Study Bekhorot folio 19A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
that this offspring born to the ewe that had not previously given birth is superior. The Talmud concludes: Consequently, it was necessary to teach each case.
Mishnah: With regard to an animal born by caesarean section and the offspring that follows it, since there is uncertainty whether each is a firstborn, neither is given to the priest. R' Tarfon says: Both of them must graze until they become unfit, and they may be eaten in their blemished state by
Talmud: The Talmud asks: With regard to what do R' Akiva and R' Tarfon disagree? R' Tarfon is uncertain with regard to an animal that is a firstborn in one aspect, e.g., first to be born or first to open the womb, whether it is considered a firstborn or whether it is not considered a firstborn. An
With regard to the definition of a firstborn, A baraita states: This halakha can be derived by means of the form of exegesis known as: From a generalization that requires a detail, and from a detail that requires a generalization. How so? The verse states: “Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, that wh
And had the verse stated only: “Every firstborn male,” one might have thought that the first male offspring of an animal has firstborn status, even in a case where a female emerged from the womb before it. Therefore, the verse states: “That which opens any womb,” to teach that only an animal that