[If] a fetus died in the womb of an animal, and the shepherd stretched out his hand and touched it, whether it is a nonkosher animal, or a kosher animal, he is tahor. R’ Yose HaGlili says: If it is [a] nonkosher [animal], he is tamei; if it is [a] kosher [animal], he is tahor. [If] a fetus died within a woman’s womb, and the midwife stretched out her hand and touched it, the midwife is tamei for seven days, and the woman is tahor until the fetus comes out.

[If] an animal is in difficult labor and the fetus thrusts forth its foreleg, and one cut it off, and afterwards he slaughtered its mother, the flesh is tahor. [If] he slaughtered its mother and afterwards he cut it off, the flesh is regarded as having touched a neveilah; [these are] the words of R’ Meir. But the Sages say: It is regarded as having touched a slaughtered treifah — just as we find in the case of a treifah that its slaughtering renders it tahor, so too should the slaughtering of the animal render the limb tahor. Replied R’ Meir: Not so. If the shechitah of a treifah renders it tahor — a thing which is its own body — should it [also] render the limb tahor — a thing which is not its own body? From where do we learn that the slaughtering of a treifah renders it tahor? A nonkosher animal is prohibited to be eaten; a treifah is also prohibited to be eaten. Just as a nonkosher animal cannot be rendered tahor by its slaughtering, so should a treifah not be rendered tahor by its slaughtering. Not so. If this can be said of a nonkosher animal, which never had a time of fitness, can the same be said of a treifah, which had a time of fitness? Take back what you brought! If it was born treifah, how do we know it? Not so. If this can be said of a nonkosher animal whose entire species has no shechitah, can the same be said of a treifah, whose species has shechitah? An eight-month live birth — its slaughtering does not render it tahor, because there is no slaughtering in its kind.

[If] one slaughters an animal and finds in it an eight-month fetus alive or dead, or a dead nine-month fetus, he tears it open and takes out its blood. [If] he finds a nine-month live fetus, it requires slaughtering, and is subject to the [prohibition of] ‘‘it and its offspring’’; [these are] the words of R’ Meir. But the Sages say: The slaughtering of its mother renders it permissible. R’ Shimon Shezuri says: Even if it is eight years old and is plowing in the field, the slaughtering of its mother renders it permissible. [If] he tore her open, and he found in her a nine-month live fetus, it requires shechitah, because its mother was not slaughtered.

[If] the hind legs of an animal were severed below the joint, it is fit; above the joint, it is unfit. And likewise, [if] the meeting of the sinews was removed. [If] the bone was broken, if the greater part of the flesh remains, its slaughtering renders it tahor; otherwise, its slaughtering does not render it tahor.