בכורות 50 — Soncino English Talmud

¹R. Johanan Says: Take a Trajanic or Hadrianic denar which is rubbed off and bought for twenty-five zuz, and deduct a sixth from it, and the remainder is the amount for the redemption of the first-born. But is not this the sum of twenty-one zuz minus a danka? — Rather deduct a sixth together with a zuz and the remainder is the amount for the redemption of the first-born. But even so the amount is twenty zuz minus a danka? — Rather deduct [first] a zuz and then a sixth and the remainder is the amount for the redemption of the first-born which is twenty times the weight of a [Tyrian] denar, and which makes twenty-eight and a half zuz and a half danka. Said Raba: The biblical sela’ contains three and a third [denars], because Scripture says: A shekel is twenty gerahs, which the Targum renders ‘twenty ma'ah’, and it has been taught: Six ma'ah silver make one denar. An objection was raised: Does not the holy sela’ contain forty-eight dupondia? What business has the [extra] dupondium here? The dupondium is an agio [an addition] to the units! — [The Baraitha] refers to the period after the sela’ had been increased in value. For it was taught in a Baraitha: [Scripture says:] ‘A shekel is twenty gerahs’, for thus we learn that a shekel contains twenty gerahs, whence [do we deduce] that if he wished to increase [the number of ma'ah] he is at liberty to do so? The text states: ‘[Twenty gerahs] shall be [the shekel]’. You might perhaps think that he can decrease [the number of ma'ah]? [To guard against such an inference] the text states: ‘The same Is twenty gerahs. R. Ashi sent seventeen zuz to R. Aha b. Raba for the redemption of the first-born. He sent him word: ‘Let the Master return to me the extra third of a sela’ from the redemption-money sent’. He replied to him: ‘Let the Master send me another three zuz which were added to the biblical sela’. Said R. Hanina: Every silver [coinage] [kesef] mentioned in the Pentateuch without any qualification means a sela’, in the Prophets litrae, in the Hagiographa centenaria, except the silver [coinage] mentioned in the transaction of Ephron, for although it is mentioned in the Bible without qualification, it means centenaria, because Scripture says: Four hundred shekels of silver current money with the merchant, and there is a place where the shekels are called centenaria. Said R. Oshaiah: [The Rabbis] proposed to hide all the silver and gold in the world on account of the silver and gold of Jerusalem, until they found a text from the Torah which made their use permissible, because Scripture says: For the robbers shall enter into it and profane it. But is Jerusalem the greater portion of the world? — Rather Abaye said, The Rabbis] proposed hiding the Hadrianic and Trajanic denars which were rubbed off on account of the sacred coinage of Jerusalem, until they found a text from the Torah making their use permissible because it is said: ‘For the robbers shall enter into it and profane it’.^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ

^ᵃnote:Jewish coins restamped by Trajan etc., v. A.Z.. Sonc. ed., p. 267 nn. 7-8.
^ᵇnote:Subtract a sixth of twenty-four from twenty-four leaving twenty, and then deduct a sixth of the remaining zuz (each zuz contains six danka) making a total of twenty and five-sixths zuz viz., twenty-one zuz minus a danka, whereas the amount required for redemption is five sela's, or twenty zuz, one sela’ four zuz.
^ᶜnote:For a sixth of twenty-five zuz is four and a sixth, which after deduction leaves twenty and five-sixths zuz. Deduct again one zuz and you have twenty zuz minus one danka, which is less than the prescribed amount.
^ᵈnote:Of the remaining twenty.four zuz.
^ᵉnote:Twenty-five minus one minus one-sixth of twenty-four twenty (zuz).
^ᶠnote:According to the Arabian denar, because seven Tyrian denars make ten Arabian denars, therefore fourteen Tyrian denars make twenty Arabian denars. The remaining six denars (to complete the twenty denars i.e., the twenty zuz, a denar being identified with a zuz) make eight and a half denars and a half of a danka i.e., a dupondium. For since every denar contains twelve dupondia and the proportion between a Tyrian and an Arabian coin is as ten to seven, one Tyrian denar will therefore be seventeen and a seventh dupondia, a surplus of five and one-seventh dupondia over the Arabian standard. Consequently, for the remaining six Tyrian dears we have a surplus, according to the Arabian standard, of thirty-one dupondia minus a negligible amount. These thirty-one dupondia make two and a half denars plus one dupondium. Therefore six Tyrian denars make eight and a half Arabian denars plus one dupondium and together with the fourteen Tyrian denars which equal twenty Arabian denars, we have thus in twenty Tyrian denars the equivalent of twenty-eight and a half Arabian denars plus a half of a danka viz., one dupondium.
