‘Males and females, unblemished and blemished animals’: this excludes an animal lacking a limb, which might not [be sacrificed]. For R. Eleazar said: How do we know that [an animal or bird] lacking a limb was forbidden to the children of Noah? (1) Because it says, ‘And of every living thing of all flesh’: (2) the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Noah: Bring [into the Ark] animal[s] whose chief limbs are alive. (3) But perhaps that was to exclude a terefah? — That is inferred from to keep seed alive. (4) That is correct on the view that a Terefah cannot give birth; but on the view that a Terefah can give birth, what can be said? — Surely Scripture said, ‘[to keep them alive] with thee’: [this means] those that are like thee. (5) But perhaps Noah himself was trefah? (6) — ‘Whole’ [Tamim] is written of him.7 Perhaps that means, whole in his ways? (8) — ‘Righteous’ is written of him. (9) But perhaps [it means that he was] whole in his ways and righteous in his actions? — If you should think that Noah himself was Terefah, could the Merciful One say to Noah, Take in [only] such as are like thee, [but] do not take in whole [animals]? (10) Now, since we infer it from ‘with thee’, what is the purpose of ‘to keep seed alive’? — You might think that ‘with thee’ meant merely for companionship, [so they might be] even aged or castrated. Therefore [‘to keep seed alive’] informs us [that it is not so]. [The master said:] ‘Clean, but not unclean’. Were there then clean and unclean [animals] at that time? (11) — Said R. Samuel b. Nahmani in R. Jonathan's name: [It means] of those with which no sin had been committed. (12) How did he [Noah] know? (13) — As R. Hisda said. For R. Hisda said: He led them past the Ark; those which the Ark accepted were certainly clean; those which the Ark rejected were certainly unclean. R. Abbahu said: Scripture saith, ‘And they that went in, went in male and female’: (14) [that means,] that they went in of their own accord. (15) The master said: ‘And all offered burntofferings’. Only burnt-offerings, but not peace-offerings? Surely it is written, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen? (16) — Say rather, all offered burnt-offerings and peaceofferings. But it was taught: But not peaceofferings, save only burnt-offerings? — That is in accordance with the view that the Children of Noah did not offer peaceofferings. (17) For it was stated, R. Eleazar and R. Jose b. Hanina [disagree]. One maintained: The Children of Noah offered peace-offerings; while the other maintained: They did not. What is the reason for the view that the Children of Noah did offer peace-offerings? — Because it is written, And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat [heleb] thereof. (18) What thing is it whose ‘fat’ [heleb] [only] is offered on the altar, but the whole of it is not offered on the altar? Say, that is a peace-offering. What is the reason of the view that the Children of Noah did not offer peaceofferings? — Because it is written, Awake, O north, and come, thou south: (19) [this means,] Awake, O people whose rites [were performed] in the north, and come, O people, whose rites [will henceforth be performed] in the north and the south. (20) But as to this master, surely it is written, ‘of the fat thereof’? — That means, of their fat ones. (21) And as to the other master, surely it is written, ‘Awake, O north [etc.]’? — That refers to the ingathering of the exiles. (22) But surely it is written, And Moses said: ‘Thou must also give into our hands sacrifices [Zebahim] and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God? (23) — [He demanded] Zebahim for food and burntofferings for sacrifice. (24) But surely it is written, And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices unto the Lord? (25) — That was written after the giving of the Torah [Revelation]. (26) That is well on the view that Jethro came after Revelation; but on the view that Jethro came before Revelation, what can be said? For it was stated: The sons of R. Hiyya and R. Joshua b. Levi [disagree]: one [side] maintains: Jethro came before Revelation; while the other maintains: Jethro came after Revelation! — He who maintains that Jethro came before Revelation holds that the Children of Noah sacrificed peaceofferings. This is a controversy of Tannaim: Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard: (27) what news did he hear that he came and turned a proselyte? R. Joshua said: He heard of the battle with the Amalekites, since this is immediately preceded by, (28) And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. (29) R. Eleazar of Modim (30) said: He heard of the giving of the Torah and came. For when the Torah was given to Israel the sound thereof travelled from one end of the earth to the other, and all the heathen kings were seized with trembling in their palaces, and they uttered song, (31) as it is said, And in his place all say: ‘Glory’. (32) They all assembled by the wicked Balaam and asked him: What is this tumultuous noise that we have heard: perhaps a flood is coming upon the world, for it says, The Lord sat enthroned at the flood? — The Lord sitteth as King for ever, he replied: the Holy One, blessed be He, has already sworn that He will not bring [another] flood upon the world. (33) Perhaps, they ventured, He will not bring a flood of water, yet He will bring a flood of fire, as it is said, For by fire will the Lord contend? (34) He has already sworn that He will not destroy all flesh, he assured them. Then what is the sound of this tumult that we have heard? He has a precious treasure in His storehouse, which was hidden by Him nine hundred and seventy-four generations before the world was created, (35) and He has desired to give it to His children, as it is said, The Lord will give strength unto His people. (36) Forthwith they all exclaimed, The Lord will bless His people with peace. (36) R. Eleazar said: He heard about the dividing of the Red Sea, and came, for it is said, And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites heard [. . . how that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel] ; (37) and Rahab the harlot too said to Joshua's messengers [spies]: For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea. (38) Why is, ‘neither was there spirit in them any more written in the first text, whereas in the second it says, ‘neither did there remain [stand] any more spirit in any man’?

