Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lisbeth S. Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>]

My son has started reading the bible
(miracle of miracles) and told me that
ostriches were not kosher. Sure enough
according to the English translation of Lev. 11:16
they are not. But I was served ostrich in Israel and
was told it was kosher. So, was I Iied to in Israel
(that restaurant also served escargot and other
strange things)? or had the rabbis decided that
the animal which we translate as "ostrich" is not the
ostrich afterall? It is bat haya(anah in Hebrew. According
to the BDB, this is the only occurrence.
Liz Fried