Bugs in the Broccoli: The Concept of Biryah
Among the things that cannot be nullified when they exist in a mixture are things that are considered a biryah, or “whole entities”. The Gemara in Hullin (99b) states this in reference to the gid hanashe, the forbidden sinew, in just two words – biryah shani – an entity is different (and not batel, nullified). The logic for this seems clear – some things are so significant in themselves that, as long as they remain whole, they never lose their identity, even when they exist in a much larger mixture.
