1. Our Gemara continues to submit answers to reconcile the seemingly contradictory rules allowing one to shecht any animal on Yom Tov while prohibiting one to shecht a Koi. (see last week’s notes as to the parameters of this unique animal).

2- Reb Romi suggests the following reason:

 

A Koi, is a sofek chaya sofek behaima. What is the practical difference?  Twofold. A behaima does not require Kisui Hadam but its ‘chailev’ is prohibited. On the other hand a chaya does require Kisui Hadam but the entire animal can be eaten. There is no issur ‘chailev’ with a chaya.

The Chochomim ruled that since a Koi is a sofek we must be accept the stringency of both:  Kisui Hadom is required (perhaps it is a chaya)  and abstain from eating the chailev of the Koi (perhaps it is a behaima).

Now to our issue of shechting a Koi on Yom Tov- allowing one to shecht and cover the blood of  Koi on Yom Tov would send a message that the Chachomim have concluded that the Koi is indeed a ‘Chaya’. For would it still be a sofek, then the Chachomim  would not have allowed the shochet to cover the blood on Yom Tov since there are issues with using earth to cover blood (even when the earth is prepared before Yom Tov). So they ruled not to allow to cover the blood of a Koi on Yom Tov. And since the Koi’s blood cannot be covered the ruling must be to prohibit the shechting!

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3- This Yom Tov rule does not negate the shechting of a Koi on a regular weekday since there is no issue then in covering the Koi’s blood despite it being a sofek, as the labor involved in the covering is not problematic on a weekday.

 

Also mentioned (tosfos d”h Tani) that the Chachamim do in fact have the koach to uproot a mitzvas asseh when to do so one just do nothing (shev v’al taaseh), and also on this point mentioned the Taz  – …the Chachamim cannot completely uproot the mitzva – (you can blow Shofar next year).

4- So we moved on to the next piece which discusses one that shechted Erev Yom Tov and didn’t manage to perform Kisui Hadom until after it became dark. Ditto with one that prepared dough for baking but did not manage to separate a piece of for Challa.

The Gemara states one opinion that in the case of the Challah one is permitted to do it on Yom Tov. But in the case of the Kisui Hadom one may not! We discussed the rationale for this ruling.

5- We once again came across “Avuha di’Shmuel’ – Shmuel’s father. We discussed the story many times. Found this on line. See here in Hebrew.

 

6- We spoke about the Mitzvah of Challah as it is performed today outside Israel. Since it is only MideRabonon one may bake the dough, eat from it and leave a piece at the end for Challah See here !

7- Can one bake it all prior to separating a piece of Challah on Yom Tov? Mentioned the Mordechai that says there is a problem to bake the entire batter on Yom Tov. Why? Because part of it, the Challah, will not be eaten so one may not bake it on Yom Tov. See here.