^ᵍnote:Ex. XXX, 13.
^ʰnote:Sc. Targum Onkelos.
^ⁱnote:Therefore three denars make eighteen ma'ah and a third of a denar makes two ma'ah, as each denar contains six ma'ah, a shekel thus amounting in all to twenty ma'ah.
^ʲnote:If a man sanctifies his field in the year of Jubilee, Scripture lays it down that he redeems it according to the standard of a homer of barley seed for fifty shekels of silver, and this is explained as meaning that he pays forty-nine sela's and forty-nine dupondia for the forty-nine years of the Jubilee. The question therefore arises, does not the holy sela’ etc., since a holy sela’ contains only forty-eight dupondia, and therefore it comes about that he redeems the field for fifty shekels plus a dupondium.
^ᵏnote:Since Scripture explicitly says fifty shekels and not more.
^ˡnote:The Baraitha after all says that the holy sela’ contains forty-eight dupondia, which are four Tyrian denars, for each denar contains twelve dupondia. This Baraitha will therefore raise a difficulty as regards Rab's opinion.
^ᵐnote:A sixth was added to the value of a biblical sela’ and it was made a Tyrian sela’ containing twenty-four ma'ah, i.e., four denars.
^ⁿnote:Lev. XXVII, 25. Implying that one can go on adding more.
^ᵒnote:Lit., ‘twenty gerahs it is’ (Num. XVIII, 16). The word tuv being used here in the restrictive sense.
^ᵖnote:Who was a priest.
^ᵠnote:Each sela’ containing three and a third denars, five sela's therefore making seventeen denars minus a third. Consequently, in sending him seventeen denars there was an addition of a third of a denar.
^ʳnote:Because a sela’ has four denars, five sela's therefore making twenty denars. You therefore owe me another three denars to make up the twenty denars.
^ˢnote:Twenty-five sela's.
^ᵗnote:One hundred sela's in each shekel.
^ᵘnote:Gen. XXIII, 16. Intimating that wherever there were merchants, these shekels were accepted as such.
^ᵛnote:Where as many as a hundred sela's are given for a shekel. Hence the ‘silver’ (kesef) mentioned there in the Ephron transaction, although it is not explicitly stated, must mean centenaria.
^ʷnote:To save those in the Temple treasury, which were holy and forbidden to be used by strangers, becoming mixed with the gold and silver belonging to the Gentiles.
^ˣnote:Ezek. VII, 22. Implying that when the robbers came and took the Temple monies they profaned them and they became hullin, devoid of any sanctity.
^ʸnote:That we should forbid the use of all silver and gold in the world for fear of using that of Jerusalem.
^ᶻnote:These coins were from Jerusalem and the majority of them came from Jerusalem.
^ᵃᵃnote:With which sacred things were redeemed (R. Gershom); v. A.Z., Sonc. ed., p. 267 notes.

²Rab Judah reported in the name of R. Assi: Every silver coinage mentioned in the Pentateuch without any qualification means in Tyrian currency; in the teaching of the Rabbis, it means in the currency of the province [an eighth of the silver coinage of the Pentateuch]. And is this a general rule? Have we not the case of one making a claim, for it is written: If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour silver [coinage] or stuff to keep, and we have learnt: For an oath to be imposed by the judges, the claim must amount to not less than two [silver] ma'ah? — There the reason is because the Torah says: Silver [coinage] or stuff; just as stuff means two, so silver [coinage] also means two coins; and again, as silver [coinage] means something of value, so stuff means also something of value. But is there not the case of tithing, for it is written: And bind up the silver [coinage] in thine hand, and we have learnt: If one changes [at the banker's] a sela's [worth] from the monies of second tithes? — [The three-fold] repetition of the word ‘silver’ intimates an amplification. But is there not the case of hekdesh, of which it is written: And he shall give the silver [coinage] and it shall be assured to him, and Samuel ruled: If hekdesh worth a maneh has been redeemed against a perutah, it is a valid redemption? — In the case of hekdesh too we draw an analogy between the expres sion ‘holy’ used in this connection and ‘holy’ used in connection with the second tithes. But is there not the case of a woman's betrothal, for it is written Then she shall go out free without silver [coinage], and we have learnt [in a Mishnah]: Beth Shammai say: [Betrothal must take place] with a denar and the worth of a denar, whereas Beth Hillel say with a perutah and the worth of a perutah? Must it then be said that R. Assi agrees with the opinion of Beth Shammai? — Rather we must say that if it has been stated, it was stated thus: Rab Judah reported in the name of R. Assi: Every silver [coinage] mentioned in the Pentateuch in connection with defined payments means in the Tyrian currency, and that mentioned in the teaching of the Rabbis means In the currency of the province. What does he teach us thereby? Have we not learnt this already: FIVE SELA'S OF A FIRST-BORN etc.? He needed to teach us that the silver [coinage] mentioned by the Rabbis meant according to the provincial standard. For we have learnt: If one boxes his neighbour's ear, he must compensate him with a sela’. Think not therefore that it means a sela’ of four zuz, but it means half a zuz, for people call half a zuz a sela’. The ruffian Hanan boxed a man's ear. He was brought before R. Huna. The latter said to him: Give him half a zuz as com pensation. He possessed^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ^ᵇᵇ^ᵇᶜ

^ᵃᵇnote:And where the Scripture says shekel it means a Tyrian sela’, which has four denars, and where it does not say shekel but kesef (silver coinage) it means a Tyrian denar. In B.K. 36b the author of this passage is given as Rab.