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(1). ↑ As sacrifices. ‘Children of Noah’ is a technical term denoting all people before the Revelation at Sinai, and all non-Israelites who did not accept the Torah after Revelation. In the present discussion even Israelites technically ranked as Children of Noah, until the laws of sacrifices as stated in Leviticus became operative.
(2). ↑ Gen. VI, 19.
(3). ↑ I.e., not missing. — Of these animals Noah subsequently sacrificed.
(4). ↑ Ibid. VII, 3. A terefah, however, cannot give birth, and so cannot keep seed alive.
(5). ↑ Not Terefah.
(6). ↑ Perhaps he suffered from a disease or organic disturbance which in the case of an animal would render it Terefah.
(7). ↑ Gen. VI, 9. E.V. whole-hearted.
(8). ↑ Modest and patient.
(9). ↑ Which includes that.
(10). ↑ That is obviously absurd.
(11). ↑ Before the Torah was given.
(12). ↑ Those which had mated only with their kind.
(13). ↑ Which were clean and which unclean.
(14). ↑ Ibid. VII, 16.
(15). ↑ In their respective pairs, seven of the clean and two of the unclean.
(16). ↑ Ex. XXIV, 5.
(17). ↑ V. n. 7, p. 571, on ‘the children of Noah’. But Ex. XXIV, (5) was after Revelation.
(18). ↑ Gen. IV, 4.
(19). ↑ S. S. IV, 16.
(20). ↑ The burnt-offering was slaughtered on the north side of the altar; the peace-offering, on any side. He renders: Awake, O nation who hitherto, as Children of Noah, could only sacrifice on the north side of the altar (hence, burnt-offerings) and now, by accepting the Torah, come as a people who can sacrifice in the north and the south. — Cf. Gen. Rab. XXII, (5) (Sonc. ed. p. 183.)
(21). ↑ Sc. the best.
(22). ↑ It is a summons to the north and the south to bring in their exiles.
(23). ↑ Ex. X, 25. This was said before Revelation, and since ‘burnt-offerings’ are specifically mentioned, ‘sacrifices’ must mean peace-offerings.
(24). ↑ The answer renders Zebahim animals for slaughtering, not sacrifices.
(25). ↑ Ibid. XVIII, 12.
(26). ↑ Although it is written before. — It is a principle of exegesis that the Torah is not necessarily in chronological order (Pes. 6b).
(27). ↑ Ex. XVIII, 1.
(28). ↑ Lit., ‘since it is written at the side thereof’.
(29). ↑ Ibid. XVII, 13.
(30). ↑ The native place of the Hasmoneans, fifteen miles N. W. of Jerusalem.
(31). ↑ Of reverence to God.
(32). ↑ Ps. XXIX, 9. E.V. ‘and in His temple, etc.
(33). ↑ For He could only be a King (over His creatures) for ever as long as mankind existed. Hence He could not destroy them.
(34). ↑ Isa. LXVI, 16.
(35). ↑ Cf. Gen. Rab. I, 10 (Sonc. ed. p. 10); Cant. Rab. V, (11) (Sonc. ed. p. (243) and n. 3. a.l.).
(36). ↑ Ps. ibid. 11. — The Torah is the strength of Israel.
(37). ↑ Josh. V, 1. As ‘heard’ here refers to the drying up of waters, it has a similar connotation in connection with Jethro.
(38). ↑ Ibid. II, 10.