1. שאילות regarding מקצת סימנים of the mother (e.g., פרה שילדה מין חמור)

The previous Daf quoted a Mishnah that if an ewe’s firstborn resembles a goat, but has partial features of its mother, it is subject to bechor status. Three questions are posed about the extent of this ruling: (1) פרה שילדה מין חמור – if a cow bore a firstborn resembling a donkey, ויש בו מקצת סימנין – and it has partial features of its mother, what is its halachah? Although a רחל’s firstborn which resembles a goat (but shares partial features of its mother) has bechor status, that may be because both the mother’s species and the species the bechor resembles are kosher animals, and the bechor of both species have קדושת הגוף. Here, however, the offspring resembles a nonkosher animal, whose bechor has only קדושת דמים. (2) What if a donkey’s offspring resembles a horse (and shares partial features of its mother)? Here, the resembled species is not subject to bechor laws at all; on the other hand, both it and the mother’s species are non-kosher animals. (3) What if a cow’s offspring resembles a horse (and shares partial features of its mother)? Here, the two species are not similar in any respect. Or, do we sayסימנין מילתא היא – features similar to the mother are significant on their own?

1. Eating offspring of a kosher animal which resemble a nonkosher animal

The Mishnah on the previous Daf taught: בהמה טהורה שילדה כמין בהמה טמאה – if a kosher animal bore offspring resembling a nonkosher animal, it is permitted in consumption, but if a nonkosher animal’s offspring resembles a kosher animal, it is forbidden in consumption, שהיוצא מן הטמא טמא – because a product of something nonkosher is nonkosher, והיוצא מן הטהור טהור – and a product of something kosher is kosher. [This principle is presented here as a siman to avoid confusing the two rulings.] The first ruling is derived from "גמל...טמא הוא" – camel…it is nonkosher, teaching that הוא טמא – only it (an actual camel) is nonkosher, ואין טמא הנולד מן הטהור טמא אלא טהור – but a “nonkosher” animal born from a kosher animal is not nonkosher; rather, it is kosher. Rebbe Shimon prohibits this animal, because the Torah mentions "גמל" twice: one refers to a camel born from a camel, and the other to a “camel” born from a cow.

1. A derashah is necessary to prohibit milk of nonkosher animals

The Tannaim derive from derashos that the milk of camels (i.e., nonkosher animals) is forbidden for consumption. The Gemara asks why this is necessary, since it should presumably be included in the derashah "הטמאים" – the nonkosher ones, which teaches לאסור צירן ורוטבן וקיפה שלהן – to prohibit their brine, their gravy, and their sediment (i.e., anything produced by nonkosher animals)!? The Gemara explains that the permissibility of milk of a kosher animal itself is a novelty. According to one opinion, דם נעכר ונעשה חלב – blood thickens and becomes milk, and logically should have been prohibited like blood. Even according to the opinion that milk does not originate from blood, it should have been prohibited like אבר מן החי – a limb taken from a live animal. Since the permissibility of even milk of a kosher animal is a novelty, one could have thought that even milk of a nonkosher animal is permitted. Therefore, a derashah is necessary to prohibit it. [The Gemara proceeds to prove from the Torah that milk of a kosher animal is permitted in consumption.]