ויקרא, פרק י״א, פסוק ו׳

The Torah details a very limited group of animals that possess only one sign of purity, specifically warning against their consumption. Among this group is the hare, an animal that has sparked extensive discussion across generations regarding its name, biological nature, and physical traits. The Hebrew name for the hare is notably written in the feminine form. The primary approach among commentators is that this is simply the standard name for the entire species, encompassing both males and females, much like the Hebrew terms for a dove or a camel [רמב״ן]. However, many sought a deeper reason for this specific feminine usage. Some explain that the first man named the animals based on their most prominent inner characteristics, and in this species, that defining trait is much stronger in the female [העמק דבר]. Others connect this to the spiritual realm of impurity, a domain where female energy sometimes dominates and overshadows the male [אור החיים].

Various biological theories were also proposed to explain the feminine form. Some suggested that this species consists entirely of females [חזקוני, אבן עזרא], or that the female is so dominant she forces the male to mate, rendering his masculinity almost completely unnoticeable [הכתב והקבלה]. Another perspective views the hare as a dual-gendered creature [התשבי], or one that alternates its gender every month, reflecting an underlying duality in how its name is traditionally read [פענח רזא]. Alternatively, the focus on the female highlights a unique novelty, as the male of this species lacks any sign of purity whatsoever [שפת אמת]. Linguistically, the hare's Hebrew name can be understood as a combination of words meaning "crack" and "lip," pointing to its distinctive cleft upper lip [הכתב והקבלה]. Beyond its physical traits, the hare is famously tied to the historical Greek translation of the Torah by the seventy-two elders. When translating for King Ptolemy, the sages intentionally altered the text, referring to the animal as "short-legged" or "hairy-legged" rather than using the direct word for hare. The king's wife, or his royal dynasty, bore the name "Hare," and the sages feared the king would suspect the Jews of mocking him by placing his wife's name on a list of impure animals [תורה תמימה, פרדס יוסף, פירושי רד״צ הופמן].

A major point of discussion revolves around the categorization of the hare as an animal that chews the cud, as naturalists observe that it lacks the multi-chambered stomach typical of ruminants. Some maintain that the hare does indeed bring up chewed food from its single stomach, arguing that the concept of "cud" refers simply to the grinding action of the teeth, breaking down food like a saw [נתינה לגר, שד״ל]. Additionally, certain eastern species of hare are noted to actually perform this action [ברכת אשר]. A central alternative approach explains that the Torah does not serve as a manual of internal anatomy, but rather speaks in the language of human beings, based on visual appearance. The hare constantly moves its jaws in a manner that closely mimics chewing the cud, giving it the outward illusion of a pure animal [ביאור שטיינזלץ, פירושי רד״צ הופמן, ברכת אשר]. Precisely because it looks pure on the outside, it was necessary to explicitly forbid it to prevent any mistakes.

Ultimately, the broader purpose of detailing these specific animals is to establish an absolute rule of nature. Aside from the four creatures mentioned in this section, no animal exists with only one sign of purity. Consequently, if someone is thoroughly familiar with these four exceptions, they can safely eat any other animal even if they only identify a single purity sign. For instance, if an animal's legs were severed and its hooves could not be checked, it remains permissible, because the natural order guarantees the presence of the second sign [פירושי רד״צ הופמן].