Bekhorot 3

מתני׳ <big><strong>הלוקח</strong></big> עובר חמורו של עובד כוכבים והמוכר לו אע"פ שאינו רשאי המשתתף לו והמקבל הימנו והנותן לו בקבלה פטור מן הבכורה שנאמר

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>[AN ISRAELITE] WHO BUYS AN EMBRYO<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A firstling.');">¹</span>

בישראל אבל לא באחרים:

OF AN ASS BELONGING TO A HEATHEN OR WHO SELLS ONE TO HIM, ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT PERMITTED,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For one is forbidden to sell large cattle to a heathen because the animal is worked on the Sabbath. (A.Z. 14b) .');">²</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> כל הני למה לי

OR WHO FORMS A PARTNERSHIP WITH HIM,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Both purchasing an animal between them.');">³</span>

צריכי דאי תנא לוקח ה"א

OR WHO RECEIVES [AN ANIMAL] FROM HIM TO LOOK AFTER<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Israelite for attending to the animal receiving in payment half of the offspring, but the animal itself belonging to the heathen.');">⁴</span>

משום דקא מייתי לה לקדושה אבל מוכר דקא מפקע לה מקדושה אימא ליקנסיה קמ"ל

OR WHO GIVES [HIS ASS] TO HIM TO LOOK AFTER,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Israelite sharing a half or a third of the offspring.');">⁵</span>

והמשתתף לו למה לי

IS EXEMPT FROM THE [LAW OF THE] FIRSTLING,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which required the Israelite to set apart the first-born as holy to be given to the priest and in the case of the firstling of an ass, to redeem it with a sheep, failing which its neck was broken. (Ex. XIII, 12, 13) .');">⁶</span>

לאפוקי מדרבי יהודה דאמר

FOR IT SAYS:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. III, 13.');">⁷</span>

שותפות עובד כוכבים חייבת בבכורה קמשמע לן דפטורה מן הבכורה

['I HALLOWED UNTO ME ALL THE FIRSTBORN] IN ISRAEL', BUT NOT IN GENTILES<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'in others'; where a Gentile has any share in the mother or the offspring, the firstborn is not holy.');">⁸</span>

והמקבל ל"ל

<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>What need is there for all these [cases mentioned in the Mishnah?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' HE WHO . . SELLS ... FORMS A PARTNERSHIP etc., since obviously the principle that a non-Jew sharing in an animal or its offspring exempts the Israelite from the law of the first-born and which is applied in the first case (HE WHO BUYS etc.) , applies equally to the others.');">⁹</span>

משום דקא בעי למיתני והנותן לו בקבלה

- It is necessary [to state al these cases].

והנותן לו בקבלה למה לי

For if it taught only the case of HE WHO BUYS etc. , I might have thought the reason was because he brings it [the animal] into the state of holiness<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The animal coming into the possession of an Israelite will now rest on the Sabbath and therefore, having thereby performed a meritorious act he should not be punished by being made liable to observe the law of the firstling.');">¹⁰</span>

איצטריך סד"א

but where he sells [to a heathen], since he releases it from holiness, he should be punished.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By being compelled to redeem it and give it to the priest.');">¹¹</span>

הואיל ועיקר בהמה דישראל היא ליקנסיה דלמא אתי לאיחלופי בבהמה אחריתי קמשמע לן

He accordingly states the second case [WHO SELLS etc.] What need is there for the statement OR WHO FORMS A PARTNERSHIP WITH HIM?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If where the whole firstling belongs to the Israelite he is exempt, how much more so when he only shares in the offspring as a partner?');">¹²</span>

תנן התם

- It is to exclude the ruling of R'Judah Who said: A partnership with a heathen is subject to the law of the first-born.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Half of the value of the first-born is consequently given to the priest.');">¹³</span>

ר' יהודה מתיר בשבורה בן בתירא מתיר בסוס

[The Mishnah] accordingly informs us [that a partnership with a heathen exempts the Israelite from the duty of the first-born].

איבעיא להו

What need is there for the case OR [AN ISRAELITE] WHO RECEIVES etc.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since, clearly, the rule that a non-Jew sharing in the animal or offspring exempts the Israelite from the law of the firstborn, applies here as in the previous passages.');">¹⁴</span>

עובר מה לי א"ר יהודה

? - It is necessary because [the Mishnah] wishes to teach the next case: OR [AN ISRAELITE] WHO GIVES [HIS ASS] TO HIM TO LOOK AFTER'And what need is there to state [the latter case itself.] OR [AN ISRAELITE] WHO GIVES etc.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' What is the difference whether the Israelite undertakes to care for the heathen's animal or the non-Jew undertakes to attend to the Israelite's animal? For in both instances, since the non-Jew has a share in the offspring, the law of the first-born does not apply.');">¹⁵</span>

טעמא דר' יהודה התם דשרי משום דשבורה

? - It is necessary.

