Whence do we know [that the exemptions] apply to all time? The text says: ‘And the Levites shall be mine’; ‘and they shall be’ means that they [the Levites] retain their status [for all time]. And whence [do we know] that [the Levite exempted the Israelite's first-born of asses in the wilderness] with a sheep? — Said R. Hisda: Money is written [in connection with the redemption of the first-born] for all time; and ‘a sheep’ is written [in connection with the redemption of the first-born of an ass] for all time. Just as with the money prescribed for all time, they both redeemed [the first-born] at all times and they redeemed at that particular time [in the wilderness], so with sheep prescribed for all time, they [the Levites] both redeemed [the firstlings] at all times and they redeemed at that particular time [in the wilderness]. But it may be objected , that the case of money is different, because with it we also redeem consecrated objects and the second [year's] tithing! Rather [we deduce from the following]. Scripture said: ‘Nevertheless the first-born of man thou shalt surely redeem and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem’. Just as in the case of the first-born of a man you make no distinction between all time and that particular time [in the wilderness, the redemption in each case being] with money, so [in the case of an unclean animal], you shall not make a distinction between for all time and that particular time, [the redemption in each case being] with a sheep. R. Hanina said: One sheep of a Levite exempted many firstborn of the asses of the Israelites. Said Abaye: The proof is that Scripture numbers the surplus of men [over the Levites] but does not number the surplus [of Israelite] animals [over the Levites’ animals]. But what proof is this? Perhaps they [the Israelites in the wilderness] did not possess many animals [asses] to redeem? — That cannot enter your mind. For it is written: ‘Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle’. Perhaps even so the ordinary [non-first-born animals] of the Levites just corresponded with [the number] of the first-born of the Israelites? — Scripture says: And the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; one Levite animal instead of many [Israelite] animals [firstlings of asses]. But why can we not say that the word [‘cattle’] also implies many [animals?] — If so let Scripture write either ‘cattle instead of cattle’ or ‘their cattle instead of their cattle’. Why does Scripture write ‘cattle of . . . instead of their cattle’? Deduce from this that one [Levite] animal exempted many [Israelite] animals. Said Raba: We have also learnt [R. Hanina's ruling]: And he can redeem with it [the sheep] many times [the first-born of asses]. And R. Hanina? — He explains the reason of the Mishnah and what he means is this: What is the reason that he can redeem with it [the sheep] many times [the first-born of asses]? Because one sheep of a Levite exempted many firstborn of asses belonging to an Israelite. It was stated: R. Johanan said: The first-born in the wilderness were sanctified; Resh Lakish said: The first-born in the wilderness were not sanctified. R. Johanan said that the first-born were sanctified in the wilderness, for the Divine Law said that they should be sanctified, as it is written: Sanctify unto me all the first-born. Resh Lakish said that the first-born were not sanctified in the wilderness, since it is written: And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee [into the land of the Canaanites] and it says subsequently: That thou shalt set apart [unto the Lord all that openeth the womb]. From this you can infer that previously [to their entering the land], it [the first-born] was not sanctified. R. Johanan raised an objection to Resh Lakish's [view]: Before the Sanctuary was erected, the High places were permitted and the service [was performed] by the first-born! — He replied to him: [The service was performed] by those [first-born] who departed from Egypt. It also stands to reason. For if you will not say so, is a one year old capable of performing the service? And [R. Johanan] how could he raise such a question at all? — This was his [R. Johanan's] objection [to Resh Lakish's view]. You would be right if you said that the holiness [of the first-born] did not cease [in the wilderness], because then those [first-born] also originally born [in Egypt], did not have their holiness canceled. But if you say that their holiness ceased, then those [firstborn] originally born in Egypt, should also have had their holiness canceled? And [what says] the other [to this]? — Those who were holy [the first-born of Egypt], remained holy and those who were not hitherto holy, [did not become] holy. He [R. Johanan] raised an objection: On the day on which the Sanctuary was erected, votive-offerings, freewill-offerings, sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, firstlings and the tithe of cattle, were sacrificed in Israel! — Here, also, it refers to those [firstborn] who departed from Egypt. And [from the Baraitha] itself we can deduce this: ‘On that day [firstlings] were sacrificed’, but after that, [in the wilderness], there was no sacrifice [of firstlings]. Some there are who say, Resh Lakish cited against R. Johanan the following: ‘That day on which the Sanctuary was erected, votive-offerings, freewill-offerings, sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, firstlings, tithe of cattle were sacrificed in Israel’, as much as to say ‘on that day’ but after that [in the wilderness], there was no [sacrifice of firstlings]! — R. Johanan replied: Amend [the Baraitha] thus: ‘From that day and onward’. And what does he tell us here? — That from that day [these sacrifices] were permitted but not at first, from which we are to infer that obligatory sacrifices were not sacrificed on a High place. Come and hear: ‘Consequently in three places were the firstborn sanctified for Israel: in Egypt, in the wilderness, and when they entered the Land. With reference to the first-born in Egypt, what does Scripture say? Sanctify unto me all the firstling. With reference to the firstling in the wilderness Scripture says: For the first-born of the children of Israel are mine. With reference to [the first-born] when they entered the Land, [Scripture] says: And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee [into the land of the Canaanites] . . . That thou shalt set apart! Said R. Nahman b. Isaac: [This passage means] that in three places the Israelites were commanded concerning the sanctification of the first-born but they were not [actually] sanctified. And were not also the [first-born] in Egypt sanctified? Did we not say that they were holy? — This is what the [passage] means: In some [of the three places referred to], [the first-born] were sanctified, and in some, they were not sanctified. R. Papa demurred: And were not the first-born sanctified in the wilderness? Behold it is written: Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel. Rather [if the above dispute was] stated, it was stated as follows: R. Johanan said: They [the first-born] were sanctified and did not cease [from their holiness]. But Resh Lakish said that they were sanctified [temporarily]ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱʲᵏˡᵐⁿᵒᵖᵠʳˢᵗᵘᵛʷˣʸᶻᵃᵃᵃᵇᵃᶜᵃᵈᵃᵉᵃᶠᵃᵍᵃʰᵃⁱᵃʲᵃᵏᵃˡᵃᵐᵃⁿᵃᵒᵃᵖᵃᵠᵃʳᵃˢᵃᵗ