Super Daf › Bekhorot 19 › Gems from the Daf
Masechet so far · Bekhorot 19 · בכורות י״ט
The masechet so far, chapter by chapter
Masechet Bekhorot details the laws governing firstborn male animals, covering the redemption of non-kosher donkeys and the sacrificial sanctity of kosher livestock. The tractate currently examines whether an animal bought from a gentile is exempt from firstborn status due to previous births or womb discharges.
Chapter 1 – הלוקח עובר חמורו: Redemption of the Firstborn Donkey
This chapter defines the obligation to redeem a firstborn male donkey with a lamb or kid goat. Partnership or ownership shared with a gentile removes firstborn status entirely, and priests and Levites are exempt. If the owner chooses not to redeem the donkey, he must break its neck and bury it.
- Any gentile ownership share in a donkey exempts its offspring from firstborn status.
- An owner redeems a firstborn donkey with a sheep or goat; priests and Levites are exempt.
- If an owner refuses to redeem the donkey, he must break its neck from behind and bury it.
- If twin births leave the firstborn male's identity uncertain, the priest receives nothing without proof.
Chapter 2 – הלוקח עובר פרתו: Firstborn Kosher Animals and Caesarean Births
This chapter covers the inherent bodily holiness of firstborn kosher livestock, contrasting them with animals that have only monetary consecration. It addresses ownership partnerships with gentiles and offspring that look like other species. It also resolves doubts involving twin births, simultaneous deliveries, and caesarean section deliveries.
- An animal blemished before consecration has only monetary holiness, allowing redemption, shearing, and consumption of milk.
- A lamb resembling a goat is exempt from firstborn sanctity unless it exhibits physical traits of its mother.
- When twin male lambs emerge simultaneously, Rabbi Akiva rules the priest receives the leaner lamb.
- Rabbi Akiva rules neither a caesarean offspring nor the sibling born after it has firstborn sanctity.
Chapter 3 – הלוקח בהמה: Purchasing Animals of Uncertain Birth History
This chapter addresses animals purchased from gentiles when it is unknown if they previously gave birth. The Sages debate whether an animal's age guarantees it is a first-time mother, or if uterine discharges already exempt future offspring.
- Rabbi Yishmael establishes firstborn status by age, such as a goat within its first year.
- Rabbi Akiva holds that uterine discharge or afterbirth exempts subsequent births from firstborn sanctity.
- Expelling a mass of congealed blood requires burial and exempts future offspring from firstborn sanctity.