Reply To: Techeiles 🔵❎🐌☑️🐟

The Gemara in Menachos (44a) describes the Chilazon:

1) It looks like the ocean

2) It’s form resembles a fish

3) It comes up once in 70 years

4) With its blood we dye the Techeiles

5) Therefore it is expensive

Let’s analyze the Murex Trunculus:

1) It does not look like the ocean

2) It does not resemble a fish

3) It does not come up once in 70 years(or have any known cycle of abundance)

4) The secretion used from the Murex Trunculus is no its blood

5)It is expensive, however Rashi explains that the statement of “Therefore it is expensive” refers back to the fact that it only comes up once in 70 years. The Murex Trunculus is expensive because you can only get around four drops of die per snail.

It seems that the Murex Trunculus is 0/5(according to the pashut pshat in the gemara. Obviously the Murex Trunculus proponents have a way to read each one of the criteria).