POINT BY POINT SUMMARY
Prepared by Rabbi P. Feldman of Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Yerushalayim Rosh Kollel: Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld
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Bechoros 3
1) THE FINE FOR SELLING AN ANIMAL TO A "NOCHRI"
(a) Answer #2 (Beraisa - R. Yehudah): If Reuven was Mekabel
from a Nochri (and it gave birth), we estimate its value,
he gives half of this to a Kohen;
1. If he gave to a Nochri b'Kabalah, even though this
is forbidden, he is fined 10 times its value, he
gives its full value to a Kohen;
(b) Chachamim say, whenever a Nochri has a share, it is
exempt from Bechorah.
1. Suggestion: They discuss giving a female b'Kabalah
for its offspring.
(c) Rejection: No, they discuss giving a fetus.
(d) Support: It says "He is fined 10 times b'Damav"
(masculine - R. Gershom; Maharsha - it is unreasonable to
fine 10 times for giving a female for its offspring;
Rashi's text - it says, "He gives its full value to a
Kohen" - there is no reason to give the mother to a
Kohen).
(e) Version #1: This supports Reish Lakish.
1. (Reish Lakish): If one sold a large animal to a
Nochri, he is fined, he must buy it back for up to
10 times its value.
(f) Question: Is this precise, or not? (Must he pay even
more? Alternatively - is this an exaggeration?)
(g) Answer: R. Yehoshua ben Levi taught, if one sold a slave
to a Nochri, he is fined, he must buy it back for up to
100 times its value. (Rashi - each of these is precise,
otherwise both of them would have taught the same number;
Shitah Mekubetzes - surely, the same fine applies to an
animal, 10 is not precise.)
(h) Rejection: Perhaps the fine for an animal is [even]
smaller; it is not like selling a slave, for that
prevents the slave from being able to keep Mitzvos.
(i) Version #2 - (Reish Lakish): If one sold a large animal
to a Nochri, he is fined, he must buy it back for up to
100 times its value.
(j) Question (Beraisa): If he gave to a Nochri b'Kabalah,
even though this is forbidden, he is fined 10 times its
value.
(k) Answer: The fine is bigger for an absolute sale than for
giving b'Kabalah.
(l) Question: Reish Lakish says 100 - is this precise, or
not?
(m) Answer: R. Yehoshua ben Levi taught, if one sold a slave
to a Nochri, he is fined, he must buy it back for up to
10 times its value. (Rashi - surely, the fine for an
animal is not greater than for a slave, 100 is an
exaggeration; Shitah Mekubetzes - just like 10 for a
slave is not precise (surely, it is no less than for an
animal), 100 is not precise (one must pay more).
(n) Rejection #1: Perhaps the fine for an animal is larger,
because he gets to keep the animal.
(o) Rejection of rejection: This only justifies paying one
more times the value, not 90 times more!
(p) Rejection #2: It is unusual to sell a slave to Nochrim,
Chachamim did not [make a large] fine in unusual cases.
2) PARTIAL OWNERSHIP OF A "NOCHRI"
(a) (Beraisa - Chachamim): Whenever a Nochri has a share...
(b) (R. Yochanan): Both Tana'im expound the same verse -
"Chol Bechor."
(c) Possibility #1: Chachamim say, "Bechor" connotes even a
partial Bechor (i.e. part lacks Kedushas Bechor, because
it is owned by a Nochri), "Chol" requires it to be a full
Bechor;
1. R. Yehudah says, "Bechor" connotes a full Bechor,
"Chol" includes even a partial Bechor.
(d) Possibility #2: All agree that "Bechor" connotes that the
majority has Kedushas Bechor:
1. Chachamim say, "Chol" requires it to be a full
Bechor;
2. R. Yehudah says, "Chol" includes even a minority
Bechor.
(e) Question: [According to Chachamim,] how much must a
Nochri own to exempt it?
(f) Answer #1 (Rav Huna): Even if he owns an ear it is
exempt.
(g) Question (Rav Nachman): Even if the ear would be cut off
and given to the Nochri, the remainder would [be
blemished, but still] have Kedushas Bechor! (It must be
given to a Kohen, it is forbidden to work with it, shear
it, or sell it in the market.)
(h) Answer #2 (Rav Chisda): If a Nochri owns a part whose
removal would make it Neveilah, it is exempt.
(i) Answer #3 (Rava): If removal of the Nochri's share would
make it Treifah, it is exempt.
(j) Question: What do Rava and Rav Chisda argue about?
(k) Answer: They argue about whether or not a Treifah can
live (R. Gershom - for 12 months):
1. Rava holds that it cannot;
2. Rav Chisda holds that it can - therefore, the
Nochri's share is not essential unless its removal
would make it Neveilah.
(l) Rabanan: Rav Chisda and Rava do not argue with Rav Huna -
they say how much a Nochri must own of the mother to
exempt, Rav Huna says how much he must own of the fetus
to exempt.
(m) Objection (Rav Papa): Presumably, you say that any
(Nochri) ownership in the fetus exempts, because this is
not "Kol Bechor";
1. If so, any ownership in the mother should also
exempt, because this is not "v'Chol Miknecha
Tizachar"!
2. Rather, there is no distinction between the mother
and the fetus.
