THE PATTERN OF A HAND. Now PATTERN can only be for the making of the menorah, concerning which it is stated (in Exod. 25:40): OBSERVE AND MAKE THEM {LIKE} [BY MEANS OF] THEIR PATTERN < WHICH YOU ARE BEING SHOWN ON THE MOUNTAIN >. Even so, he found it difficult and said (in Exod. 25:31): WITH DIFFICULTY (MQShH)⁴⁷While this meaning, so understood by the midrash, is possible, a more usual English translation would read, HAMMERED WORK, or something similar. [WILL THE MENORAH BE MADE]. How difficult was it to make? The Holy One said to him: Cast the gold into the fire, and it will be made automatically. So it is stated: WITH DIFFICULTY WILL THE MENORAH BE MADE. [BE MADE (a reflexive form, in the niph'al) is what is written], < i.e., > was made of its own accord.

In reference to creeping things, where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Lev. 11:29): NOW THESE SHALL BE UNCLEAN FOR YOU FROM AMONG THE SWARMING THINGS WHICH SWARM ON THE EARTH]. The Holy One caught each and every species, showed them to Moses, and said to him: This you may eat, and this you may not eat. [Thus it is stated] (in Lev. 11:2, 4:) THESE ARE THE CREATURES THAT YOU MAY EAT. [….HOWEVER, THESE YOU MAY NOT EAT.] Moreover, do not be surprised over < this > thing, since it is a fact that the Holy One showed all creatures to the first Adam, and he gave them names. After he had given names to all of them, the Holy One said to him: And I, what is my name? He said to him: It is Y____, because it is written (in Is. 42:8): I AM Y____; THAT IS MY NAME.⁴⁹Below, Numb. 6:12. [This the name, which the first Adam gave me.] It is my name, which I have agreed upon < for use > between me and my creatures. So if in the case of the first Adam, the Holy One had the creatures pass before him; in the case of Moses, when the Holy One wanted to warn Israel about the unclean and about the clean, are you surprised that he showed him and said to him {(in Lev. 11:2–4): THESE < … > YOU MAY EAT. < … > AND THESE YOU MAY NOT EAT?} [(in Lev. 11:2): THESE ARE THE CREATURES THAT YOU MAY EAT?] {One must not say.}

[(Lev. 11:2:) THESE ARE THE CREATURES THAT YOU MAY EAT.] The Holy One said [to him]: Warn Israel not to eat bad things, lest your < evil > drive lead you astray, saying that the Holy One has forbidden Israel from having good things. The Holy One said: Whatever I have forbidden you from having, I have permitted you to have < something > that corresponds to it⁵⁰Cf. Hul. 109b; Lev. R. 22:10. I have forbidden you menstrual blood; I have permitted you virginal blood. [I have forbidden you < animal > blood; I have permitted you the spleen and the liver, which are wholly blood.] I have forbidden you the flesh of swine; I have permitted you the tongue of a fish with the name shibbuta, which resembles swine.⁵¹According to Jastrow, s.v., a shibbuta was probably a mullet. The Arukh (Plenus Aruch, ed. A. Kohut [Vienna: G. Broeg, 1878–92], s.v.) suggests that the fish here is a sturgeon. In any case shibbuta apparently had a pork taste. So Rashi on Hul. 109a. I have forbidden you < another > man's wife; I have permitted you a beautiful woman, as stated [(in Deut. 21:11–12): AND WHEN YOU SEE AMONG THE CAPTIVES A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WHOM YOU DESIRE TO TAKE FOR A WIFE, < YOU SHALL BRING HER INTO YOUR HOUSE…. >] I have forbidden you a brother's wife; I have permitted her for you after his death, [as stated (in Deut. 25:5):] HER BROTHER-IN-LAW SHALL HAVE SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH HER [AND TAKE HER FOR A WIFE]. I have forbidden you mingled seeds, but I have permitted you a sindon⁵²The Greek word, sindon, designates a garment of fine Indian linen. with a woolen fringe.⁵³See Jastrow, s.v., SDYN. I have forbidden you the fat of cattle, but I have permitted you < the fat of >⁵⁴This addition, found in the parallel text of the traditional Tanhuma, is necessary in view of what follows. game animals. R. Bisna said in the name of R. Hiyya: What the Holy One forbade for cattle he permitted for game animals, and what he forbade for fowl he permitted for fish. How? He forbade the fat in the case of cattle; he permitted it in the case of game animals. He forbade the thigh muscle in the case of game animals; he permitted it in the case of fowl. He forbade blood in the case of fowl; he permitted it in the case of fish. And why all this? In order to give Israel a good reward for observing the commandments.