^ᵃᶜnote:Against his neighbour as follows: ‘I gave you a certain sum of money’.
^ᵃᵈnote:Ex. XXII, 6.
^ᵃᵉnote:Arising from the defendant's admission of his partial indebtedness.
^ᵃᶠnote:I.e., a third of a denar. We see therefore that kesef mentioned in the Torah does not mean a Tyrian denar as Rab declares, for if the Torah meant two denars, then it should read: Two kesef.
^ᵃᵍnote:In Ex. XXII, 6.
^ᵃʰnote:Suggesting a comparison between ;xf (silver coinage) and ohkf (stuff).
^ᵃⁱnote:ohkf lit. means ‘vessels’ , the plural implying at least two. V. further notes Shebu., Sonc. ed., pp. 240 and 247.
^ᵃʲnote:Even if not possessing the value of denars but of ma'ah.
^ᵃᵏnote:For a ma'ah has some value and worth.
^ᵃˡnote:And not something which is entirely insignificant and negligible.
^ᵃᵐnote:Deut. XIV; 25.
^ᵃⁿnote:Lit., ‘breaks into small change’ (Jast.).
^ᵃᵒnote:He has perutahs, small coins which he desires to change into silver sela's on account of the trouble of carrying them to Jerusalem, v. M. Sh., II, 8. We see from this that originally he exchanged the second tithes for perutahs, although Scripture here uses the expression ‘silver’.
^ᵃᵖnote:That he can sell the second tithes for any kind of money. The word ‘silver’ occurs three times as follows: Then thou shalt turn it into silver (kesef). (Deut. XIV, 25). And bind up the silver (kesef). (Ibid.). And thou shalt bestow that silver. (Ibid. verse 26).
^ᵃᵠnote:That which is dedicated to a sacred purpose.
^ᵃʳnote:The latter part of this quotation uk oeu is in Lev. XXVII, 19 and the word ‘silver’ is mentioned several times in the context, but does not immediately precede And he shall etc., v. B.M., Sonc. ed., p. 321, n. 1.
^ᵃˢnote:We see therefore that the hekdesh was once redeemed against perutahs, which are copper coins, not silver.
^ᵃᵗnote:And when a man shall sanctify this house to be holy. (Lev. XXVII, 14).
^ᵃᵘnote:And all the tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the land is the Lord's. It is holy unto the Lord (Lev. XXVII, 30).
^ᵃᵛnote:Ex. XXI, 11. And we interpret this verse in Kid. 4a as follows: There is no silver coinage for this master, i.e., the master who employed a Hebrew maid-servant receives no money on her leaving him. But where she leaves another master, i.e., her father, the latter acquires the betrothal money.
^ᵃʷnote:For since it mentions ‘silver’ here, according to R. Assi, it means a Tyrian silver denar, which is in harmony with the view of Beth Shammai, and usually the halachah is not according to Beth Shammai.
^ᵃˣnote:A ruling defining the biblical kesef.
^ᵃʸnote:Viz., five sela's of redemption, the thirty shekels in connection with a slave etc., whereas the cases cited above from which we questioned Rab's teaching are not of this character.
^ᵃᶻnote:Which is an eighth of the biblical silver coinage, v. infra.
^ᵇᵃnote:Aliter: Who shouts in his neighbour's ear.
^ᵇᵇnote:Which is an eighth of a Tyrian sela’.
^ᵇᶜnote:V. n. 8.