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“And (the stranger) saw that he could not defeat him (Yaakov), he touched the upper joint of his (Yaakov’s) thigh, and Yaakov’s hip joint became dislocated as he wrestled with him. Therefore Bnei Yisrael do not eat the displaced nerve. (32:26-33)

The Talmud, Chullin 90b, cites a difference of opinion between R’ Yehudah and the Chachamim regarding the prohibition of gid ha’nashe, the thigh muscle. The Chachamim state that this prohibition applies to the thigh muscle of both the right and left hind legs, while R’ Yehudah has the opinion that it applies only to the right hind leg. His reasoning is based upon the premise that the angel struck Yaakov on the right side. The Chachamim, in contrast, feel that he was struck from behind, affecting both sides. Since the prohibition is in memory of Yaakov’s struggle, what happened that…

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