Dear Rabbi Kornfeld in regard to what you wrote-
>>Another possibility is that when the Beraisa describes the "Guf" of the Chilazon, it is describing the ink which is used to produce its dye, and not its shell (-M. Kornfeld).<<
1. Is this your own chidush or is there a source for this in the mefarshim?
2. I don't understand how this would fit into the word guf, can you please explain.
Thank you
Eliezer Gersten, Beitar Israel
Shalom Eliezer,
Thank you for your great question! It is a fair and important point to ask where this interpretation comes from, especially since we do not find it stated explicitly in the Rishonim or Acharonim that we are aware of. It is also worth noting that, in discussions about identifying the Chilazon, this interpretation is not commonly presented as a response to objections based on the phrase "Gufo Domeh la'Yam," even though such objections are often raised when the proposed Chilazon body or shell appears white or green rather than sea-colored.
At the same time, the wording of the Beraisa itself leaves room for more than one understanding. Rashi in Menachos explains "Gufo" as the appearance of its body, which is a descriptive phrase rather than a precise definition. The Beraisa also contrasts "Gufo Domeh la'Yam" with "Bri'aso Domeh l'Dag," suggesting that it is describing different aspects of the Chilazon rather than listing specific physical parts.
Within that framework, it is possible to suggest that "Gufo" refers to the defining substance of the Chilazon, namely what it exists for. Since the purpose of the Chilazon is Techeles, and Techeles is described by Chazal as resembling the sea, "Gufo Domeh la'Yam" can be understood as referring to the appearance of the dye itself. This approach is conceptually supported by Rashi in Chulin, who explains that Techeles resembles the sea because the appearance of the Chilazon's blood resembles the sea.
For this reason, the explanation suggested by Rabbi Kornfeld was presented as a possible way of reading the Beraisa, rather than as an established interpretation found explicitly in earlier sources.
Sincerely,
Aharon Steiner
What I meant was that the word "Gufo" might refer to "Guf ha'Tzeva" that comes from the Chilazon, or what is used for the dying. Although the actual liquid itself is clear, it dyes a color similar to the sea, as the Gemara says on the previous Amud.
The word "Ayin" is used to describe a dye (Shabbos 17b), and its meaning is similar to Guf as in the word b'Ein (Eino b'Ein; Chozer b'Ein), which has somewhat of a parallel in the words of the Torah (Amad b'Einav, see Rashi Vayikra 13:5, Bamidbar 11:7)
Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld