How can the Melocho of Tzad צד – Trapping – apply to the Murex?

The first of the above statements indicates that one who catches a חלזון is culpable for having transgressed the Melocho of צידה . Some understand the second of the above statements to mean, that any animal that can be caught in one lunge is considered already trapped and is not subject to צידה . Some have argued that since a snail can be easily caught, the חלזון could not have been a snail and must have been a fast-moving creature.

Firstly, it must be stressed, that numerous Rishonim cited above on page 14 define a חלזון as a snail. Hence, they must hold that Tzod applies to a snail, as the first Gemara above says so explicitly. In fact, the second Gemara is saying that Tzod does not apply to an animal that is already trapped in an enclosure. The Gemara defines being “trapped in an enclosure” as being a small enough enclosure that the animal “can be caught in one lunge”. This does not at all imply that a slow-moving animal is never subject to Tzod.

There is another Gemara that would seem to indicate that Tzod does not apply to slow-moving creatures: שבת )קו ע”ב( ” תנו רבנן: הצד צבי סומא וישן – חייב, חיגר וזקן וחולה – פטור. אמר ליה אביי לרב יוסף: מאי שנא הני ומאי שנא הני? – הני – עבידי לרבויי, הני – לא עבידי לרבויי. – והתניא: חולה – חייב! אמר רב ששת: לא קשיא, הא – בחולה מחמת אישתא, הא – בחולה מחמת אובצנא… תניא אידך: הצד חגבים בשעת הטל – פטור )רש”י: עיניהם מתעוורות, והרי הן ניצודין ועומדין(, בשעת השרב – חייב.” Shabbos (106a): “Our Rabbis taught: One who catches a blind or sleeping deer is liable; a lame, old or sick one is not liable…” The above statements in the Gemara indicate that when an animal is immobilized by some circumstance (such as disability or illness), the Melocho of צד does not apply, since the animal is considered to be already trapped. Some understand from this, that the Melocho of צד may not apply to some slow moving creatures. If so, how can the Gemara say that there is culpability for צד regarding the ?חלזון

If the trapping requires תחבולות – (i.e. planning and skill) in order to catch the creature it is defined by the Gemara and Shulchan Aruch as :צד

ביצה )כד ע”א( “היכי דמי מחוסר צידה? – אמר רב יוסף אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: כל שאומר הבא מצודה ונצודנו.”

רש”י: “הבא מצודה – כלומר: שצריך לבקש תחבולות לתפשו”.

Beitza (24a): What is considered requiring trapping? Said Rav Yosef in the name of Rav Yehuda in the name of Shmuel: Whenever one says, “Bring a trap to trap it”,

Rashi: “Meaning, one needs to search out schemes to catch it”

שו”ע )או”ח תצז, ז( “שאר כל חיה ועוף שמחוסרים צידה, שצריך לומר הבא מצודה ונצודנו, אסור לצודן וליתן לפניהם מזונות; וכל שאין מחוסרים צידה, מותר לצודם וליתן לפניהם מזונות.”

Shulchan Aruch: “Other animals and fowl that need to be trapped, that one needs to say “Bring a trap to trap it”, are forbidden to be trapped and to feed them…”

The Murex snail is caught with a special technique that would certainly qualify as צידה . The snails are caught by lowering nets into the sea with bait. The snails attach to the bait and become trapped in specialized nets. This is attested to by Pliny and others:

“Purpurae are taken with a kind of osier kipe of small size, and with meshes 187; these are cast into the sea, and in them cockles are put as a bait, that close the shell in an instant, and snap at an object, just as we see mussels do.” 188

“Historical sources, such as Aristotle and Pliny, described a method of catching muricid gastropods (namely H. trunculus and B. brandaris) using baited wicker baskets for subsequent extraction of the purple dye (Spanier and Karmon, 1987). Presently, both H. trunculus and B. brandaris are commercially valuable species in several Mediterranean countries (Poppe and Goto, 1991; Houart, 2001), traditionally fished for human consumption by using diverse types of artisanal fishing gears (e.g. pots, basket traps, dredges, scoop nets, trawl nets, gill nets and trammel nets) (Gaillard, 1987; Martín et al., 1995).”189

Furthermore, many contemporary Poskim point out, that this Gemara speaks about a creature that is only temporarily immobile. In that case, the Melocho of Tzod does not apply, since it is considered already trapped by the illness or condition that restricts its normal mobility. An animal that always naturally moves slowly, is not considered perpetually trapped, and is therefore subject to 190 .צד

In fact, the Mishnah states that all eight creatures classified as שרצים in the Torah are subject to צד . One of the eight is the חומט , which many Rishonim translate as a snail (see discussion on page 17). Hence, all of these Rishonim understood that a snail is subject to צידה 191 .מדאורייתא As such, Rashi and Rabbeinu Yerucham include worms and snails in the list of animals that one is liable for צד , despite their slow moving nature 192.

Of note, is that the Yerushalmi (as understood by Tosfos) cites an opinion that there is no צד for a 193 .חלזון Perhaps the point of contention surrounds the above discussion. In any case, Tosfos must have understood that we are not speaking about a regular fast moving creature (such as a fish), since in such a case, there would not be any doubt that one who catches it is culpable for .צד

Bottom Line: The Melocho of צידה definitely applies to the Murex and other slow moving creatures, certainly those that are caught with specialized nets and baskets.

The Murex burrows in seabeds, requiring baited nets and traps in antiquity. This satisfies halachic trapping definitions.
Source: “Ha-Zad Hillazon,” pp. 51–71

Dr. Israel Ziderman in turn has claimed multiple times that he discovered that “sea” referred to sea bed, which is referenced in two places in Tanach:

Chavakuk (Habakkuk) 2:14

ידכִּי תִּמָּלֵ֣א הָאָ֔רֶץ לָדַ֖עַת אֶת־כְּב֣וֹד יְהֹוָ֑ה כַּמַּ֖יִם יְכַסּ֥וּ עַל־יָֽם:

For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord-as the water covers the seabed.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) – 11:9

טלֹֽא־יָרֵ֥עוּ וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ בְּכָל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֑י כִּֽי־מָֽלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה כַּמַּ֖יִם לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽים:

They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the seabed.

One who traps a chilazon [on Shabbos] transgresses the melachah of tzad. This cannot apply to a snail (Rav Moshe Heinemann & others)

Rav Elyashiv disagrees with Rabbi Heineman and has paskened numerous times that it is assur to catch a slow-moving animal on Shabbos (עי’ אורחות שבת פי”ד הע’ כא שלמי ניסן קונטרס הצד ב ‘ ג’ הלכות שבת בשבת צידה אות ב’ ). There are numerous proofs to Rav Elyashiv’s position from the Rishonim, including Rashi who says that it is assur to catch a land snail on Shabbos.

Tosafos appears to be unsure what the Chilazon was when he described thrashing, since he ends off writing that it’s a Tzarich Iyun in that from the Yerushalmi’s description, a Chilazon wouldn’t be liable for Tzad! To be clear, land snails wouldn’t be under this chiyuv as they’re on land. Sea snails though are different due to where they live and the quantity required to make a dye.