Pisqa’ 100¹

1

“This is the cattle (behemah) which you shall eat:

the ox, the lamb of the sheep, and the lamb of the goats,

the ram, the deer, the gazelle, the wild goat, the ibex,

the antelope, the mountain sheep” (Dt.14:4-5).

This teaches that

wild cattle (khayah) [such as rams] share a common rubric

with [domesticated] cattle (behemah).

On what basis do we know that

[domesticated] cattle share a common rubric

with wild cattle?

The Teaching states:

“This is the wild cattle which you shall eat among all the cattle which are on the earth” (Lv.11:2).

This teaches that

wild cattle may be called cattle

and [domesticated] cattle may be called wild cattle.²

 This teaches [also] that

                           [the species of] unclean cattle out-number [those of] clean cattle.

For in all cases, 

 Scripture enumerates the smaller

                                           [category before enumerating the larger],³

as it is said:

   “This is the cattle you shall eat: the ox . . the ram, . . . the antelope” (Dt.14:4-5).

R. Yose says:

 this “antelope” is in fact a wild ox.⁴

1. H:146-147; JN1:257.
2. Sifra, shemini, par. 2:8.
3. Cf. Pisqa’ 103.4
4. Cf. T. Kil.1:9.