Lizards in Jewish Law and Purity

וְזֶ֤ה לָכֶם֙ הַטָּמֵ֔א בַּשֶּׁ֖רֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ הַחֹ֥לֶד וְהָעַכְבָּ֖ר וְהַצָּ֥ב לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃ וְהָאֲנָקָ֥ה וְהַכֹּ֖חַ וְהַלְּטָאָ֑ה וְהַחֹ֖מֶט וְהַתִּנְשָֽׁמֶת׃

The following shall be impure for you from among the things that swarm on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and great lizards of every variety; the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.

וְעוֹר חֲטוֹטֶרֶת שֶׁל גָּמָל הָרַכָּה, וְעוֹר הָרֹאשׁ שֶׁל עֵגֶל הָרַךְ, וְעוֹר הַפְּרָסוֹת, וְעוֹר בֵּית הַבֹּשֶׁת, וְעוֹר הַשָּׁלִיל, וְעוֹר שֶׁתַּחַת הָאַלְיָה, וְעוֹר הָאֲנָקָה וְהַכֹּחַ וְהַלְּטָאָה וְהַחֹמֶט. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הַלְּטָאָה כַחֻלְדָּה.

אֵלּוּ שֶׁעוֹרוֹתֵיהֶן כִּבְשָׂרָן, עוֹר הָאָדָם, וְעוֹר חֲזִיר שֶׁל יִשּׁוּב. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, אַף עוֹר חֲזִיר הַבָּר. וְעוֹר חֲטוֹטֶרֶת שֶׁל גָּמָל הָרַכָּה, וְעוֹר הָרֹאשׁ שֶׁל עֵגֶל הָרַךְ, וְעוֹר הַפְּרָסוֹת, וְעוֹר בֵּית הַבֹּשֶׁת, וְעוֹר הַשָּׁלִיל, וְעוֹר שֶׁתַּחַת הָאַלְיָה, וְעוֹר הָאֲנָקָה וְהַכֹּחַ וְהַלְּטָאָה וְהַחֹמֶט. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הַלְּטָאָה כַחֻלְדָּה. וְכֻלָּן שֶׁעִבְּדָן אוֹ שֶׁהִלֵּךְ בָּהֶן כְּדֵי עֲבוֹדָה, טְהוֹרִין, חוּץ מֵעוֹר הָאָדָם. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן נוּרִי אוֹמֵר, שְׁמֹנָה שְׁרָצִים יֵשׁ לָהֶן עוֹרוֹת:

These are the entities whose skin has the same halakhic status as their flesh: The skin of a dead person, which imparts impurity like his flesh; and the skin of a domesticated pig, which is soft and eaten by gentiles, and imparts the impurity of an animal carcass like its flesh. Rabbi Yehuda says: Even the skin of a wild boar has the same status. And the halakhic status of the skin of all of the following animals is also like that of their flesh: The skin of the hump of a young camel that did not yet toughen; and the skin of the head of a young calf; and the hide of the hooves; and the skin of the womb; and the skin of an animal fetus in the womb of a slaughtered animal; and the skin beneath the tail of a ewe; and the skin of the gecko [anaka], and the desert monitor [ko’aḥ], and the lizard [leta’a], and the skink [ḥomet], four of the eight creeping animals that impart ritual impurity after death. Rabbi Yehuda says: The halakhic status of the skin of the lizard is like that of the skin of the weasel and is not like that of its flesh. And with regard to all of these skins, in a case where one tanned them or spread them on the ground and trod upon them for the period of time required for tanning, they are no longer classified as flesh and are ritually pure, except for the skin of a person, which maintains the status of flesh. Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri says: All eight creeping animals enumerated in the Torah have skins whose halakhic status is not that of flesh.

וָעוֹר חֲטֶרֶת שֶׁל גָּמָל הָרַכָּה, וְעוֹר הָרֹאשׁ שֶׁל עֵגֶל הָרַךְ, וָעוֹר הַפְּרָסוֹת, וְעוֹר בֵּית הַבּוֹשֶׁת, וָעוֹר הַשְּׁלִיל, וְעוֹר שֶׁל תַּחַת הָאַלְיָה, וָעוֹר הָאֲנָקָה וְהַכֹּחַ וְהַלְּטָאָה וְהַחוֹמֶט. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: הַלְּטָאָה כְּחוּלְדָּה.

