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Bechoros 2:9-3:1

Bechoros 2:9

If an animal was born by C-section and another animal was later delivered vaginally by the same mother, Rabbi Tarfon says that both offspring must graze until they develop a blemish, at which point they may be eaten by their owners. Rabbi Akiva says that neither animal is halachically a firstborn, neither the first because it didn’t open the womb, nor the second because another offspring preceded it.

Bechoros 3:1

If a Jew purchases an animal from a non-Jew and it is unknown whether that animal has given birth birth before, Rabbi Yishmael says that the offspring of a one-year-old goat definitely belongs to the kohein but older than this is in doubt; the offspring of a two-year-old sheep definitely belongs to the kohein but older than this is in doubt; the offspring of a three-year-old cow or donkey definitely belongs to the kohein but older than this is in doubt. Rabbi Akiva said to Rabbi Yishmael that this would be the case if an animal were exempted only by having offspring but the Sages have taught us that the sign of having given birth is a discharge in small animals, a placenta in large animals, and a membrane or the placenta in human women. The general principle is that if we know for sure that the animal has already given birth before, the kohein doesn’t receive anything. If the animal has not previously given birth, the offspring belongs to the kohein. If the animal’s status is in doubt, it may be eaten by its owners after it develops a blemish. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says that if a large animal discharges a blood clot, it must be buried (as a miscarried firstborn offspring) and the animal is then exempt from firstborn offspring.

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz