Bekhorot 100

Chapter 100

א רב יהודה אמר רב אסי כל כסף האמור בתורה סתם כסף צורי ושל דבריהם כסף מדינה

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

ב וכללא הוא והרי טענה דכתיב (שמות כב ו) כי יתן איש אל רעהו כסף או כלים לשמור

2 And is this a general rule? Have we not the case of one making a claim,2 for it is written: If a man shal deliver unto his neighbour silver [coinage] or stuff to keep,3

ג ותנן שבועת הדיינין הטענה שתי כסף

3 and we have learnt: For an oath to be imposed by the judges,4

ד שאני התם דכתיב כסף או כלים מה כלים שנים אף כסף שנים ומה כסף דבר חשוב אף כלים דבר חשוב

4 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 - There6 the reason is because the Torah says: Silver [coinage] or stuff;7

ה והרי מעשר דכתיב (דברים יד, כה) וצרת הכסף בידך ותנן הפורט סלע במעות מעשר שני כסף כסף ריבה

5 just as stuff means two,8 so silver [coinage] also means two coins;9 and again, as silver [coinage] means something of value,10 so stuff means also something of value.11

ו והרי הקדש דכתיב (ויקרא כז יט) ונתן הכסף וקם לו ואמר שמואל הקדש שוה מנה שחיללו על שוה פרוטה מחולל הקדש נמי יליף קדש קדש ממעשר

6 But is there not the case of tithing, for it is written: And bind up the silver [coinage] in thine hand,12 and we have learnt: If one changes13 [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 - [The three-fold] repetition of the word 'silver' intimates an amplification.15

ז והרי קידושי אשה דכתיב (שמות כא, יא) ויצאה חנם אין כסף ותנן בש"א בדינר ובשוה דינר וב"ה אומרים בפרוטה ובשוה פרוטה לימא רב אסי דאמר כב"ש

7 But is there not the case of hekdesh,16 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 and Samuel ruled: If hekdesh worth a maneh has been redeemed against a perutah, it is a valid redemption?18 - In the case of hekdesh too we draw an analogy between the expres sion 'holy' used in this connection19 and 'holy' used in connection with the second tithes.20 But is there not the case of a woman's betrothal, for it is written Then she shall go out free without silve [coinage],21

ח אלא אי איתמר הכי איתמר אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אסי כל כסף קצוב האמור בתורה כסף צורי ושל דבריהם כסף מדינה

8 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? 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

ט מאי קמשמע לן תנינא חמש סלעים של בן וכו'

9 - Rather we must say that if it23 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 means in the Tyrian currency, and that mentioned in the teaching of the Rabbis means In the currency of the province.25

י ושל דבריהם כסף מדינה איצטריכא ליה דתנן התוקע לחבירו נותן לו סלע ולא תימא סלע ארבע זוזי אלא פלגא דזוזא דקרי אינשי סלע פלגא דזוזא

10 What does he teach us thereby? Have we not learnt this already: FIVE SELA'S OF A FIRST-BORN etc. ? He needed to teach us that the silver [coinage] mentioned by the Rabbis meant according to the provincial standard. For we have learnt: If one boxes his neighbour's ear,26

יא חנן בישא תקע ליה לההוא גברא אתא לקמיה דרב הונא אמר ליה הב ליה פלגא דזוזא הות איכא

11 he must compensate him with a sela'. Think not therefore that it means a sela' of four zuz, but it means half a zuz,27 for people call half a zuz a sela'. The ruffian Hanan boxed a man's ear.28 He was brought before R'Huna. The latter said to him: Give him half a zuz as com pensation. He possessed

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