Bekhorot 55

ואידך

And [what says] the other [to this]? - From that text one could say that it refers to the wave-breast and the right thigh of a thanksgiving offering.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which can only be eaten for one day and a night. Therefore the school of Rabbi infers this from the text 'Thou shalt eat it' etc.');">¹</span>

אי מהתם איכא למימר

And the other? - Scripture says: 'Shall be thine' thus adding another 'being' in connection with the first-born.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which shows that it is to be eaten for two days and a night, unlike some sacrifices,');">²</span>

חזה ושוק של תודה

And the other? - If we go by that text, we could say that it teaches concerning a blemished firstling that he gives it to the priest,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Therefore the school of Rabbi cannot derive the period of eating for a firstling from 'Shall be thine', as Rab maintains.');">³</span>

ואידך

as we do not find this stated [explicitly] in th whole of the Torah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tosaf. however explains that this means that we do not find elsewhere that the priest should benefit from a sacrifice which became blemished, as is the case with regard to a firstling.');">⁴</span>

אמר קרא

And the other?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rab who deduces the period of two days and a night from 'Shall be thine' whence does he infer that a blemished firstling may be eaten?');">⁵</span>

לך יהיה הוסיף לך הכתוב הויה אחרת בבכור

- It says: 'And the flesh of them', intimating that an unblemished as well as a blemished firstling [may be eaten].

ואידך

And the other? - The text: 'And the flesh of them' refers to the firstlings of all the Israelites.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The text 'And the flesh of them' only refers to unblemished firstlings, and the plural 'them' alludes to the Israelites.');">⁶</span>

הא מהתם איכא למימר

IF A BLEMISH APPEARED ON IT DURING ITS FIRST YEAR, HE IS PERMITTED TO KEEP IT ALL THE TWELVE MONTHS.

האי יהיה לך לימד על בכור בעל מום שנותנו לכהן שלא מצינו לו בכל התורה כולה

The query was put forward.

ואידך

What does [the Mishnah exactly] mean?

אמר ובשרם אחד תם ואחד בעל מום

Does it mean that if a blemish appeared on it during its first year, he is allowed to keep it all the twelve months and thirty days besides?

ואידך

Or does [the Mishnah] mean that where a blemish appeared on it during its first year, he is allowed to keep it all the twelve months but no longer, and where a blemish appeared on it after its first year, he is not allowed to keep it except for thirty days? - Come and hear: It was taught: A firstling in our days,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When an unblemished firstling is not fit for anything.');">⁷</span>

ובשרם דהני בכורות דכולהו ישראל קאמר:

so long as it is not fit to show to a Sage,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., before a blemish appears on it so that he can show it to a Sage in order to decide whether it is a transitory or permanent blemish. Tosaf. explains the expression as meaning where a Sage is not at hand, for the Israelite is not compelled to go to distant parts to have the blemish examined.');">⁸</span>

נולד לו מום בתוך שנתו רשאי לקיימו כל י"ב חדש:

is allowed to be kept for two or three years.

איבעיא להו

And when it is fit to show to a Sage, if a blemish appeared on it during its first year, he is allowed to keep it all the twelv months, whereas after its first year, he is not allowed to keep it even one day nor even one hour.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Now it is assumed that the Baraitha deals here with a case where the blemish appeared in its first year.');">⁹</span>

היכי קאמר

On the ground, however, of restoring a lost object to the owners,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the priest, for if the firstling must not be kept for any period in the possession of the Israelite, he may not find a priest to whom to give it, and if he kills it, it will become putrid, thus making a loss for the priest. Therefore the Israelite must keep it for thirty days, after which period he is allowed to kill and salt it keeping it until he finds a priest. The comment of Tosaf., however, is that we are dealing where the firstling is in the possession of the priest, giving the latter a period of thirty days to hold it, in case he had no need for the flesh at the moment. But the Israelite must always wait until he finds a priest to receive the firstling.');">¹⁰</span>

נולד לו בתוך שנתו רשאי לקיימו כל י"ב חדש ולאחר שנתו נמי שלשים

[the Rabbis] said that he is allowed to keep it fo thirty days!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' We consequently see that the thirty days of the Mishnah refers to a blemish in its first year.');">¹¹</span>

או דלמא

But I can still however raise the question [concerning the Baraitha itself]: Does it mean thirty days after its first year<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., that the blemish appeared after its first year.');">¹²</span>

היכא דנולד בו מום בתוך שנתו רשאי לקיימו כל שנים עשר חדש ותו לא והיכא דנולד לו אחר שנתו אינו רשאי לקיימו אלא שלשים

or before its first year?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The blemish appeared before the first year ended, and he keeps it for thirty days after its first year. The words 'whereas after its first year' can bear either interpretation.');">¹³</span>

ת"ש דתניא

- Come and hear: If a blemish appeared on it fifteen days during its first year, we complete for it fifteen days after its first year.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' We give the animal thirty days from the time when a blemish appears on it, and if a blemish appeared after the year or a little while before the expiration of the year, we give it thirty days from the time of the blemish for the Israelite to keep it. And we also infer that if the blemish appeared a month or three months in its first year, the Israelite waits until the end of its year.');">¹⁴</span>

בכור בזמן הזה עד שלא נראה להראותו לחכם רשאי לקיימו שתים ושלש שנים

This proves it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the thirty days of the Mishnah refers to where a blemish appears after its year, for if the blemish appeared in its first year even a day before its expiration, we do not give the animal thirty full days but only complete the period of thirty days.');">¹⁵</span>

ומשנראה להראותו לחכם נולד לו מום בתוך שנתו רשאי לקיימו כל שנים עשר חדש אחר שנתו אינו רשאי לקיימו אפילו יום אחד ואפילו שעה אחת אבל מפני השבת אבידה לבעלים אמרו

This supports the views of R'Eleazar.

