Study Temurah folio 25A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
אמאי אין קדושה חלה עליהן? קסבר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל: ולדות קדשים בהוייתן הן קדושין, דאי סלקא דעתך ממעי אמן הן קדושין — אמאי אין קדושה חלה עליהן? הא תפסתינהו קדושה דאימייהו! אלא שמע מינה: ולדי קדשים בהוייתן הן קדושים.
The Talmud asks: Why aren’t they imbued with the sanctity of the mother? The Talmud answers: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel holds that the offspring of sacrificial animals are imbued with sanctity only as they come into being, i.e., from the moment they are born. As, if it enters your mind that they are sanctified already in the womb of their mother, why are they not imbued with the sanctity of the mother? After all, the sanctity of their mother has taken hold of them. Rather, learn from it that the offspring of sacrificial animals are sanctified only as they come into being.
והאי תנא סבר ולדי קדשים ממעי אמן הן קדושים, דתנו רבנן: אילו לא נאמר ״בכור לא יקדיש״ הייתי אומר בכור לא יקדיש הקדישות, תלמוד לומר ״איש אותו״ — אותו אי אתה מקדיש, אבל מקדיש אדם בכור הקדישות.
And this tanna disagrees with Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and holds that the offspring of sacrificial animals are sanctified in the womb of their mother. As A baraita states: It is written with regard to a firstborn: “But the firstborn among animals, which is born as a firstling to YHWH, man should not consecrate it” (Leviticus 27:26). If that verse were not complete but merely stated: The firstborn should not consecrate, I would have said that the verse is teaching that a firstborn man should not consecrate non-sacred items. Therefore, the verse states: “Man should not consecrate it,” i.e., you may not consecrate it, a firstborn animal, but a firstborn man may consecrate non-sacred items.
ועדיין אני אומר: הוא לא יקדיש, אבל יקדישוהו אחרים. תלמוד לומר ״בבהמה״ — בבהמה עסקתי.
But still, I would say that specifically a firstborn man may not consecrate a firstborn animal with a different sanctity, but others who are not firstborns may consecrate a firstborn animal. Therefore, the verse states: “Among animals,” indicating that I am dealing with firstborn animals, not firstborn men, i.e., the verse is teaching that all people are prohibited to consecrate a firstborn animal with a different sanctity that that of a firstborn.