2,553. A Lung That Changes Its Appearance

Hilchos Shechita 7:14

If a needle is found in a lung, we inflate the lung. If no air leaks from it, it’s obvious that the needle came in through the bronchioles without puncturing them. If the lung was cut open before inflation and a needle is found in it, the animal is prohibited because of the likelihood that the needle punctured the lung when entering.

Hilchos Shechita 7:15

If there’s a worm in a lung that punctured it and emerged, and we see the lung being punctured by the worm, the animal remains permitted because of the presumption that the worm punctured the lung and emerged after the animal was slaughtered. Some appearances disqualify organs so that if the organ changes to one of these, it’s like being punctured; flesh changing to such appearances is tantamount to being dead and not present. Similarly, Leviticus 13:10 says, “there is a patch of living flesh in the blemish” and verse 13:14 says, “on the day when he shows living flesh,” from which we see that flesh of an altered appearance isn’t considered alive.