[Avodah] Rambam Hilchot Kiddush Hachodesh -- on "min"

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 09:16:44AM -0500, hankman via Avodah wrote:
: R. Micha Berger wrote:
:> Ironically, defining a "min" is not settled halakhah either.

: If I am not mistaken the modern secular definition of "species" is based
: on whether the populations can interbreed or not. Do we know with any
: certainty that the Torah rejects this criteria as a determinant of "min"?

For kelayim for animals, we use the same criterion -- can produce
fertile young.

For kelayim for plants (including kerem) we use an experiential measure:
same name and visually similar.

The dispute I referred to after the line you quoted isn't about kelayim,
but ofos tehoros. When chickens are deemed kosher, does that include
breeds that don't have the usually secondary signs. What if a leghorn
chicken didn't shift its toe placement once comfortable? They could still
interpreed with other chickens, but would they have been presumed to be
included in the mesorah that chicken is kosher? The discussion appears
to be "no", since we do rely on the toe shift.

And the Braekel chicken? It doesn't even have the rei'usa of being
occasionally doreis-footed. And yet R Moshe Sternbuch prohibits. (I
think that prohibition is only possible because of a gap in knowledge
of history, but that's not our question right now.) Agree or not about
the metzi'us, clearly the definition of halachic category isn't settled.

So, maybe only in the context of kelayim of chai (as opposed to tzomeiach)
does min == species. In other contexts, it appears not to be settled
halakhah.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
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