רשאי לקיימו שלשים יום

For R'Eleazar said: We give it thirty days from the time when the blemish appeared on it.

ועדיין תיבעי לי

Some there are who read: R'Eleazar said: Whence do we know that if a blemish appeared on a firstling in its first year we give it thirty days after its year?

שלשים יום אחר שנתו או דלמא קודם שנתו

It is said: Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year year.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XV, 20. Which implies that it is not eaten in the year of its blemish.');">¹⁶</span>

ת"ש

Now, what is the number of days which is reckoned [by all authorities] as a year?

נולד לו מום בחמשה עשר יום בתוך שנתו משלימין לו חמשה עשר יום אחר שנתו ש"מ

You must admit that it is thirty days.

מסייע לרבי אלעזר דאמר רבי אלעזר

An objection was raised: [It is taught]: If a blemish appeared on it fifteen days in its year, we complete for it fifteen days after its year.

נותנין לו שלשים יום משעה שנולד בו מום

We deduce from here that we complete thirty days, but we do not give it [thirty full days after its first year].

איכא דאמרי א"ר אלעזר

This is a refutation of R'Eleazar! It is indeed a refutation.

מנין לבכור שנולד בו מום בתוך שנתו שנותנין לו שלשים יום אחר שנתו

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>IF ONE SLAUGHTERED THE FIRSTLING AND SHOWED ITS BLEMISH [TO AN EXPERT],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' After its killing, and the expert discovered that it was a permanent blemish.');">¹⁷</span>

שנאמר

R'JUDAH PERMITS,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the animal was after all seen by an expert.');">¹⁸</span>

(דברים טו, כ) לפני ה' אלהיך תאכלנו שנה בשנה איזו הן ימים החשובין שנה הוי אומר אלו שלשים יום

WHEREAS R'MEIR SAYS: SINCE IT WAS NOT SLAUGHTERED BY THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE EXPERT, IT IS FORBIDDEN.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' We punish him because he did not show it to an expert before its killing:');">¹⁹</span>

מיתיבי

IF ONE WHO IS NOT AN EXPERT SEES THE FIRSTLING AND IT WAS SLAUGHTERED BY HIS INSTRUCTIONS, IN SUCH A CASE IT SHALL BE BURIED AND HE SHALL MAKE REPARATION OUT OF HIS OWN ESTATE.

נולד לו מום בחמשה עשר יום בתוך שנתו משלימין לו חמשה עשר יום אחר שנתו

<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>Said Rabba B'Bar Hana: In the case of a blemish of withered spots in the eye,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If he showed it after its killing.');">²⁰</span>

השלמה אין מיהבא לא

all agree that i is forbidden, for they change.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Owing to its death agony the eye is liable to change and therefore although at the moment the blemish seems to be a permanent one, it is possible that if he had examined it when the animal was still alive, the blemish might have been found to be a transitory one.');">²¹</span>

תיובתא דרבי אלעזר תיובתא:

They only differ regarding blemishes of the body.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., a slit in the ear.');">²²</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> השוחט את הבכור ומראה את מומו ר' יהודה מתיר

R'Meir maintaining that we prohibit blemishes of the body on account of withered spots in the eye, whereas R'Judah maintains that we do not prohibit blemishes of the body on account of withered spots in the eye.

רבי מאיר אומר

It has also been taught to the same effect: If one slaughtered a firstling and showed [an expert] its blemish [after its slaughter], R'Judah says: If there are withered spots in the eye, it is forbidden, since they change, whereas if there are bodily blemishes, it is permitted because they do not change.

הואיל ונשחט שלא ע"פ מומחה אסור

But R'Meir says: Both in the one case as in the other it is forbidden, because they change.

מי שאינו מומחה ורואה את הבכור ונשחט על פיו הרי זה יקבר וישלם מביתו:

[You say] 'Because they change' - you cannot mean that?

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> אמר רבה בר בר חנה

Do bodily blemishes change? - Rather what R'Meir means is on account of those [blemishes] that change.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., withered spots in the eye, we penalize the Israelite even in cases of bodily blemishes.');">²³</span>

בדוקין שבעין דכולי עלמא לא פליגי דאסור מפני שהן משתנין

Said R'Nahman B'Isaac:

לא נחלקו אלא במומין שבגוף דרבי מאיר סבר

גזרינן מומין שבגוף אטו דוקין שבעין ורבי יהודה סבר

לא גזרינן מומין שבגוף אטו דוקין שבעין

תניא נמי הכי

השוחט את הבכור ומראה את מומיו ר' יהודה אומר

בדוקין שבעין אסור מפני שהן משתנין במומין שבגוף מותר מפני שאין משתנין

רבי מאיר אומר

אחד זה ואחד זה אסור מפני שהן משתנין

מפני שהן משתנין סלקא דעתך

מומין שבגוף מי משתנין

אלא

מפני המשתנין

אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק