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Masechet so far · Bekhorot 30 · בכורות ל׳
The masechet so far, chapter by chapter
Masechet Bekhorot addresses the laws governing the consecration, redemption, and consumption of male firstborn humans and animals. It has progressed from the exemptions and redemption of donkeys and kosher livestock to the rules of expert blemish inspections and witness credibility.
Chapter 1 – הלוקח עובר חמורו: Redemption of the Firstborn Donkey
A firstborn donkey born to a mother owned exclusively by a Jew must be redeemed with a lamb or have its neck broken. Priests and Levites are exempt from redeeming their donkeys, as are animals owned in partnership with a gentile. In cases of twin births with uncertain birth order, the owner designates a lamb but keeps it unless the priest proves ownership.
- Gentile partnership in a donkey or its fetus completely exempts the offspring from firstborn sanctity.
- A firstborn donkey may be redeemed with any sheep or goat, but not with wild animals or hybrids.
- When twin births leave the firstborn male uncertain, the owner designates a lamb and keeps it.
Chapter 2 – הלוקח עובר פרתו: Firstborn Kosher Cattle and Uncertain Offspring
Male firstborn kosher cattle hold innate sanctity and must be given to a priest for sacrificial offering or consumption. Partnership with a gentile exempts the animal, while pre-existing permanent blemishes restrict the consecration to mere monetary value. When twin births or caesarean extractions leave firstborn identity uncertain, the priest receives nothing without establishing proof.
- Gentile ownership in a mother cow or its fetus exempts the offspring from firstborn sanctity.
- Rabbi Akiva awards the priest the leaner twin male lamb, requiring the priest to prove greater entitlement.
- Offspring delivered via caesarean section and any sibling delivered after it are both exempt from firstborn status.
Chapter 3 – הלוקח בהמה: Determining Prior Births and Wool Restrictions
Purchasing an animal of unknown history from a gentile requires physical indicators to determine whether it has previously calved. Uterine discharge or a nursing mother confirms a prior birth, which exempts any future offspring from firstborn status. It is strictly forbidden to shear a firstborn animal, though hair may be minimally parted to examine blemishes or slaughter.
- A purchased nursing animal is presumed to have calved, exempting her subsequent offspring from firstborn status.
- A murky uterine discharge confirms an expelled fetus, freeing any subsequent birth from firstborn sanctity.
- Wool shed from a blemished firstborn remains prohibited unless it stayed naturally compressed within the attached fleece.
Chapter 4 – עד כמה: Inspection Experts and Suspect Transgressors
Owners must maintain a firstborn animal for thirty days for small livestock and fifty days for cattle before presenting it to a priest. Only authorized court experts may inspect blemishes to permit slaughter outside the Temple, and judges may receive wages solely for lost labor. Individuals suspected of illegally selling firstborn meat or violating the Sabbatical Year are disqualified from testimony and commercial dealings in those items.
- An owner must care for a firstborn sheep for thirty days and cattle for fifty days before delivery.
- Authorized court experts like Rabbi Tarfon are entirely exempt from paying restitution for mistaken rulings.
- Inspectors may receive fixed fees regardless of ruling outcomes, whereas judges may accept only lost-labor wages.
- A person suspected regarding tithes is distrusted regarding purity, but suspicion does not transfer to the Sabbatical Year.