Derasha 8 on Vayikra 11:31

TT #174 · Parshas Shemini · Aliyah 5 · Passuk 31

The Complete Passuk

אֵלֶּה הַטְּמֵאִים לָכֶם בְּכָל־הַשָּׁרֶץ כָּל־הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּהֶם בְּמֹתָם יִטְמָא עַד־הָעָרֶב:

Chabad.org — Vayikra Chapter 11 with Rashi

English: These are the impure among the swarming things; whoever touches them when dead shall be impure until evening.

Source Citation

Sifra (Toras Kohanim), Shemini, Chapter 7.

Wikisource — Sifra, Shemini, Chapter 7

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
בָּהֶם בְּמוֹתָם. בָּהֶם – אֲפִלּוּ שְׁחוּטִין, בְּמוֹתָם – וְלֹא בְּחַיֵּיהֶם.

Type of Learning

Textual distinction — The verse's paired expressions distinguish creatures that have died, including slaughtered creatures, from those that are alive.

What Is Learned

The wording includes the listed creatures even when slaughtered, while excluding creatures while still alive from this impurity.