ויקרא, פרק י״א, פסוק כ״ג

The Torah establishes a precise classification system for flying insects, relying on their body structure, posture, and the number of their legs to define clear boundaries between what is forbidden and what is permitted to eat. There are differing views on how to define these flying creeping creatures. One perspective suggests they are small, low-lying insects that swarm on the ground, such as flies and wasps [הטור הארוך בשם רש״י]. Another approach argues that the definition depends on posture rather than size. Unlike a regular bird that walks upright on two legs, these creatures walk low to the ground on four legs, with their head and neck pointing downward [הטור הארוך בשם רמב״ן].

Since the prohibition against creatures walking on four legs is established earlier, the repeated emphasis on having four legs requires explanation. One view suggests this includes insects that possess four legs but do not walk on them at all, using them only for flight [אבן עזרא, העמק דבר]. However, others reject this, arguing that if an insect only flies and never walks, it would be classified as a regular bird rather than a creeping creature [מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators is that this repetition teaches a highly specific rule. The prohibition strictly targets insects with exactly four legs. If an insect has five legs, it is considered pure and permitted for consumption. This clarification is necessary because the number four is inherently included in five, which could lead to the mistaken assumption that a five-legged creature is also forbidden [גור אריה, שפתי חכמים]. This permission for five-legged insects applies even if they lack the standard signs of purity found in permitted grasshoppers [משכיל לדוד], and it extends to insects with six, seven, or eight legs as well [אור החיים, ברכת אשר]. Alongside this legal discussion, some commentators raise a question regarding the natural world, wondering whether five-legged insects actually exist in reality [רש ר הירש, רד צ הופמן, ברכת אשר].

The classification concludes by declaring these creatures an abomination. This establishes that while they are detestable and forbidden to eat, they do not transmit impurity to someone who touches them, unlike the carcasses of land animals [רלב״ג]. This is because these insects are considered to be created primarily from water, and water-based creatures do not transfer impurity upon contact [חזקוני].

Furthermore, the specific declaration that the insect itself is an abomination serves as a legal exclusion. It dictates that only the insect itself is forbidden, but not a mixture containing its byproducts. Consequently, if the juice or moisture of impure grasshoppers mixes with pure grasshoppers, the mixture remains permitted. Some even maintain that this juice is completely pure on its own [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו, רד צ הופמן]. In fact, one perspective suggests that the initial phrasing regarding these insects was intentionally lengthened simply to allow for this concluding declaration, specifically to teach this unique permission regarding grasshopper juice [אור החיים].