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“This is the law of the beast, and of the fowl” (Leviticus 11:46), indicating that the two are somehow equated. But with regard to what law is a beast equal to a fowl and a fowlequal to a beast?
The halakhot of ritual impurity governing animals and birds are not comparable; an animal transmits impurity by touching and by carrying, whereas a bird does not transmit impurity by touching or by carrying. Furthermore, a bird renders thegarments of one who swallows it ritually impure when it is in the throat; an animal does not render the garments of one who swallows it ritually impure when it is in the throat.
Rabbi Yehudah says: It does contaminate with tumah through the throat. [They also argue regarding the shechitah of an unconsecrated animal which was found to be a tereifah.]
Rabbi Meir explains his viewpoint based upon the following kal vachomer: If the neveilah of an animal, which transmits tumah by contact or carrying, its shechitah purifies a tereifah from its tumah; then, the neveilah of a bird, which does not transmit tumah by contact or carrying, its shechitah should definitely purify a tereifah from its tumah!
And just as we find that its shechitah renders it fit for consumption and purifies a tereifah, so also shall the melikah, which renders it fit for consumption, purifies a tereifah from its tumah.
We explore Tum'at Beit ha-Beli’ah from a halachic perspective as well as the metaphor of the throat and swallowing in literature and analysis.