Kilayim, chapter 8, mishnah 6. Before we turn to the words of the mishnah, we need to clarify the halachic difference between a behemah (domesticated animal) and a chayah (wild animal) - a distinction that applies even to a kosher animal, of a pure species, whose halachah nevertheless changes depending on whether it is classified as a behemah or a chayah.
The halachic difference between a behemah and a chayah:
Cheilev (forbidden fat): Certain types of fat in a behemah are forbidden to eat, whereas the fat of a chayah is permitted. Those very same fats are permitted in a deer and forbidden in a cow.
Covering the blood: A chayah is like a bird in this respect, in that after it is slaughtered there is a mitzvah to cover the blood; with a behemah there is no such mitzvah. One who slaughters a cow does not cover the blood, while one who slaughters a deer does cover the blood.
The "shor bar" (wild ox):
The mishnah opens: "Shor bar - min behemah" - the wild ox is a species of behemah. According to the first opinion its halachah is that of a behemah and not a chayah, and therefore its fat is forbidden to eat and its blood need not be covered. "V'Rabbi Yosei omer: min chayah" - Rabbi Yosei says it is a species of chayah; in his view its halachah is that of a chayah, and therefore its blood must be covered and its fat is permitted to eat.
"Kelev - min chayah":
The mishnah continues and rules that a dog is a species of chayah and not a behemah. At first glance we should ask: what practical difference does this make? A dog is not fit for eating at all, so the laws of forbidden fat and covering the blood do not apply to it.
The commentators explain that the practical difference is for the laws of sales, cherem and konam - that is, matters of transferring ownership and consecration. If a person says to his friend, "I have sold you all the chayos in my possession," or he consecrates all the chayos in his possession, that statement takes effect to transfer ownership of them. The question therefore arises as to what is included in the category of chayah and what is included in the category of behemah, and on this the Tannaim disagree.
These are the details the mishnah lists:
"Kelev - min chayah" - a dog is a species of chayah; this is the opinion of the first Tanna. "Rabbi Meir omer: min behemah" - Rabbi Meir says it is a species of behemah; the dog is considered a domesticated animal, and its halachah is that of a behemah.
"HaChazir - min behemah" - the pig is a species of behemah, a type of domesticated animal, and here too the matter is relevant to the laws of sales, cherem and konam.
"Arod - min chayah" - the arod is the wild donkey, and its halachah is that of a wild animal.
"HaPil v'hakof - min chayah" - the elephant and the monkey are a species of chayah; these too are considered wild animals.
"V'adam mutar im kulam":
The mishnah concludes with an important halachah in the laws of forbidden animal pairings: "V'adam mutar im kulam lacharosh v'limshoch" - a person is permitted together with all of them to plow and to pull. A person may work together with any of these behemos and chayos to pull a wagon or a device, to plow and pull a plow, to lead and to be led, in any type of activity together with an animal of any species whatsoever. The entire prohibition of forbidden animal pairings was stated regarding one behemah or chayah together with another, and it does not apply when a person is the other party, since a human being is not included in the category of forbidden animal pairings.
In summary: In this mishnah we learned the distinction between a behemah and a chayah, which is relevant to the prohibition of forbidden fat and to the mitzvah of covering the blood, and the disputes of the Tannaim regarding the classification of various species: the wild ox (a behemah, and according to Rabbi Yosei a chayah), the dog (a chayah, and according to Rabbi Meir a behemah), the pig (a behemah), and the arod, the elephant and the monkey (a chayah) - a classification that is also relevant to the laws of sales, cherem and konam. We also learned that a person may work together with any species at all, since the prohibition of forbidden animal pairings was stated only with regard to animals paired with one another.
In the next section we will continue with the following mishnayos.