Daf HaYomi B'Halacha Daily Email

Kissui hadam

There is a mitzvah in the Torah to cover the blood of a shechted bird or chayah (non-domesticated animal, such as a deer) . The procedure of this mitzvah is as follows: A layer of dirt should be placed on the floor beneath the area in which the shechitah will take place. After the blood spills on the prepared layer of dirt, a covering of dirt or ash should be placed on top of the blood. The covering should be done by hand, and not by kicking the dirt or ash onto the blood. Doing so by foot would be a degradation of the mitzvah. If the spilled blood did not fall onto the prepared dirt, a bit of blood should be placed on the dirt and then covered. If the blood already dried, it should be scraped off the ground in order to fulfill the mitzvah.

[ שו"ע תצח, יד, משנ"ב סט-ע, וביה"ל ד"ה הוא; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 70 ו־75]

Shechting without preparing dirt

It is forbidden to perform a shechitah if a person does not have access to the material that is necessary for the fulfillment of the mitzvah of kissui hadam. This is in contrast to the mitzvah of wearing tzitzis. In the case of tzitzis, a person who does not have the ability to procure tzitzis strings may wear a four-cornered garment without tzitzis. The Achronim explain the difference between these two mitzvos. The mitzvah of kissui hadam is the culmination of the mitzvah of shechitah. One may not go ahead and begin the mitzvah of shechitah knowing that he will be unable to complete it. Furthermore, covering the blood is a one-time opportunity dependent on a particular shechitah. It cannot be performed later with the blood of that animal. In contrast, if a person is unable to wear tzitzis at a certain time, it is still possible for him to affix tzitzis strings to the same garment at a later time.

[ ביאורים ומוספים דרשו תצח, 68 ;וראה עוד שם]

Grinding clumps of dirt

The melachah of tochein (grinding) applies only to gedulei karka (items which grow from the ground). Items such as meat and eggs are not subject to this melachah. Nonetheless, grinding down a clump of dirt is forbidden. Some poskim explain that this is because dirt is considered to be “grown from the ground”. Others explain that although dirt is not classified as gedulei karka, one is still liable for grinding a clump of dirt because this act may have been necessary for the building of the mishkan. Labor which was necessary for the mishkan is forbidden on Shabbos.

[ משנ"ב תצח, ע; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 69]

The melachah of gozeiz (shearing wool from a living or dead animal) is forbidden on both Shabbos and Yom Tov. Mid’oraisa, it is only forbidden when shearing with a utensil; removing the hair by hand is forbidden mid’rabonon.

Plucking the feathers of a bird (whether it is alive or dead) is a toldah of the melachah of gozeiz. The melachah is transgressed even when the feathers are removed by hand, since that is the standard way of removal.

Food preparation (that entails melachah) for a non-Jew is forbidden on Yom Tov. The poskim disagree about whether this prohibition applies to food that is owned by a non-Jew but is being prepared on a Jew’s behalf.

Digging holes on Shabbos and Yom Tov

Designating a pile of dirt

Using dirt for an unintended purpose

PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.