1,173. If the Owner Doesn't Wish to Redeem the Donkey

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, MS Ed., is Torah Content Editor at the Orthodox Union. He is the author of nine books, including The Tzniyus Book, The Taryag Companion, The God Book and Ask Rabbi Jack. His two-volume The Complete Targum Onkelos is available from Kodesh Press as well as on Amazon.

178:3 It is forbidden to have any benefit from the donkey before it is redeemed, even if one gave it to the kohein. Even the kohein is not allowed to use the donkey until it is redeemed and he takes possession of the lamb. If the donkey died before it was redeemed, it must be buried.

178:4 If one doesn't want to redeem the donkey from a kohein, he must break its neck with an axe so that it dies and then bury it, since it is prohibited to have benefit from it. The mitzvah to redeem the donkey takes precedence over the mitzvah to break its neck.

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