Bekhorot 14 – בכורות י״ד | Daf Yomi with Rashi, Tosafot, the Rambam and halacha
What Bekhorot 14 teaches
- An animal consecrated after developing a permanent blemish holds only monetary sanctity, so its redemption permits shearing, working, and consuming its milk.
- Dedicating an unblemished male animal for value grants it bodily holiness, but offspring of pre-blemished animals can be redeemed even while unblemished.
- Rabbi Shimon permits redeeming a pre-blemished consecrated carcass for dogs because monetary sanctity does not require live standing and priestly valuation.
The sugyot
- The Mishnah contrasts animals consecrated with a pre-existing permanent blemish, which assume only monetary value, with those sanctified before becoming blemished, which retain bodily holiness.
- The Gemara infers that an animal with monetary sanctity is exempt from the firstborn and priestly gifts until it has been redeemed.
- The Gemara questions whether a mishna prohibiting shearing a pre-blemished altar dedication supports Rabbi Eliezer, rejecting it as a decree unique to the altar.
- The Gemara establishes that offspring of consecrated blemished animals can be redeemed unblemished, proving that unblemished animals consecrated for their value attain bodily sanctity.
- The Gemara seeks a source forbidding blemished offerings on a private altar, defending Rabbi Elazar's derivation by proving other sacrifices already have independent exclusions.
- The Gemara derives that an animal consecrated while unblemished can effect substitution even after being blemished, whereas an initially blemished animal cannot.
- Rav attributes post-mortem redemption of blemished sanctified animals to Rabbi Shimon, prompting the Gemara to probe the Rabbis' stance on standing and valuation.
Halachot from the daf
- Firstborn obligation for offspring of redeemed consecrated animals
- Priestly gifts obligation for redeemed consecrated animals
- Shearing and working redeemed blemished sacrificial animals
- Redemption of deceased consecrated animals and status of offspring
- Exemption of unredeemed animals with monetary sanctity from the firstborn obligation
- Applicability of me'ilah to pre-blemished consecrated animals prior to redemption
- Shearing and labor on animal consecrated for altar value
- Shearing and labor on animal with one limb consecrated
- Redemption of offspring of a permanently blemished consecrated animal
- Status of an unblemished animal consecrated for its monetary value
- Offering a blemished animal on an individual private altar
- Sacrificing a blemished firstborn or animal tithe on the altar
- Whether an animal consecrated with a permanent blemish can effect substitution
- Redeeming consecrated animals that died before appraisal and redemption
Gems from the Daf
Learn Bekhorot 14 sugya by sugya on Super Daf: the Gemara in Hebrew and English with Rashi, Tosafot, the Rishonim, the Rambam and the Shulchan Arukh woven in. Free.