Responsa for Bekhorot 52:27
תנהו לי שאוכלנו מותר
Thou shalt not delay to offer of the fullness of thy harvest and of the outflow of thy presses.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And next to this verse is another 'Likewise . . with thine oxen'. Here also we make a comparison as follows. Just as the fulness of thy harvest, i.e., the first-fruits, ripen on Passover and are brought to the Temple on Pentecost fifty days later, similarly the firstling of oxen, i.e., large cattle, must be looked after for a period of fifty days.');"><sup>15</sup></span>
Teshuvot Maharam
Q. 1. A is a Kohen (of priestly lineage). His enemies, in order to put him to great expense and inconvenience, permitted their cattle to give birth to firstlings while in their possession, and gave the firstlings to A. Such firstlings are holy, must be fed and taken care of, but cannot be put to any use. Are Jews permitted to do so purposely, and can A collect damages from them for the loss he has suffered through them?
A Jew, an ignorant person, intentionally inflicted an injury on one of A's firstlings. Is A permitted to slaughter this firstling?
A's firstling caused damage in a Gentile's garden and was detained by the Gentile without A's knowledge or consent. Must A redeem the firstling? How much ransom must he pay?
A. 1. All these people were guilty of various sins: a) They permitted the birth of a public nuisance. b) They perverted the will of the Lord who intended His 24 gifts to the priesthood to be a boon to them and not a nuisance. c) They have been guilty of despising consecrated objects. d) They derived satisfaction from giving a priests' gift to a particular Kohen. However, A can do nothing about it.
A cannot slaughter the blemished firstling since the person who caused the blemish, though an ignorant person, was nevertheless a Jew.
A must ransom the firstling, but is not obliged to pay more than its market value.
SOURCES: Pr. 78. Cf. Weil, Responsa 127; Isserlein, Pesakim 166.
A Jew, an ignorant person, intentionally inflicted an injury on one of A's firstlings. Is A permitted to slaughter this firstling?
A's firstling caused damage in a Gentile's garden and was detained by the Gentile without A's knowledge or consent. Must A redeem the firstling? How much ransom must he pay?
A. 1. All these people were guilty of various sins: a) They permitted the birth of a public nuisance. b) They perverted the will of the Lord who intended His 24 gifts to the priesthood to be a boon to them and not a nuisance. c) They have been guilty of despising consecrated objects. d) They derived satisfaction from giving a priests' gift to a particular Kohen. However, A can do nothing about it.
A cannot slaughter the blemished firstling since the person who caused the blemish, though an ignorant person, was nevertheless a Jew.
A must ransom the firstling, but is not obliged to pay more than its market value.
SOURCES: Pr. 78. Cf. Weil, Responsa 127; Isserlein, Pesakim 166.
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