Bekhorot 104

Chapter 104

א לאיתויי שבחא דממילא חפורה והוו שובלי שלפופי והוו תמרי:

1 This implies even an improvement in the value of the estate which comes of itself.1

ב ולא בראוי כבמוחזק: לאיתויי נכסי דאבי אבא:

2 If, e.g. , [on the father death] what was available of the products of the ground was classed under hafirah2 and now it is shuble [ears], or [on the father's death] they were shalpufe3

ג <big>מתני׳</big> ואלו שאין חוזרין ביובל הבכורה והיורש את אשתו והמייבם את אשת אחיו

3 and afterwards became full-grown dates.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Mishnah therefore informs us with this last clause that even in such instances where the ordinary (non first-born) heir has spent no money on or worked in any way for the improvement in the estate, the first-born takes merely an equal share with the rest of the brothers and does not enjoy the privileges of a first-born.');">4 NOT WHAT WILL FALL DUE [TO THE ESTATE] AS THEY DO OF WHAT IS HELD IN POSSESSION.

ד והמתנה דברי ר"מ וחכמים אומרים המתנה כמכר רבי אלעזר אומר כולם חוזרין ביובל רבי יוחנן בן ברוקה אומר אף היורש את אשתו יחזיר לבני משפחה וינכה מהן את הדמים:

4 This brings as under the rule the grandfather's estate.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If their grandfather was alive when their father died and the former's estate was coming to them eventually, for even if he had another son, their father would ultimately receive his share, I might have thought that this is counted as having the estate in one's possession. The last clause in the Mishnah by repeating: NOR WHAT IS TO FALL DUE etc, thus informs us that this is not so. For, from the previous clause in the Mishnah which says that a first-born does not take a double share etc., I might have thought that the expression 'WHAT IS TO FALL DUE TO THE ESTATE' referred only to a case where there fell to them the estate of their father's brother, the latter having children at the time of their father's death, so that it did not appear coming to them on their father's death, but both he and his sons died before the division (Rashi) ; or the latter having no children when their father died but yet as he might still have heirs there was no certainty that the property was coming to them (Sh. Mek.) .');">5 <big>MISHNAH: </big>THE FOLLOWING DO NOT RETURN [TO THEIR OWNERS] IN JUBILEE:6 THE SHARE OF THE FIRST-BORN, [THE INHERITANCE OF] ONE WHO INHERITS HIS WIFE'S [ESTATE] [AND OF] ONE WHO MARRIES HIS SISTER-IN-LAW7 AND A PRESENT. THESE ARE THE WORDS OF R'MEIR'BUT THE SAGES SAY: A PRESENT HAS THE LAW OF A SALE [OF LAND].8

ה <big>גמ׳</big> מאי טעמא דרבי מאיר מכר הוא דאמר רחמנא ליהדר ביובל מתנה וירושה לא והני מירושה ירושה דמתנה מתנה בכור (דברים כא, יז) לתת לו פי שנים מתנה קרייה רחמנא:

5 R'ELEAZAR SAYS HOWEVER: ALL THESE RETURN IN JUBILEE. R'JOHANAN B. BEROKAH SAYS: IF ONE INHERITS HIS WIFE'S ESTATE, HE RETURNS IT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY AND ALLOWS THEM A DEDUCTION FROM THE PURCHASE MONEY.9 <big>GEMARA: </big>What is the reason of R'Meir? - Only in the case of a sale [of land] does the Divine Law enjoin that it must return in the year of Jubilee [to its original owners], but not with regard to a present or an inheritance; and the cases [enumerated in the Mishnah as not returning in Jubilee] are either cases of inheritance or such as come under the category of a present;10

ו והיורש את אשתו ירושת הבעל דאורייתא והמייבם את אשת אחיו בכור קרייה רחמנא:

6 [with reference to] a first-born [it says]: B giving him a double portion,11

ז וחכמים אומרים מתנה כמכר: מאי טעמייהו דרבנן (ויקרא כה, יג) תשובו לרבות את המתנה

7 the Divine Law thus describing his portion as a present. AND HE WHO INHERITS HIS WIFE'S ESTATE. A man's inheritance of his wife's estate is a biblical law [and therefore it is a genuine inheritance].12

ח והני כולהו ירושה נינהו

ט בכור אמר קרא לתת לו פי שנים מקיש חלק בכורה לחלק פשוט מה חלק פשוט ירושה אף חלק בכורה ירושה:

9 HE WHO MARRIES HIS SISTER-IN-LAW. [The reason being because] the Divine Law describes him [the levir] as a first-born.13

י רבי אלעזר אומר כולם חוזרים ביובל: סבר לה כרבנן דאמרי תשובו לרבות את המתנה והני כולהו מתנה נינהו בכור לתת לו פי שנים מתנה קרייה רחמנא

10 BUT THE SAGES SAY: A PRESENT HAS THE LAW OF A SALE OF LAND. What is the reason of the Rabbis? [Scripture says]: Ye shall return,14 intimating the inclusion of the case of a present; but all the othe cases15

יא והיורש את אשתו ירושת הבעל דרבנן והמייבם את אשת אחיו בכור קרייה רחמנא

11 are those of inheritance; with regard to a first-born Scripture Says: 'By giving him a double portion', thus comparing the share he receives as a first-born with the plain [ordinary] portion; as the plain portion of the first-born is considered as an inheritance, so the extra share received by a firstborn is also considered as an inheritance.16

