Chullin 117: The Amount of Meat that Causes Ritual Impurity

Today's daf begins the ninth Perek of Massechet Chullin.  It's topics relate to ritual defilement, which is not the topic of our massechet, but is relevant to issues like ritual slaughter, removing the animal's hide and cutting the animal apart.

• the principal of tuma'at ochlin teaches that all food items that become ritual impure by contact with a dead body can potentially defile other foods the size of an egg bulk
• the Mishna tells us that if the meat is not as large as an egg bulk it can be supplemented by other parts of the animal not normally thought of as food (skin, congealed meat juice, bones, tendons lower section of horns or upper section of hooves)
• In these cases it will be susceptible to ritual defilement and will defile other food and drink

• the principal of tum'at neaeila refers to an animal that was killed by a predator or died without interference.  
• Such animals are ritually defiled and will defile others if it is minimally the size of an olive bulk.
• This meat cannot be supplemented by other parts of an animal to cause it to become ritually defiled and thus able to transfer ritual impurity to others.