Study Bekhorot folio 48B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
לאו ככתובה בשטר דמיא, ודכולי עלמא אית להו דרב פפא, דאמר רב פפא: מלוה על פה גובה מן היורשין ואינו גובה מן הלקוחות.
is not like one written in a document, but like an oral loan. And everyone accepts the opinion of Rav Pappa, as Rav Pappa says: When a creditor gives a loan by oral agreement, he can collect the debt from the heirs of the debtor after his death but he cannot collect the debt from the purchasers of the debtor’s property. Consequently, the priest can collect the redemption money only from the half of the property with regard to which the sons are considered heirs, and since the entire property is worth only 5 sela coins he would be able to take only 2½ sela coins.
והכא בחמש ולא בחצי חמש קמיפלגי, דרבי מאיר סבר: חמש ולא חצי חמש, ורבי יהודה סבר: חמש ואפילו חצי חמש.
And here R' Meir and R' Yehuda disagree with regard to the issue of: 5, but not with half of 5. As R' Meir holds that the Torah requires giving specifically 5 sela coins, but not half or part of 5; therefore, the brothers are exempt from giving a priest those 2½ sela coins. And R' Yehuda maintains that the Torah requires giving 5 sela coins, and even half or part of 5. Therefore, he rules that the priest takes those 2½ sela coins from the property with regard to which the sons are considered heirs.
אי הכי, רבי יהודה אומר נתחייבו נכסים, נתחייב גברא מיבעי ליה! ועוד, תניא: רבי יהודה אומר: האחין שחלקו, אם יש עשרה זוז לזה ועשרה זוז לזה — חייבין, ואם לאו — פטורין.
The Talmud asks: If so, when R' Yehuda says: The obligation to redeem the firstborn already took effect on the property of the father, he should have said that the obligation to redeem the firstborn took effect on the man, i.e., the brothers who are obligated to pay the sum, as R' Yehuda agrees that the priest forfeits the half of the obligation that applies to the property. And furthermore, it is taught in a baraita that R' Yehuda says: In a case where the identity of the firstborn is unknown, and the brothers divided their father’s property, if there are 10 dinars, which equals 2½ sela coins, for this brother, and 10 dinars for that brother, they are obligated to pay the priest; and if not, they are exempt.