Bekhorot

Whence do we know [that the exemptions]1 apply to all time?2 The text says: ‘And the Levites shall be mine’;3 ‘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?4 — Said R. Hisda: Money5 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]6 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 objected7 , that the case of money is different, because with it we also redeem consecrated objects and the second [year's] tithing!8 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’.9 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 men10 [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?11 — 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’.12 Perhaps even so the ordinary [non-first-born animals] of the Levites just corresponded with [the number] of the first-born of the Israelites?13 — Scripture says: And the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle;14 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]15 many times [the first-born of asses]. And R. Hanina?16 — 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-born17 in the wilderness were sanctified; Resh Lakish said: The first-born in the wilderness were not sanctified.18 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.19 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].20 From this you can infer that previously [to their entering the land],21 it [the first-born] was not sanctified.22 R. Johanan raised an objection to Resh Lakish's [view]: Before the Sanctuary was erected, 23 the High places24 were permitted and the service [was performed] by the first-born!25 — He replied to him: [The service was performed] by those [first-born] who departed from Egypt.26 It also stands to reason. For if you will not say so, is a one year old27 capable of performing the service? And [R. Johanan] how could he raise such a question at all?28 — 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],29 because then those [first-born] also originally born [in Egypt], did not have their holiness canceled. But if you say that their holiness ceased,30 then those [firstborn] originally born in Egypt, should also have had their holiness canceled?31 And [what says] the other [to this]? — Those who were holy [the first-born of Egypt], remained holy32 and those who were not hitherto holy,33 [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!34 — 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].35 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]!36 — R. Johanan replied: Amend [the Baraitha] thus: ‘From that day and onward’.37 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.38 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.39 With reference to the firstling in the wilderness Scripture says: For the first-born of the children of Israel are mine.40 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!41 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.42 And were not also the [first-born] in Egypt sanctified? Did we not say that they were holy?43 — 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.44 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.45 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].46 But Resh Lakish said that they were sanctified [temporarily] (Num. III, 41.) means that the first-born of the Levite's ass exempted the Israelite's firstling of an ass, but not the sheep, (R. Gershom). Lev. XXVII, 15 and the second year's tithes are also redeemed with money, V. Deut. XIV, 25. Israelite animals over the Levites’ animals, we can infer that one Levite sheep exempted many Israelite animals. Levites’ animals. either through the priest selling or giving it as a present to him, he can redeem another first-.born of an ass with the same sheep. of cattle offered on the day the Sanctuary was erected, were born in Egypt. wilderness. wilderness.