Chullin 100 – Does The Sciatic Sinew Have Taste?

Rabbi Ishmael says that the sinew has so little taste that it does not count. Therefore, even if it is cooked together with other foods, it does not render them prohibited, as long as it is taken out. Thus, Rabbi Ishmael argues against our earlier teaching, and in fact the law follows his view. That is true if the sinew itself is removed. But even if it not removed, why don't we say that the prohibited sinew is nullified in the majority of other sinews? That is because the sinew is a complete “creation,” and the law of nullification by majority does not apply to complete creations – they never get nullified.

What happens when a non-kosher food cooks together with kosher food and is not nullified in one-in-sixty, making the whole mixture prohibited? Do we view it as basically kosher food, with too much taste of non-kosher one, or do we view the entire mixture as completely new non-kosher entity? The practical difference between the two points of view arises when the mixture falls into a large pot, and we need to know if it is now nullified or not? The law follows the second alternative.

Art: Floris Gerritsz. van Schooten - A Kitchen Interior