Reeh 14:09 · EXTRA 1

EXTRA · Parashas Reeh · Fourth Aliyah · Passuk 14:09

Supplementary classical material for a passuk with no Torah Temimah citation.

The Complete Passuk

אֶת־זֶה תֹּאכְלוּ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בַּמָּיִם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ סְנַפִּיר וְקַשְׂקֶשֶׂת תֹּאכֵלוּ׃

These you may eat of all that are in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat.

Chabad.org — 14:09

Source Citation

Classical source: Niddah 51b / Chullin.

Sefaria — Niddah 51b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
כָּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת יֵשׁ לוֹ סְנַפִּיר, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ סְנַפִּיר וְאֵין לוֹ קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת.

English: Whatever has scales has fins, but there are some that have fins and do not have scales.

On the daf / in context: The Gemara records the empirical rule that scales imply fins, so that in practice the presence of scales is the decisive sign of a clean fish.

Type of Learning

Empirical rule tied to the verse (Niddah / Chullin) — the Torah’s two signs are reduced in practice by observed correlation.

What Is Learned

Any fish that possesses scales is kosher; the absence of scales (even if fins are present) renders it unclean.