(n) Question (against all three answers - Mar bar Rav Ashi):
Why is this different than Nefalim (non-viable offspring)
- they get Kedushas Bechor, even though they have no life
at all!
1. "[Kedushas Bechor applies to] Peter *Sheger*
Behemah" - this is a fetus that was born prematurely
(alternatively - a miscarriage).
(o) Answer: There, the entire fetus is fitting for Kedushas
Bechor, this is "bi'Vehemah Kol Bechor"; here, there is a
mixture of Chulin (the Nochri's share), the verse does
not apply.
3) IS A DEVIATION A "MUM"?
(a) R. Asi (to R. Elazar): [When you were not in the Beis
Medrash,] R. Yochanan taught a law and explained a
Mishnah.
3b---------------------------------------3b
(b) (R. Yochanan): Even if removal of the Nochri's share
would make a minor Mum, it is exempt.
(c) (Mishnah): If a sheep gave birth to a goat, or
vice-versa, it is [a Nidmeh, it is] exempt from Bechorah;
1. If the child resembles its mother in some ways, it
has Kedushas Bechor;
2. (R. Yochanan): [Since it primarily resembles another
species,] this is a Kavu'a (permanent) Mum, it may
be slaughtered (outside the Mikdash, like Chulin).
(d) Question: Granted, the first teaching is a Chidush - it
is like Rav Huna, and unlike Rav Chisda and Rava;
(e) (Ramban - some say that it is not exactly like Rav Huna,
who exempts even if removal of the Nochri's share would
not make any Mum.)
1. But it is no Chidush to say that a partial Nidmeh is
a Mum Kavu'a - a Mishnah teaches that any deviation
is a Mum!
2. (Mishnah): If its mouth resembles a swine's mouth,
this is a Mum.
3. Suggestion: Perhaps that is a Mum because it
resembles something that has no Kedushas Bechor, but
if it bears resemblance to a sheep or goat (even
though this is unlike its mother), this is not a
Mum!
4. Rejection: A Mishnah (as explained by a Beraisa)
refutes this!
i. (Mishnah): If one eye was big or one eye was
small, this is a Mum.
ii. (Beraisa): This refers to an eye (of a Seh) as
big as that of a calf or as small as that of a
goose.
iii. Granted, geese have no Kedushas Bechor, but
calves do; surely, an eye as big as a calf's is
a Mum because it is a deviation!
(f) Answer: No, the Mishnah refers to the Mum of Sharu'a (one
limb of a pair is bigger than its counterpart).
(g) Support (Mishnah): These Mumim (of animals, listed in the
sixth Perek), whether Over (temporary) or Kavu'a,
disqualify a Kohen from Avodah; in addition, if a Kohen's
eyes are too big or too small, he is Pasul.
1. Big or small eyes disqualifies a Kohen, for it says
"Ish Ish mi'Zera Aharon" - a Kohen must be similar
to other descendants of Aharon (like regular
people);
2. Big or small eyes do not Posel an animal.
3. Question: Why is an animal Pasul if it has one big
or one small eye?
i. If any deviation is a Mum, even two big or
small eyes should Posel!
4. Answer: This is [the Mum called] "Sharu'a."
(h) Rejection (of the answer and the support) : Really, the
deviation is Posel;
1. Two big or small eyes does not Posel, because it is
due to the animal being healthy or weak!
2. We cannot attribute one big or small eye to being
healthy or weak - if so, both should be the same!
4) EXEMPTING FROM "BECHORAH"
(a) A case occurred, a Nochri gave an animal to his sister,
who was a convert, to fatten it.
(b) (Rava): No one is concerned for R. Yehudah's opinion that
partnership of a Nochri does not exempt from Bechorah.
(c) Rav Mari bar Rachel had a flock, he used to Makneh
(transfer ownership of) the ears to a Nochri, yet he
would forbid working (with the Bechoros) and would give
them to Kohanim; his flock died out.
(d) Question: Since he would forbid working with them and
give them to Kohanim, why did he give the ears to a
Nochri?
(e) Answer: He was concerned for Takalah (lest someone
slaughter it by mistake).
(f) Question: Why did his flock die out?
(g) Answer #1: It was a punishment for uprooting Kedushas
Bechor.
1. Question: But Rav Yehudah taught that it is
permitted to blemish a Bechor before it leaves the
womb (even though this uproots the Kedushah)!
2. Answer: This disqualifies it from Hakravah, but the
Mitzvah to give it to a Kohen remains; Rav Mari
uprooted the entire Mitzvah.
(h) Answer #2: Rav Mari caused a Takalah - he knew how to
Makneh to a Nochri; onlookers who did not know the proper
way would Makneh in an invalid way (and mistakenly think
that the Bechor was not Kodesh).
(i) (Rashi - they thought that he was Makneh verbally, in
fact the Nochri paid money; Tosfos - he was Makneh the
mother for the sake of acquiring the fetus' ear, people
would Makneh the ear of the fetus (a Davar she'Lo Ba
l'Olam, it does not take effect); Shitah Mekubetzes - he
told the Nochri to do Meshichah on a pregnant mother to
acquire the fetus' ear, people would do this before the
mother was pregnant; R. Gershom - one of his adult
children would Mezakeh (acquire) on behalf of the Nochri,
others would Mezakeh through a minor.)
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