Main Text
English Translation
He warned us against eating any kind of creeping creature (sheretz) whatsoever, without distinction—whether a flying creeping creature, an aquatic creeping creature, or a land creeping creature. This is His, exalted be He, statement:
“Do not make yourselves abominable with any creeping creature” (Leviticus 11:43).
This is an independent negative commandment, and one receives lashes for violating it. It is comparable to a general prohibition.
Therefore, one who eats anything from a land sheretz receives two sets of lashes: one for violating, “Every creeping creature that creeps upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten,” and one for violating, “Do not make yourselves abominable.”
One who eats a flying sheretz likewise receives two sets of lashes: one because of, “Every flying sheretz is impure for you; they shall not be eaten,” and one because of, “Do not make yourselves abominable.”
If one eats a living creature that both flies and walks upon the earth, so that it qualifies as both a flying sheretz and a land sheretz, he is liable for four sets of lashes.
And if, in addition, it is also an aquatic sheretz, he is liable for six sets of lashes: the fifth because it is an unclean fish, concerning which it says, “You shall not eat of their flesh”; and the sixth because of “Do not make yourselves abominable,” since that prohibition also includes aquatic sheratzim.
For we have no Scriptural verse prohibiting an aquatic sheretz other than:
“Do not make yourselves abominable with any creeping creature that creeps.”
Regarding these sheratzim, they said in the Gemara, Makkot 16b:
“If one ate a putita, he receives four sets of lashes; an ant, five; a hornet, six.”
This is the interpretation given by everyone whom I have heard explain this statement, or whose written explanation I have seen, regarding the passage, “If one ate a putita, etc.”
But this interpretation is incorrect. It cannot be maintained or made coherent except by contradicting the true principles that have been demonstratively established in the language of the Talmud.
For when you examine what we have explained above, you will find that according to their interpretation they have imposed three sets of lashes for a single negative commandment, namely “Do not make yourselves abominable.”
But the invalidity of this has already been established: under no circumstances does one receive two sets of lashes for a single negative commandment, as is explained in Chullin.
We have already stated this principle in Principle Nine, and explained it several times. I will bring you analogous examples later.