עובר נמי שבור הוא

You might be inclined to assume that since the animal itself belongs to the Israelite<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of: OR WHO GIVES HIM etc., the whole animal, as well as half of the offspring. belongs to the Israelite.');">¹⁶</span>

או דלמא שבורה לאו היינו אורחיה אבל עובר כיון דהיינו אורחיה לאו שבור הוא

we should punish him lest one come to confuse this with another animal.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In which the gentile has no portion either in the mother or in its offspring, claiming that exemption is also applicable in this instance.');">¹⁷</span>

ת"ש

[The Mishnah] accordingly informs us that we have no such fear.

והמוכר לו אף על פי שאינו רשאי ולא פליג ר' יהודה

We have learnt elsewhere:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A.Z. 14b.');">¹⁸</span>

וליטעמיך המשתתף לו והמקבל ממנו והנותן לו בקבלה דלא קתני הכי נמי דלא פליג

R'Judah permits the selling to a heathen of a maimed [animal]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' An animal with a broken leg. The permission refers only to a place where there is no fear of carnal relations with animals.');">¹⁹</span>

אלא פליג ולא קתני ה"נ פליג ולא קתני:

Ben Bathyra permits the selling of a horse.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since a horse is generally used for riding, and if a gentile employed it in that manner on the Sabbath, there would be no breaking of the biblical prohibition of the Sabbath law, as riding on the Sabbath is only a rabbinic restriction.');">²⁰</span>

ת"ש ר' יהודה אומר

The question was asked: What is R'Judah's ruling on selling an embryo to a heathen?

המקבל בהמה מן העובד כוכבים וילדה מעלין אותו בשוויו ונותן חצי דמיו לכהן

Is the reason of R'Judah for allowing in that case<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of a maimed animal.');">²¹</span>

והנותן לו בקבלה אף על פי שאינו רשאי קונסים אותו עד עשרה בדמיו ונותן כל דמיו לכהן

because the animal is maimed and therefore an embryo also being incapable of work is on a par with a maimed [animal]? Or is the reason perhaps because a maimed [animal] is not a frequent occurrence,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore we do not fear that if this is permitted, one would sell an ordinary animal to a heathen.');">²²</span> but a case of an embryo, being a frequent occurrence,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because after its birth it is fit for work, and therefore if we allow it to be sold as an embryo, we may think that it is also permissible to sell an ordinary animal to a heathen.');">²³</span> is unlike the case of a maimed [animal]? - Come and hear: OR WHO SELLS AN EMBRYO TO HIM ALTHOUGH HE IS NOT PERMITTED; and R'Judah does not contest this!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And we are dealing with the case of an embryo and the Mishnah says ALTHOUGH HE IS NOT PERMITTED. Hence from the silence of R. Judah we may infer that the selling of an embryo to a heathen is forbidden according to every authority.');">²⁴</span> - But, according to your argument [in the cases mentioned in the Mishnah] OR WHO FORMS A PARTNERSHIP OR WHO RECEIVES FROM HIM OR WHO GIVES HIM, where [the Mishnah] does not expressly state that R'Judah differs, is it really the fact that he does not differ?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Judah differs from the Mishnah, as we have seen, with reference to a partnership with a heathen, and he also differs as stated later in the cases where an Israelite undertakes to look after a heathen's animal where a heathen looks after an Israelite's animal.');">²⁵</span> You must admit that he does differ without [the Mishnah] saying so; similarly here<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where an Israelite sells an embryo to a heathen.');">²⁶</span> also he differs without the Mishnah saying so. Come and hear: R'Judah says: If one received an animal from a heathen to look after<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To share half the offspring between the Israelite and the heathen.');">²⁷</span> and it gave birth [to a firstling] we settle [with the gentile partner] for what it is worth and half of its value is given priest.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The animal, however, is not consecrated for sacrifice on the altar, since half of it belongs to a heathen.');">²⁸</span> Or if [an Israelite] gives [an animal] to him [a heathen] to look after, although he is not permitted.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To sell an animal to a heathen.');">²⁹</span> we punish him by compelling him to redeem the animal<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From the possession of the heathen.');">³⁰</span> even up to ten times its value and he gives its whole value to the priest.