Bekhorot 100

רב יהודה אמר רב אסי

Rab Judah reported in the name of R'Assi: Every silver coinage mentioned in the Pentateuch without any qualification means in Tyrian currency;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And where the Scripture says shekel it means a Tyrian sela', which has four denars, and where it does not say shekel but kesef (silver coinage) it means a Tyrian denar. In B.K. ');">¹</span>

כל כסף האמור בתורה סתם כסף צורי ושל דבריהם כסף מדינה

in the teaching of the Rabbis, it means in the currency of the province [an eighth of the silver coinage of the Pentateuch].

וכללא הוא

And is this a general rule?

והרי טענה דכתיב

Have we not the case of one making a claim,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Against his neighbour as follows: 'I gave you a certain sum of money'.');">²</span>

{שמות כא } כי יתן איש אל רעהו כסף או כלים לשמור ותנן

for it is written: If a man shal deliver unto his neighbour silver [coinage] or stuff to keep,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXII, 6.');">³</span>

שבועת הדיינין הטענה שתי כסף

and we have learnt: For an oath to be imposed by the judges,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Arising from the defendant's admission of his partial indebtedness.');">⁴</span>

שאני התם דכתיב

the claim must amount to not less than two [silver] ma'ah?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., a third of a denar. We see therefore that kesef mentioned in the Torah does not mean a Tyrian denar as Rab declares, for if the Torah meant two denars, then it should read: Two kesef.');">⁵</span>

כסף או כלים מה כלים שנים אף כסף שנים

- There<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Ex. XXII, 6. ;xf ohkf');">⁶</span>

ומה כסף דבר חשוב אף כלים דבר חשוב

the reason is because the Torah says: Silver [coinage] or stuff;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Suggesting a comparison between (silver coinage) and (stuff) . ohkf');">⁷</span>

והרי מעשר דכתיב

just as stuff means two,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' lit. means 'vessels' , the plural implying at least two. V. further notes Shebu., Sonc. ed., pp. 240 and 247.');">⁸</span>

(דברים יד, כה) וצרת הכסף בידך ותנן

so silver [coinage] also means two coins;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Even if not possessing the value of denars but of ma'ah.');">⁹</span>

הפורט סלע במעות מעשר שני

and again, as silver [coinage] means something of value,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For a ma'ah has some value and worth.');">¹⁰</span>

כסף כסף ריבה

so stuff means also something of value.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And not something which is entirely insignificant and negligible.');">¹¹</span>

והרי הקדש דכתיב

But is there not the case of tithing, for it is written: And bind up the silver [coinage] in thine hand,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XIV; 25.');">¹²</span>

{ויקרא כז } ונתן הכסף וקם לו ואמר שמואל

and we have learnt: If one changes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'breaks into small change' (Jast.) .');">¹³</span>

הקדש שוה מנה שחיללו על שוה פרוטה מחולל

[at the banker's] a sela's [worth] from the monies of second tithes?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He has perutahs, small coins which he desires to change into silver sela's on account of the trouble of carrying them to Jerusalem, v. M. Sh., II, 8. We see from this that originally he exchanged the second tithes for perutahs, although Scripture here uses the expression 'silver'.');">¹⁴</span>

הקדש נמי יליף קדש קדש ממעשר

- [The three-fold] repetition of the word 'silver' intimates an amplification.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That he can sell the second tithes for any kind of money. The word 'silver' occurs three times as follows: Then thou shalt turn it into silver');">¹⁵</span>

והרי קידושי אשה דכתיב

But is there not the case of hekdesh,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That which is dedicated to a sacred purpose. uk oeu');">¹⁶</span>

(שמות כא, יא) ויצאה חנם אין כסף ותנן

of which it is written: And he shall give the silver [coinage] and it shall be assured to him,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The latter part of this quotation is in Lev. XXVII, 19 and the word 'silver' is mentioned several times in the context, but does not immediately precede And he shall etc., v. B.M., Sonc. ed., p. 321, n. 1.');">¹⁷</span>

בש"א

and Samuel ruled: If hekdesh worth a maneh has been redeemed against a perutah, it is a valid redemption?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' We see therefore that the hekdesh was once redeemed against perutahs, which are copper coins, not silver.');">¹⁸</span>

בדינר ובשוה דינר וב"ה אומרים

- In the case of hekdesh too we draw an analogy between the expres sion 'holy' used in this connection<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And when a man shall sanctify this house to be holy. (Lev. XXVII, 14) .');">¹⁹</span>

בפרוטה ובשוה פרוטה

and 'holy' used in connection with the second tithes.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And all the tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the land is the Lord's. It is holy unto the Lord (Lev. XXVII, 30) .');">²⁰</span>

לימא רב אסי דאמר כב"ש

But is there not the case of a woman's betrothal, for it is written Then she shall go out free without silve [coinage],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXI, 11. And we interpret this verse in Kid. ');">²¹</span>

אלא אי איתמר הכי איתמר אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אסי

and we have learnt [in a Mishnah]: Beth Shammai say: [Betrothal must take place] with a denar and the worth of a denar, whereas Beth Hillel say with a perutah and the worth of a perutah?

כל כסף קצוב האמור בתורה כסף צורי ושל דבריהם כסף מדינה

Must it then be said that R'Assi agrees with the opinion of Beth Shammai?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For since it mentions 'silver' here, according to R. Assi, it means a Tyrian silver denar, which is in harmony with the view of Beth Shammai, and usually the halachah is not according to Beth Shammai.');">²²</span>

מאי קמשמע לן

- Rather we must say that if it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A ruling defining the biblical kesef.');">²³</span>

תנינא

has been stated, it was stated thus: Rab Judah reported in the name of R'Assi: Every silver [coinage] mentioned in the Pentateuch in connection with defined payments<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz., five sela's of redemption, the thirty shekels in connection with a slave etc., whereas the cases cited above from which we questioned Rab's teaching are not of this character.');">²⁴</span>

חמש סלעים של בן וכו'

means in the Tyrian currency, and that mentioned in the teaching of the Rabbis means In the currency of the province.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which is an eighth of the biblical silver coinage, v. infra.');">²⁵</span>

ושל דבריהם כסף מדינה איצטריכא ליה

What does he teach us thereby?

דתנן

Have we not learnt this already: FIVE SELA'S OF A FIRST-BORN etc. ?

התוקע לחבירו נותן לו סלע

He needed to teach us that the silver [coinage] mentioned by the Rabbis meant according to the provincial standard.

ולא תימא סלע ארבע זוזי אלא פלגא דזוזא דקרי אינשי סלע פלגא דזוזא

For we have learnt: If one boxes his neighbour's ear,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Aliter: Who shouts in his neighbour's ear.');">²⁶</span>

חנן בישא תקע ליה לההוא גברא אתא לקמיה דרב הונא אמר ליה

he must compensate him with a sela'.

הב ליה פלגא דזוזא

Think not therefore that it means a sela' of four zuz, but it means half a zuz,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which is an eighth of a Tyrian sela'.');">²⁷</span>

הות איכא

for people call half a zuz a sela'. The ruffian Hanan boxed a man's ear.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. n. 8.');">²⁸</span> He was brought before R'Huna. The latter said to him: Give him half a zuz as com pensation. He possessed