Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Chullin 37: מְסוּכֶּנֶת מִמַּאי דְּשַׁרְיָא?

jyungar June 6, 2026

For the source text click/tap here: Chullin 37

To download, click/tap here: PDF

Generally speaking, only healthy animals can be slaughtered for kosher food. Thus, a tereifa – an animal that has a terminal condition – cannot be used. Nevertheless, if an animal is merely a mesukenet – it is ill – and its owner wants to slaughter it so that he can benefit from its meat, the Mishna teaches that such sheḥita would be kosher, assuming that the animal shows a sign of vitality when killed.

According to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel this would require movement of the animal’s limbs; according to Rabbi Eliezer, it is enough if blood spurted out at the time of sheḥita.

We explore the concept of pirchus and the legal definition of brain stem death in Halacha and common English law with an eye on the NY controversy.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​