Derasha 149 on Vayikra 11:23

TT #151 · Parshas Shemini · Aliyah 6 · Passuk 23

The Complete Passuk

וְכֹל שֶׁרֶץ הָעוֹף אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ אַרְבַּע רַגְלָיִם שֶׁקֶץ הוּא לָכֶם:

English: But all other winged swarming things that have four legs shall be an abomination for you.

Sifra (Toras Kohanim), Shemini, Chapter 5.

Sefaria — Sifra, Shemini, Chapter 5

Core Text

שֶׁקֶץ הוּא. הוּא פְּרָט לְעֵרוּבָן, מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ חֲגָבִים טְמֵאִים שֶׁנִּכְבְּשׁוּ עִם חֲגָבִים טְהוֹרִים לֹא פָּסְלוּ אֶת צִירָן.

Textual exclusion — The word “it” excludes mixtures: impure locusts pickled together with pure locusts do not invalidate the pure ones' brine.

The singular “it” limits the prohibition so that the juice of forbidden locusts does not invalidate the permitted mixture in the stated case.