Most of us are familiar with the phrase “birds of a feather flock together,” embodying the sentiment that those with similar interests, backgrounds or personalities tend to gravitate toward one another. From the 16th-century poet William Turner to the contemporary musician Billie Eilish, these words have rolled off tongues and found their way into lyrics for centuries. What you might not know is that the expression has ancient origins, including a mention on today’s daf.
Continuing its discussion about the identification of unkosher birds, the Gemara notes:
Others say: If a bird dwells with unkosher birds, it is unkosher; if it dwells with kosher birds, it is kosher.
What does it mean to dwell together? Both Rashi and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz note that while the Hebrew word (shin-kaf-nun) can be rendered as a verb, “dwells,” it can also be read as a noun, “neighbor.” In other words, birds with unkosher neighbors should thus be considered unkosher as well.
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The teaching comes to us from “others.” The Gemara explores the possible identity of these mysterious teachers.
In accordance with whose opinion is this last statement? Perhaps it is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, as it is taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer says: It was not for naught that the zarzir went to dwell with the crow, but because it is of the same species.
Perhaps “others” is in fact Rabbi Eliezer who, on Chullin 62, rules that the zarzir (sometimes translated as “starling”) dwells with the orev (crow or raven) because he believes they are part of the same species. How do we know they’re the same species? Because, as is so often noted, birds of a feather flock together.
Not so fast, though, says the Gemara:
You may even say that “others” are the rabbis who disagree with Rabbi Eliezer (and deem the zarzir kosher). We say that a bird is unkosher whenever it both dwells with an unkosher bird and resembles it.
The Gemara limits the earlier ruling, saying that otherwise kosher birds who dwell with unkosher birds are forbidden only if they look alike, too. Starlings and crows bear only a passing resemblance to one another, so the former remains permitted.
According to one view, it’s the similarity of appearance that suggests the birds are alike. According to another, it’s the company they keep.
At this point, the Gemara pivots to discussing grasshoppers, but I’d like to nest here with our birds for a bit longer. What are the rabbis trying to teach?
These days, whether we keep kosher or not, we wouldn’t typically consider birds such as ravens, crows and starlings for food. That wasn’t the case in earlier times, however. The same century that William Turner wrote his poem about birds of a feather flocking together, the Tudor court was serving “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.” And in ancient times, any animal at hand might be considered fair game (pun intended).
With this context in mind, it makes sense that in order to keep people from sinning, the rabbis would forbid the consumption of birds that flock together and/or look even slightly similar, ruling all of them unkosher.
Colloquially, the rabbis also applied the “birds of a feather” concept to people and the company they keep. On Bava Kamma 92, Rabbi bar Mari offers proof for this idea from several sources, including the apocryphal book of Ben Sirah (Ecclesiasticus), which the rabbis sometimes quote as scripture: “All fowl will live with its kind, and men with those like him.” Bringing us full circle, he then concludes by quoting Rabbi Eliezer’s statement on today’s daf:
Not for naught did the starling go to the raven, but because it is its kind.
Read all of Chullin 65 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on July 4, 2026. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
