Derasha 110 on Vayikra 11:8

TT #110 · Parshas Shemini · Aliyah 5 · Passuk 8

The Complete Passuk

מִבְּשָׂרָם֙ לֹ֣א תֹאכֵ֔לוּ וּבְנִבְלָתָ֖ם לֹ֣א תִגָּ֑עוּ טְמֵאִ֥ים הֵ֖ם לָכֶֽם:

Chabad.org — Vayikra Chapter 11 with Rashi

English: You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are impure for you.

Source Citation

Sifra (Toras Kohanim), Shemini, Chapter 3.

Sefaria — Sifra, Shemini, Chapter 3

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text

טְמֵאִים. תַּנְיָא, טְמֵאִים – מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמִּצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה.

Type of Learning

Aggregation — The plural “impure” teaches that the prohibited animals can combine with one another for the relevant measure of impurity.

What Is Learned

The plural טמאים teaches that the prohibited substances can combine for the relevant measure rather than being treated as wholly separate prohibitions.