The Torah in Parashat Shemini (11:41) forbids eating any “Sheretz Ha’shoretz Al Ha’aretz” – rodent or insect that crawls on the ground. This command forbids eating a “Ke’zayit” of the flesh of such creatures, except when it comes to the “Shemona Sherasim” – the eight rodents listed earlier (11:29-30) which impart Tum’a (impurity) after they die. A piece of the flesh of these creatures imparts Tum’a even if it is smaller than a Ke’zayit – if it is at least a “Ke’adasha,” the size of a lentil. By extension, the Torah prohibition against eating Sherasim (creatures that crawl on the ground) forbids eating even this small amount of their flesh. Whereas regarding other Sherasim, the prohibition applies only to the consumption of a “Ke’zayit,” the consumption of even a “Ke’adasha” of these eight creatures is forbidden. Moreover, the Minhat Hinuch comments that consuming a whole creature (“Beriya”) violates this command regardless of its size. Even if a creature is smaller than a Ke’zayit, one is in violation of this Biblical command if one eats it whole, because a whole creature is considered significant in any size. This command applies in all places, in all times, and to both men and women. One who intentionally consumes an “Ke’adasha” of the eight special rodents, a “Ke’zayit” of other creatures, or a whole creature regardless of its size, is liable to Malkut.