And the halakhic status of the skin of all of the following animals is also like that of their flesh: The skin of the hump of a young camel that did not yet toughen; and the skin of the head of a young calf; and the hide of the hooves; and the skin of the womb; and the skin of an animal fetus in the womb of a slaughtered animal; and the skin beneath the tail of a ewe; and the skin of the gecko [anaka], and the desert monitor [ko’aḥ], and the lizard [leta’a], and the skink [ḥomet], four of the eight creeping animals that impart ritual impurity after death. Rabbi Yehuda says: The halakhic status of the skin of the lizard is like that of the skin of the weasel and is not like that of its flesh.

וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁעוֹרוֹתֵיהֶן כִּבְשָׂרָן. עוֹר הָאָדָם וְעוֹר הַחֲזִיר שֶׁל יִשּׁוּב וְעוֹר חֲטוֹטֶרֶת שֶׁל גָּמָל שֶׁלֹּא טָעֲנוּ עָלָיו מַשָּׂא מֵעוֹלָם וְלֹא הִגִּיעַ לְמַשָּׂא שֶׁעֲדַיִן הִיא רַכָּה וְעוֹר בֵּית הַבּשֶׁת וְעוֹר שֶׁתַּחַת הָאַלְיָה וְעוֹר הַשָּׁלִיל וְעוֹר הָאֲנָקָה וְהַכֹּחַ וְהַלְּטָאָה וְהַחֹמֶט. כָּל אֵלּוּ הָעוֹרוֹת כְּשֶׁהֵן רַכּוֹת הֲרֵי הֵן כְּבָשָׂר לְכָל דָּבָר בֵּין לְאִסּוּר אֲכִילָה בֵּין לְטֻמְאָה:

The following [types of] skins are considered like meat: the skin of a human, the skin of a domesticated pig, the skin of a camel's hump upon which a burden has never been loaded, [because] it has not reached the age [to serve as a beast] of burden, for then it is still soft, the skin of genital area, the skin that is below the tail, the skin of a fetus, the skin of the hedgehog, the chameleon, the lizard, the snail. When all of these skins are soft, they are considered like meat with regard to all matters, whether with regard to [liability for] the prohibition against partaking of them or with regard to the laws of ritual purity.

בריה אפילו באלף לא בטיל. ובו ד' סעיפים: בריה דהיינו כגון נמלה או עוף טמא וגיד הנשה ואבר מן החי וביצה שיש בה אפרוח וכיוצא בהם אפי' באלף לא בטלה ואין לו דין בריה אא"כ הוא דבר שהיה בו חיות לאפוקי חטה אחת של איסור וכן צריך שיהא דבר שאסור מתחילת ברייתו לאפוקי עוף טהור שנתנבל ושור הנסקל וכן צריך שיהיה דבר שלם שאם יחלק אין שמו עליו לאפוקי חלב וכן צריך שיהא שלם: הגה ועיקר גיד הנשה אינו אלא על הכף בלבד והוא כרוחב ד' אצבעות ואם הוא שלם מקרי בריה (בארוך כלל כ"ח): ירקות מבושלות שנמצאו בהם ג' תולעים הירקות אסורים אבל מי השלקות מסננן ומותרים וכן הבשר ירחצנו ויבדקנו ומותר:

In a Mixture, a Quantity of Permitted Food a Thousand Times Greater than an Insect Cannot Dissolve It An insect, like a moth, and impure poultry cannot be dissolved by a quantity of permitted foods a thousand times greater; this also includes the sinew, the limb of a living animal, the chick still in the egg. But this law only applies in things which has life, and excluding a grain of wheat; furthermore, the item must be forbidden by its very nature, with the exception of pure poultry that has lost this quality and the stoned ox. The forbidden item must be whole, as in case of disappearance it loses its name, except for the forbidden fat; the animal must be in good condition. GLOSS: The true place of the sinew is on the round of the femur, and its width is about four fingers; if it is intact, it should be considered as animated. When three worms are found in cooked vegetables, they are forbidden; the liquid part is permitted but must be filtered, and the meat is also permitted, provided it is washed and checked for worms.