Study Bekhorot folio 57B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
סבר לה כרבי שמעון, דאמר: יוצא דופן — ולד מעליא הוא, ודלא כרבי יוחנן.
he holds in accordance with the opinion of R' Shimon, who says that a human child born by caesarean section is a full-fledged offspring and renders its mother ritually impure with the impurity of childbirth. Likewise, with regard to an animal born by caesarean section, he holds the birth was a proper birth and the animal may be brought as an offering, and therefore it also enters the pen to be tithed. And this is not in accordance with the opinion of R' Yoḥanan, who holds that R' Shimon concedes that an animal born by caesarean section is disqualified from being brought as an offering (see Nidda 40a).
במחוסר זמן סבר לה כרבי שמעון בן יהודה, יתום — כגון שהשלח קיים, ורבי יהושע לטעמיה, דאמר: אפילו שחט את אמו והשלח קיים — אין זה יתום.
And with regard to an animal whose time has not yet arrived, this tanna holds in accordance with the opinion of R' Shimon ben Yehuda, who maintains that the obligation of animal tithe applies to such an animal. As for an orphan animal, he is referring to a case where the mother’s hide exists at birth, i.e., the mother’s hide is present after the birth, and therefore the animal is not considered an orphan. And R' Yehoshua, whose opinion this tanna follows, conforms to his standard line of reasoning, as he says: Even if its mother was slaughtered but its hide exists at birth, i.e., if the mother’s hide is present after the birth, this is not an orphan.
העיד רבי ישמעאל בן סתריאל מערקת לבנה לפני רבי: במקומנו מפשיטין את המתה ומלבישין את החי. אמר רבי: נתגלה טעמה של משנתינו.
R' Yishmael ben Satriel, from a place called Arkat Leveina, testified before R' Yehuda HaNasi: In our locale, if an animal dies while giving birth they flay the dead mother’s skin and clothe the living newborn animal with it for protection. R' Yehuda HaNasi said: This testimony of yours reveals the reason for the ruling of the Mishnah that if the hide of the mother still exists the offspring is not considered to be an orphan; the hide serves as a substitute for the mother.