Shalom

[Dan Ben Noah]

Shalom

[Rubystars]

8. A limb or piece of flesh that is hanging detached from its original position is not forbidden to be eaten (after the animal is slaughtered) if one could have returned the limb to its original position and the animal could have remained alive for a year. But if one could not have returned this limb to its original position so as to permit the animal to live for a year, this detached limb is forbidden even after the animal is slaughtered.

9. The foregoing refers only to a limb that is actually hanging, that is, it has been dislodged from its original position and is only slightly attached. However, if a bone were broken in a place that does not cause serious damage to the animal or bird (for example, a wing tip), if flesh covers the majority of the broken limb, then the limb is not forbidden when the animal is slaughtered. If flesh is missing from the major portion of the limb, then the limb has to be removed completely after the animal is slaughtered before the rest of the creature can be eaten.

10. If an animal has an extra limb that is located in its proper area and its presence will not affect the life of the animal, this extra limb is permitted and is not considered like a hanging limb. Double limbs that will affect the life of the animal, such as the stomach, liver, and kidney must be removed, for the law of a hanging limb is applicable to them.

What about if an animal such as a cow or deer has extra limbs, such as with the cattle who have parasitic twin limbs? Are those limbs permissible to eat for Noahides? I was reading these three parts and I wondered if that was applicable to it. I've seen a lot of cattle on tv specials about weird animals that have extra legs hanging off of them from partial twins in the womb, or are born with duplicated limbs. What about the chickens or ducks for example with six legs? There must have been these types of deformities around when these Noahide laws were put together because they occur naturally, so I was curious as to how the sages dealt with such instances.

[Rubystars]

I am going to guess that if the parasitic twin limb would be likely to cause the animal's death, that particular limb would be forbidden.

From what I've seen they just hang there, or dangle there off the shoulder, like this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9394112@N03/728707188/

They don't harm the cow, they just look strange to humans.

Here's one where extra legs are just kind of hanging in the back:



Again, not harmful to the animal, just strange.

[Rubystars]

Hmm, those are not the most appetizing things in the world, but probably permissible to eat under this law as long as the cow is slaughtered humanely.

I didn't think they were very appetizing either, but more than once in history people have faced starvation, and may have to eat whatever food is available. Thanks DanBenNoah for the information. I think learning about people's religions is fascinating.