(II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31 [30]:) AS FOR GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT…; for all the ways of the Holy One are perfect.⁵⁵Tanh., Lev. 3:8; Gen. R. 44:1; cf. Lev. R. 13:3. What does the Holy One care whether one ritually slaughters cattle and eats < the meat > or whether one slaughters cattle by stabbing and eats it? Will some such thing benefit him (i.e., the Holy One) or harm him? Or what does he care whether one eats what is unclean or eats what is clean? It is simply that (according to Prov. 9:12) IF YOU ARE WISE, YOU ARE WISE FOR YOURSELF; [AND IF YOU SCOFF, YOU WILL BEAR IT ALONE]. Thus, the commandments were given only to purify (rt.: TsRP) [mortals] through them, as stated (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. [18:31 [30], cont.): THE WORD OF THE LORD IS PURE (rt.: TsRP). Why? So that he might be a shield over you, [as stated] (ibid., cont.): HE IS A SHIELD FOR ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM. Ergo (in Lev. 11:2:) THESE ARE THE CREATURES THAT YOU MAY EAT.

Job said (in Job 14:4): WHO CAN PRODUCE SOMETHING CLEAN OUT OF SOMETHING UNCLEAN? NO ONE. After the Holy One permitted the cow and forbade the camel, who could declare clean or declare unclean?⁵⁶Tanh., Lev. 3:8. Who has done so? No one. Not a single person in the world. Come and see: Originally at the creation of the world, everything was permitted, as stated (in Gen. 9:3): AS WITH THE GREEN GRASS, I HAVE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING. Then after Israel stood by Mount Sinai, he increased Torah and commandments for them in order to give them a good reward. But if so, why did he not so command the first Adam? The Holy One said: When I ordained an easy commandment for him, he transgressed against it. How could he fulfill all these commandments? On the very day on which it was commanded, on that day he nullified and transgressed against them (sic).⁵⁷Cf. the parallel in Tanh., Lev. 3:8, which reads here: “Transgressed against it.” He was unable to remain obedient to the command for a single day. How < did his disobedience happen >?⁵⁸Cf. the traditional Tanhuma, which reads: “How did the Holy One create the human?” R. Judah ben Pedayah said: Twelve hours make up the day. In the first hour the first Adam arose in the thought of the Holy One < with a view > to creation.⁵⁹PRK 23:1; PR 46:2; M. Pss. 92:3; Lev. R. 29:1; cf. Sanh. 38b; ARN, A, 1; PRE 11. In the second he consulted with the ministering angels. In the third he gathered his dust. In the fourth he kneaded him. In the fifth he shaped him. In the sixth he stood him up as a golem. In the seventh he blew breath into him, as stated (in Gen. 2:7): AND HE BLEW INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE. In the eighth he brought him into the Garden of Eden. In the ninth he commanded him: Eat of this, and do not eat of that. In the tenth he sinned. In the eleventh he was judged. In the twelfth he was expelled. Thus you must conclude that he did not remain obedient to the commandment for even a single hour. R. Judah ben Pedayah said: Would that someone remove the dust from your eyes, O First Adam, you who could not persevere in your temptation for even a single hour, while here your children are keeping all the commandments which were given to them and persevering in them!⁶⁰Gen. R. 21:7; cf. Lev. R. 25:2. One of them rises to plant, till, weed, prune, take pains to irrigate, and see the fruits of his plantings when they produce first fruits. Then he folds his hands and does not taste them, in order to fulfill what is stated (in Lev. 19:23): THREE YEARS < IT SHALL BE] FORBIDDEN [TO YOU]…. But in the case of the first Adam, it was told him: Eat of this, and do not eat of that. [It is so stated (in Gen. 2:16–17): YOU MAY FREELY EAT OF ANY TREE IN THE GARDEN; BUT AS FOR THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE < OF GOOD AND EVIL, YOU MAY NOT EAT OF IT >…. ] He did not remain obedient to the commandment for a single hour. [Instead (according to Gen. 3:6), THEN SHE ALSO GAVE SOME TO HER HUSBAND, AND HE ATE.] But [when] your children were commanded to eat this and not to eat that, [they remained obedient to those < commandments >]. And < this obedience is > especially < evident > when someone from Israel takes a bovine, an ox, or a lamb, slaughters it ritually, skins it, washes it, and inspects its health. When it is found to be unfit, he holds back and does not eat it. Ergo (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31 [30], cont.): THE WORD OF THE LORD IS PURE. [For that reason, the first Adam was not given commandments, because it was revealed to the Holy One that he could not remain obedient to them; but in the case of Israel, when the Holy One gave them many commandments, they accepted them and said (in Exod. 24:7): ALL THAT THE LORD HAS SPOKEN WE WILL CARRY OUT AND OBEY. He therefore warned them (in Lev. 11:2–4:) THESE ARE THE CREATURES THAT YOU MAY EAT…. THESE, HOWEVER, YOU MAY NOT EAT.]

