Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk" <Peter_Kirk AT sil.org>]

I guess these restaurants will now claim that a "Dessert owl" (sic!) is
kosher, but only when served with cream or ice cream after the main
course! ;-)

Peter Kirk

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Yigal Levin [mailto:Yigal-Levin AT utc.edu]
> Sent: 12 August 2002 16:20
> To: Biblical Hebrew
> Subject: Re: ostrich?
> 
> Hi Liz,
> 
> As far as I know, the ostrich was not known in the Ancient Near East,
and
> so the "Bat Ya`anah" must be another bird. "Dessert owl" is as good a
> guess
> as any. When the ostrich did become known to Jews, the Rabbis decided
that
> it was not kosher (since Lev. doesn't give clear "signs" for birds,
the
> status of new species has been decided case-by-case. I know of no
Halakhic
> authority who has said otherwise. So my guess is that you were either
lied
> to or made the brunt of a joke in bad taste (excuse the pun). I've had
> restaurateurs try to get me to drink scotch on Passover, claming that
they
> sold only "Kosher for Passover" food. Just one more reason not to eat
in
> "treif" restaurants in Israel.
> In Modern Hebrew, an Ostrich is called "Ya`en", which would be the
> masculine of "Ya`anah". And I'm not sure where this came from, but
while
> experts know that a "Ya`en" is not a "Bat Ya`anah", many people do not
> make
> the distinction.
> 
> 
> Yigal
> 
<snip>