Bekhorot 115

Chapter 115

א כדי שתהא בהמה מצויה לעולי רגלים

1 In order that animals may be easily obtained by the pilgrims.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For since the period of the tithing of animals does not take place until the Peras of the Festivals, people will keep their animals until the tithing period and will not meanwhile sell or kill them, with the result that there will be a plentiful supply of animals to eat and to offer up on the Festivals.');">1

ב ואע"ג דתנן עד שלא הגיע הגורן מותר למכור ולשחוט ניחא ליה דליתעביד מצוה בממוניה והדר לזבון וליכול

2 And although we have learnt in the Mishnah: UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE TITHING PERIOD IT IS PERMITTED TO SELL AND KILL ANIMAL FOR FOOD,2 a man likes to perform a religious duty<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So Sh. Mek. cur. edd., 'to be performed'. Viz., in the case here, that of tithing animals, as there is no loss for him, since he himself brings the animal set aside as tithe and eats it as a peace-offering.');">3

ג ואמאי קרי ליה גורן דטבלה כגורן

3 with his money first, and only then to proceed to sell or eat the animals. And why does [the Mishnah] call [the cattle tithing period] 'threshing floor'?4

ד וכמה פרס פירש ר' יוסי בר' יהודה אין פרס פחות מט"ו יום

4 - Because [the approach of the tithing period] makes [the animals] tebel5 [according to a rabbinical enactment] like the period of the 'threshing floor'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The threshing floor is the place where the grain is to be made fit for food and where it is made subject to tithes, similarly the respective periods of tithing make the animals subject to tithing rabbinically.');">6 And what is [the period of] Peras mentioned in the Mishnah? - R'Jose B'Judah explained: Peras is [a period of] no less than fifteen days.

ה מאי משמע א"ר אבהו פרוס פלגא פלגא דמאי פלגא דהלכות פסח כי הא דתניא שואלין ודורשין בהלכות פסח קודם לפסח ל' יום רשב"ג אומר שתי שבתות:

5 How is this implied? - Said R'Abahu: Peras means a half.7 Half of what? Half of the period of instruction in the laws of the Passover, in accordance with what was taught: The laws of the Passover are discussed and expounded thirty days before Passover.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And a half of this period is fifteen days. The tithing of animals and thus making them more easy to obtain by the pilgrims for the use of the h" ,f="" passover,="" can="" also="" be="" considered="" as="" preparation="" for="" the="" festival="" (rashi)="" .');"="">8 R'Simeon B'Gamaliel says: The period is two weeks. BEN 'AZZAI SAYS: IN THE TWENTY-NINTH OF ADAR, IN THE FIRST OF SIVAN. Wherein do R'Akiba and Ben 'Azzai differ?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For even Ben 'Azzai agrees that fifteen days before Passover, I.e., the Peras of Passover make the animal subject to tithing, since the twenty-ninth of Adar plus the fourteen days of Nisan constitute fifteen days before Passover.');">9 - R'Akiba holds that the month of Adar which is next to Nisan is sometimes full10

ו בן עזאי אומר בכ"ט באדר בא' בסיון: במאי קמיפלגי ר"ע ובן עזאי ר"ע סבר אדר הסמוך לניסן זימנין מלא וזימנין חסר זימנין דמיקלע ביום ל' וזימנין דמיקלע בכ"ט ומשום הכי לא קביע ליה זמן ובן עזאי סבר אדר הסמוך לניסן לעולם חסר הילכך קביע ליה זמן בכ"ט באדר