Another reading: "When you raise up". You see that Moshe struggled [nitkasha] with the design of the Menorah more than all the other vessels of the Mishkan [Tabernacle], until the Holy One Who is Blessed showed him with a finger. Similarly with the hoofs of impure and pure animals, as it says, "These are the animals which you shall eat" (Vayikra 11:4), these are the ones which you shall not eat, and showed him with a finger. Similarly with the moon, "this month is for you" (Shmot 12:2). Similarly with the Menorah, "This is how the Menorah was made: it was hammered work [miksha] of gold" (Bemidbar 8:4), which is to say how hard [kasha] it is to make, since Moshe became weary on account of it. When he struggled, The Holy One Who is Blessed said to Moshe: take a talent of gold and throw it in the fire and take it out, and it will be formed on its own, as it says, "its cups, calyxes, and petals were of one piece with it [lit: came out from it]" (Shmot 37:17) - he would strike it with a hammer and it would be made on its own. Therefore it says "it will be made [te'aseh] of hammered work" (Shmot 25:31) written with a [Hebrew letter] "yod" and not written "you will make [ta'aseh]", that is to say it will be made on its own. Moshe took the talent [of gold] and threw it in the fire. Moshe said, "Master of the Universe, behold the talent is in the fire. Whatever you wish - so shall it be done." The Menorah immediately came out made according to its design, thus it is written, "According to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses..." (Bemidbar 8:4). It is not written here "so did Moses make the Menorah," rather "so was the Menorah made." And who made it? The Holy One Who is Blessed. Therefore the Holy One Who is Blessed said to Moshe: If you are careful to light [it] before me, I will protect your souls from every evil thing, since souls are compared to a candle, as it says. "the candle of Adonai is the soul of a person" (Proverbs 20:27) and it says, "When you raise up the candles)" (Bemidbar 8:2)

Whence do we derive that a beast is in the category of "animal"? From (Vayikra 11:2) "This is the animal that you shall eat from all of the beasts" — whence it is derived that an animal is called a beast, and a beast, an animal.