Pesachim 23a, b

Let's begin with a few important facts:

• an orla fruit is one that comes from a tree in Israel that is intended to be a fruit tree and is less than 3 years old.  We are not permitted to eat orla fruits.
• we can establish an eiruv with wine for a nazirite even though the s/he cannot drink it
• we can establish an eiruv for an Israelite with terumah even thought s/he cannot consume it

Today's daf moves us deep into an argument between Chiskiya and Rabbi Abbahu.  They agree that we cannot benefit from leavened bread on Pesach.  They disagree about why.  Chiskiya believes that the instruction "it shall not be eaten" refers to both eating and deriving benefit from any part of the food in question.   Rabbi Abbahu believes that the prohibition comes from the Torah's specific permission given to derive benefit from an animal carcass.

The rabbis use many examples to explore this argument.  In addition to the first three examples above, they discuss whether/when non-kosher animals can be sold (ie. we can derive benefit from them) to Gentiles; whether or not we can use (and thus derive benefit) from the fat of animals which have been killed in non-kosher ways.  This discussion goes into great detail.

This argument continues to be relevant today.  Today's daf tells us that one can sell a non-kosher animal killed by accident a fortiori (after the fact).  However, one should not be in that position with any frequency, and thus we cannot for example be a pig farm developer.  I don't know if that is in fact a job, but it certainly isn't an appropriate career path for observant Jews. 

This begs many questions: can I sell leather shoes if those shoes are not products of 'kosher' production?  Can I hire non-Jews to keep my business open on Shabbat?  In Israel today there are shops that are forced to close on Shabbat for fear that they will lose their standing as 'kosher' restaurants.  

When we avoid any benefit from things not explicitly 'kosher' (in the broad sense of the word), our worlds become very small.  Movies, books, conversations -- many of the freedoms enjoyed in the Western world would be (and are) off-limits for some Jews.  Even in antiquity, our Sages interacted with ideas that were not only Jewish.  Many of the terms that I am reading in the Talmud are originally Greek words that have been adapted to Hebrew and/or Aramaic.  Thus our rabbis were exposed to Greek culture - their societies, their laws, likely their religious beliefs.

Again we are introduced to a concept that can encourage extremist behaviour and thought if taken to its edge.  How important it is to talk with each other and to realize that our religions are more similar that they are different.  Yes, Judaism is special. And it is important to delve into that world of thought if we are Jews. But it is also important to know that we are not the only ones who love our traditions, who feel special and chosen, and who enjoy these particular benefits of our religious traditions.