Bava Basra 146: Eating the Margalis

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Bava Basra 146: Eating the Margalis

Eric Haas asked:

According Rashbam and Rabbeinu Gershom, the wealthy would grind up margalit and 
drink it for health.  I have always understood margalit to be translated as 
pearl - a precious "stone" formed inside an oyster (see Metzudos on Mishlei 
31:10, Milon Even-Shushan)- how would this be kosher?  Here are some potential 
answers that I came up with:

1.  Margalit is a precious stone that looks like a pearl but not actually 
formed by oyster.

2.  Similar to bee honey - the pearl undergoes some kind of process that 
renders it no longer the product of an oyster

3.  Grinding it up and pouring it into a liquid causes it to lose its form and 
become a new substance - similar to issues with animal gelatin?

4.  For health reasons it is permissible. 

5.  Choleh she'Yesh bo Sakanah.

6.  The gemara is not actually suggesting that it is mutar to drink 
pearl-juice, but rather that there is a possibility of a drink that costs a lot 
of money.

Any thoughts?  Please provide sources.

Eric Haas, Beersheva, Israel
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The Kollel replies:

1 This is possible, but from Tosfos in Bava Metzia 17b (DH Iy) it would seem 
that Marganisa is indeed a pearl.

2 The reason honey is permissible, is that the honey is not ingested by the 
bees, merely transported from the flower to the hive (Bechoros 7b, Rambam 
Ma'achalos Asuros 3:3). This reason would not apply to a pearl.

3 I do not see any reason to permit the pearl on this basis. The pearl has just 
been ground up into small pieces.

4&5 This is possible in a case of Piku'ach Nefesh, a life threatening illness.

6 Possible, but unlikely, as we would expect the commentators to point this out.

Perhaps the Pearl is not considered edible, and as such is not forbidden, see 
Avoda Zara 67b and Beis Yosef (YD 103).

Further to the above, I should also mentioned that certain things that are not 
normally eaten, and are not suitable to be eaten, are not considered food, and 
are not included when the Torah forbids eating a certain type of food. See 
Rambam Ma'achalos Asuros (4:18) who lists in this category animal skin, bones, 
sinews, horns, hooves and nails. I believe it is fair to assume that a pearl 
would also be included in this category. See also Tosfos in Avodah Zarah (69a 
DH ha'Hu).

Dov Freedman


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