Noach 7:8 · unit 2

TT #20 · Parashas Noach · Second Aliyah · Passuk 7:8

The Complete Passuk

מִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ הַטְּהוֹרָ֔ה וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֖נָּה טְהֹרָ֑ה וּמִ֨ן־הָע֔וֹף וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־רֹמֵ֖שׂ עַל־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃

Of the pure animals, and of the animals that are not pure, and of the birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground…

Chabad.org — 7:8

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Pesachim 3a (R’ Yehoshua ben Levi — avoid unclean language).

Sefaria — Pesachim 3a

E-Daf image — Pesachim 3a (size=3)

Shas / HebrewBooks PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנָּה טְהֹרָה — אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: לְעוֹלָם אַל יוֹצִיא אָדָם דָּבָר מְגֻנֶּה מִפִּיו, שֶׁהֲרֵי עִקֵּם הַכָּתוּב שְׁמוֹנֶה אוֹתִיּוֹת וְלֹא הוֹצִיא דָּבָר מְגֻנֶּה מִפִּיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״מִן הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וּמִן הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנָּה טְהֹרָה״.

English: “That are not pure” — R’ Yehoshua ben Levi said: A person should never utter an unclean expression from his mouth, for Scripture twisted eight letters rather than utter an unclean expression, as it is said “of the pure animal and of the animal that is not pure” (instead of simply “the impure animal”).

On the daf / in context: The longer circumlocution “asher einennah tehorah” is preferred over the shorter “teme’ah.” The Torah itself models refined speech even when referring to the impure category.

Type of Learning

Custom (lesson in refined speech drawn from the Torah’s own circumlocution).

What Is Learned

One should avoid unclean language; the Torah itself lengthens the phrase rather than say “teme’ah.”