יב אמר רבי אסי אמר רבי יוחנן האחין שחלקו לקוחות הן ומחזירין זה לזה ביובל מותיב רב הושעיא ואלו שאין חוזרין ביובל הבכורה

12 R'ELEAZAR SAYS HOWEVER: ALL OF THESE RETURN IN JUBILEE. He agrees with the Rabbis who say that 'Ye shall return' intimates the inclusion of the case of a present and holds that all these cases [enumerated in the Mishnah]17 come under the category of a present; with regard to a first-born Scripture says: 'By giving him a double portion'; thus the Divine Law describes his share as a present. With regard also to the case of one who in herits his wife's estate, he holds that a man's inheritance of his wife's estate rabbinical law.18 Again, with regard to the case of one who marries his sister-in-law, the Divine Law calls [the levir] a first-born.

יג אמר ליה ר' אלעזר מאי אין חוזרין אין חוזרין לבטלה מתקיף לה רב ששת מכלל דמאן דאמר חוזרין חוזרין לבטלה קאמר

13 R'Assi reported in the name of R'Johanan: After the heirs have divided up the estate they are considered as purchasers from one another and return [their portions] one to another in the year of Jubilee.19 To this R'Oshaiah demurred: THE FOLLOWING DO NOT RETURN IN JUBILEE: THE SHARE OF A FIRST-BORN. R'Eleazar replied to him: The expression DO NOT RETURN here means that the return in Jubilee does not make [the privileges of the first-born] of no account.20 To this R'Shesheth demurred: Does this imply that the one [R'Eleazar] who said: ALL OF THESE RETURN IN JUBILEE means that the return in Jubilee makes [the privilege of the first-born] of no account?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why should the first-born lose his privileged portion? Therefore R. Eleazar's reply above is not acceptable, and the difficulty therefore remains with regard to R. Assi's opinion.');">21

יד קרי רב חמא עליה דרב ששת (קהלת ז, יא) טובה חכמה עם נחלה ולא שמיע (להו) הא דכי אתי רבין אמר רבי יוחנן ואמרי לה ר' אלעזר אמר משום רבי אלעזר בן שמוע מאי חוזרין חוזרין לבטלה:

14 Thereupon Rami B'Hama applied to R'Shesheth the verse: Wisdom is good with an inheritance,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. VII, II. Good is wisdom. The acumen of an Amora (Rabin) together with the erudition of many Baraithas, the inheritance of successive scholars, possessed by R. Shesheth. For had R. Shesheth known Rabin's wise observation, he would never have objected in the way he did');">22 for has he not heard the following: When Rabin came, he reported in the name of R'Johanan (another version is [that when Rabin came he reported that] R'Eleazar said in the name of R'Eleazar B'Shammua') ,23 RETURNING IN JUBILEE here means that it makes [the privileges of the first-born] of no account.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Therefore the passage in the Mishnah that Jubilee does not cause a return, also has the same meaning as R. Eleazar explains above, i.e., that it does not cause the first-born to lose his privileges on account of Jubilee.');">24 R'JOHANAN B. BEROKAH SAYS: IF ONE INHERITS HIS WIFE'S ESTATE HE RETURNS IT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY etc. What is his view?

טו ר"י בן ברוקה אומר אף היורש את אשתו יחזיר לבני וכו': מאי קסבר אי קסבר ירושת הבעל דאורייתא אמאי יחזיר לבני משפחה ואי קסבר ירושת הבעל דרבנן דמים מאי עבידתייהו

15 If he holds that a man's inheritance of his wife's estate is a biblical law, then why should he return it to the family in Jubilee? And if he holds that a man's inheritance of his wife's estate is only a rabbinical law, what claim is there to the money?25 One may still maintain that a man's inheritance of his wife's estate is a biblical law, and we are dealing here with a case where e.g. , his wife bequeathed him a cemetery26 and for fear of casting a reflection on the family,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is derogatory for a family that strangers should be interred in their graveyard, while their own members should have to seek burial in a strange graveyard. There is no difficulty as regards the period before Jubilee, as the family can pay the husband for the burials which take place without anybody being aware that the cemetery was no longer in their possession, Tosaf. Yom Tob.');">27 the Rabbis ruled that he should take [from them] the money for the cemetery and return it to them in Jubilee.28

טז לעולם קסבר ירושת הבעל דאוריית' והכא במאי עסקינן כגון שהורישתו אשתו בית הקברות ומשום פגם משפחה אמור רבנן לשקול דמי וליהדר

16 And so it has been taught: If one sells his grave and the road to his grave, or his halting place29

יז וכדתניא המוכר קברו ודרך קברו מקום מעמדו ובית הספדו באים בני משפחה וקוברים אותו בעל כרחו משום פגם משפחה ומאי ינכה להם מן הדמים דמי קבר אשתו:

17 and the place for lamentation, the members of his family come and bury him per force, so as not to cast any reflection on the family.30 And what the Mishnah means by 'HE ALLOWS THEM A DEDUCTION'31 is with reference to the cost of his wife's grave, [as this is an obligation which devolves on him].

יח <big>הדרן עלך יש בכור</big>

Previous Chapter Next Chapter