Commentaire sur Kil'ayim 1:6
הַזְּאֵב וְהַכֶּלֶב, כֶּלֶב הַכֻּפְרִי וְהַשּׁוּעָל, הָעִזִּים וְהַצְּבָאִים, הַיְּעֵלִים וְהָרְחֵלִים, הַסּוּס וְהַפֶּרֶד, הַפֶּרֶד וְהַחֲמוֹר, הַחֲמוֹר וְהֶעָרוֹד, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁדּוֹמִין זֶה לָזֶה, כִּלְאַיִם זֶה בָזֶה:
Le loup et le chien, le chien du village [élevé par les villageois] et le renard, les chèvres et les cerfs, les chèvres de montagne et les brebis, le cheval et le mulet, le mulet et l'âne, l'âne et l'âne sauvage, bien qu'ils soient similaires l'un à l'autre, ils sont kilayim l' un avec l'autre.
English Explanation of Mishnah Kilayim
A wolf and a dog, a wild dog and a fox, a goat and a deer, a gazelle and a ewe-lamb, a horse and a mule, or a mule and a donkey, a donkey and a wild donkey, even though they are similar one to the other, constitute nevertheless, kilayim one with the other.
This is the final mishnah which lists species that are close to one another and yet nevertheless still constitute kilayim. This time the mishnah deals with animals, which means that they may not be cross-bred, nor may they be yoked together or put together to perform any labor. The mishnah will discuss these prohibitions in greater depth in chapter 8:1-2.
I realize that some of these species cannot successfully cross-breed, and some are not domesticated and therefore don’t perform work. It seems that the rabbis were theoretically interested in categorizing animals, even if there was no likely halakhic ramification. This may be as close as the mishnah gets to a “zoological” work, such as may have been written by ancient scientists like Aristotle.
This is the final mishnah which lists species that are close to one another and yet nevertheless still constitute kilayim. This time the mishnah deals with animals, which means that they may not be cross-bred, nor may they be yoked together or put together to perform any labor. The mishnah will discuss these prohibitions in greater depth in chapter 8:1-2.
I realize that some of these species cannot successfully cross-breed, and some are not domesticated and therefore don’t perform work. It seems that the rabbis were theoretically interested in categorizing animals, even if there was no likely halakhic ramification. This may be as close as the mishnah gets to a “zoological” work, such as may have been written by ancient scientists like Aristotle.
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