6 [i.e., thirty days] sometimes defective [i.e., twenty-nine days] so that sometimes the Peras of Passover falls on the thirtieth of Adar and sometimes it falls on the twenty-ninth of Adar and for this reason he does not fix the time for the Peras. But Ben 'Azzai holds that the month of Adar which is next to Nisan is always defective; consequently he fixes the time for the Peras on the twenty-ninth of Adar. And the reason why he fixes the first of Siwan11 is that since animals are not plentiful,12 if you therefore say that he should tithe earlier,13 by the time the festival arrives, he will have finished eating them [the animals]. ON THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF AB etc. Ben 'Azzai follows the opinion he expresses when he Says: THOSE BORN IN ELUL ARE TITHED BY THEMSELVES.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' We cannot tithe those born in Elul for those born in Ab, in case the first of Elul is the New Year for the tithing of animals and we should thus be tithing the new for the old. We cannot also tithe the animals born in Tishri for those born in Elul, in case the first of Tishri is the New Year for tithing purposes. Since therefore there is a doubt whether the first of Elul or the first of Tishri is the New Year for tithing, those born in Elul are tithed amongst themselves. And for this reason the tithing Period of those born in summer is not fixed for the twenty-ninth of Elul i.e., the Peras of Tabernacles, so as not to combine the animals born in Ab with those born in Elul, which would be tithing the new for the old. On the other hand, we do not fix the period earlier than the twenty-ninth of Ab because we must defer the period of tithing to as near to the Festival as possible.');">14

ז באחד בסיון איידי דלא נפישי אי אמרת ליקדים ליעשר עד דמטי רגל שלמי להו:

7 And why not tithe them on the thirtieth of Ab?15

ח בכ"ט באב וכו': בן עזאי לטעמיה דאמר האלולין מתעשרין בפני עצמן

8 Sometimes16 the month of Ab is defective17 [i.e., twenty-nine days] and we need to make a distinction between the new and the old.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And although a lamb born on the first of Elul is too young for sacrifice, we nevertheless make a distinction so as not to tithe the new, viz., those born in Elul, for the old, viz., those born in Ab. Therefore we do not tithe at all those born in Ab with the animals born in Elul, even those born on the first of the month,');">18

ט וליעשרינהו ביום ל' זימנין דמחסרין ליה לאב ובעינן למיעבד הכירא בחדש וישן:

9 R'ELEAZAR AND R'SIMEON SAY: ON THE FIRST OF NISAN, ON THE FIRST OF SIWAN etc.' ON THE FIRST OF NISAN' in accordance with the opinion of R'Simeon B'Gamaliel who said: Two weeks.19

י ר' אלעזר ור"ש אומרים באחד בניסן בא' בסיון וכו': בא' בניסן כרשב"ג דאמר ב' שבתות בא' בסיון כדאמרן

10 ON THE FIRST OF SIWAN as we have explained above.20 ON THE TWENTY-NINTH OF ELUL because R'Eleazar and R'Simeon follow the opinion they express elsewhere, where they said: The first of Tishri is the New Year for the tithing of animals.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. R.H. 2a. And therefore we could not defer the tithing period later than to the last day of Elul, for we require that there should be a distinction between the new and the old.');">21 AND WHY DID [THE RABBIS] SAY THE TWENTY-NINTH OF ELUL AND NOT THE FIRST OF TISHRI? BECAUSE IT IS A HOLY DAY etc. And why not say that the reason is because we need to make a distinction between the new and the old?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And because of this we cannot fix the tithing period on the first of Tishri as then we should be tithing the new, viz., those born after the first of Tishri, which is a New Year for animals, for the old, those born before the first of Tishri.');">22

יא בכ"ט באלול רבי אלעזר ור' שמעון לטעמייהו דאמרי בא' בתשרי ר"ה למעשר בהמה:

11 - [The Mishnah] gives one reason and yet another.

יב ולמה אמרו בכ"ט באלול ולא אמרו באחד בתשרי מפני שהוא י"ט וכו': ותיפוק ליה דבעינן למעבד הכירא בחדש וישן

12 One reason is because we need to make a distinction between the new and the old. And yet another reason is because it is a Holy Day, and you cannot tithe on a Holy Day on account of the required marking of the tenth animal with paint.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And painting on a Holy Day is work which is forbidden. And the reason why it was fixed on the twenty-ninth day of Elul and not on the thirtieth is because in the majority of years Elul is defective i.e., twenty-nine days, and thus the thirtieth day of Elul would be Rosh Hashanah.');">23

יג חדא ועוד קאמר חדא דבעינן למיעבד הכירא בחדש וישן ועוד מפני שהוא י"ט ואי אפשר לעשר בי"ט משום סקרתא:

13 R'MEIR SAYS: THE FIRST OF ELUL IS THE NEW YEAR FOR THE TITHING OF ANIMALS.

יד ר"מ אומר באחד באלול ר"ה למעשר בהמה בן עזאי אומר וכו': תניא אמר בן עזאי הואיל והללו אומרים כך והללו אומרים כך האלולין מתעשרין לעצמן

14 BEN 'AZZAI SAYS etc. It has been taught: Said Ben 'Azzai: Since some hold the one opinion24 and others the other,25 therefore the animals born in Elul are tithed by themselves. And why not see which authority holds the more reasonable opinion?

טו וליחזי טעמיה דמאן מסתבר וכי תימא לא מצי קאי אטעמייהו והתניא בן עזאי אומר כל חכמי ישראל דומין עלי כקליפת השום חוץ מן הקרח הזה

15 And should you say that he [Ben 'Azzai] could not discover the reason of the authorities concerned, has it not been taught: 'Ben 'Azzai says: All the Sages of Israel are in comparison with myself, as thin as the husk of garlic,26 except that bald head'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Akiba, R. Joshua b. Korha mentioned in various places in the Talmud being the same person as the son of Akiba, and the word Korha meaning bald head. Tosaf. comment that it is not conceivable that Ben 'Azzai would thus refer to a great Sage like R. Akiba, the term bald head being employed in many cases in an abusive sense. Tosaf. therefore say that the word Korha refers to R. Eleazar b. Azariah, concerning whom it jre is said in the Jerushalmi that he was bald headed. Rabbenu Tam says that ('bald-head') was the name of a man.');">27 - Said R'Johanan: They28 gave their opinions purely as traditions derived from the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And not derived by a process of reasoning or supported from biblical texts. Thus Ben 'Azzai could not decide purely on grounds of reason which opinion he should adopt.');">29

טז א"ר יוחנן מפי השמועה אמרוה מפי חגי זכריה ומלאכי

16 It has been taught: In what way30 did Ben 'Azzai say that those born in Elul are tithed by themselves?

יז תניא באיזה צד אמר בן עזאי האלולים מתעשרין לעצמן נולדו לו ה' באב וה' באלול אין מצטרפין ה' באלול וה' בתשרי אין מצטרפין ה' בתשרי וה' באב מצטרפין

17 If five lambs were born in Ab and five in Elul, they do not combine [to enter one shed to be tithed]. [If] five [were born] in Elul and five in Tishri, they do not combine. If, however, five [were born] in Tishri and five in the following Ab, they combine.

יח פשיטא מהו דתימא כי היכי דמפסקי שנים מפסקי גרנות קמ"ל

18 Surely this is obvious?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That those born in Tishri and those born in the subsequent Ab combine to enter one shed, since the first of Tishri is a New Year and therefore all were born in the same year.');">31 - You might have said that just as 'the years interrupt,32 similarly the tithing periods also interrupt.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And that one cannot tithe animals born after one tithing period for those born previously, and between Tishri and the following Ab there are a number of tithing periods for animals,');">33

יט כדתנן חמשה לפני ראש השנה וחמשה לאחר ראש השנה אין מצטרפין חמשה לפני הגורן וחמשה לאחר הגורן הרי אלו מצטרפין

19 [The Baraitha] therefore informs us [that this is no so].

כ אמר רבא לדברי בן עזאי נולדו לו חמשה באב וחמשה באלול וחמשה בתשרי כונסן לדיר להתעשר

20 As we have learnt: FIVE LAMBS BORN BEFORE ROSH HASHANAH AND FIVE LAMBS BORN AFTER ROSH HASHANAH DO NOT COMBINE [TO ENTER THE ONE SHED] WHEREAS FIVE LAMBS BORN BEFORE THE TITHING PERIOD AND FIVE AFTER THE TITHING PERIOD DO COMBINE. Said Raba: According to the opinion of Ben 'Azzai,34 if five were born to him in Ab, five in Elul and five i Tishri, he brings them into a shed to be tithed.

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