[Avodah] Is Turkey Kosher?

[Akiva Blum]

> [mailto:avodah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org] On Behalf Of Zev Sero
> Sent: Monday 22 November 2010 5:44 AM
> 
> On 21/11/2010 1:40 PM, Akiva Blum wrote:
> 
> >> Back to Moshe Rabbenu.  That is the premise of the whole 
> business of
> >> requiring a mesorah for birds.
> >
> > Chazal had a system for identifying kosher birds, and it's 
> clear that
> > they actually used it. No mesorah could claim to be older 
> than whatever
> > time the system was still being used.
> 
> Why shouldn't a mesorah be older than that? 

Could be. But you couldn't know that it is. It could have been created
through using the simanim.

 >And if I recall the
> discussion in Eilu Treifos correctly, the system they came up with
> was more descriptive than prescriptive, and was something they derived
> by observing the birds they had a mesorah for. 

>From where do you see that? It's a mishna (chullin 3:6).

  And the opinion that
> no system is good enough, and one needs a mesorah, goes back to their
> day.
> 

A mishna or a braiassa? It's a minhag from the times of the rishonim, based
on a maaseh in the gemorah.

Akiva