Study Bekhorot folio 54B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
יתעשרו מזה על זה! אמר ליה: אמר קרא ״העשירי״, תן עשירי לזה ותן עשירי לזה. אי הכי, כבשים ועזים נמי? ״וצאן״ משמע כל צאן אחד.
let them be tithed from one for the other. Abaye said to him that the verse states: “The tenth should be sacred to YHWH” (Leviticus 27:32). This indicates that one must give the tenth animal from this, the flock, and give the tenth animal from that, the herd, with each counted and given separately. The Talmud raises a difficulty: If so, sheep and goats should also have to be tithed separately. The Talmud answers that the verse states: “Or the flock,” which means that all the goats and sheep are one flock and may be tithed together.
הכא נמי לימא משמע כל דגן אחד! אמר אביי: ״ראשיתם״, וכן אמר רבי אילעא: ״ראשיתם״.
The Talmud raises a further difficulty: Here too, with regard to teruma and tithes, let us say that the term “grain” (Numbers 18:12) means that all the different types of grain are considered one grain, and may be tithed together. Abaye said in response that there it is different, as the verse states: “The first part of them” (Numbers 18:12), in the plural, which teaches that one must give the first part for each type of produce separately. And R' Ile’a says likewise that “the first part of them” teaches that one must give the first part for each type of produce separately.
רבא אמר: בלא ״ראשיתם״ נמי משמע כל דגן אחד — לא מצית אמרת. בשלמא התם אמרינן: ״וצאן״ משמע כל צאן אחד, דאי סלקא דעתך כבשים ועזים נמי — לכתוב ״וכל מעשר בהמה״.
Rava said that there is an alternative answer: Even without the term “the first part of them” there is also no difficulty, as you cannot say the term “grain” means that all the different types of grain are considered one grain. Rava explains: Granted, there, with regard to sheep and goats, we say that the term “or the flock” means that all goats and sheep are one flock. Because if it enters your mind that sheep and goats may also not be tithed one for the other, like the herd and the flock, let the verse write: And all the animal tithe, without distinguishing between herds and flocks.