Bechoros 27a

בכורות כ״ז ע״א

Bekhorot 27a

Learn Bechoros 27a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

טובת הנאה in priestly gifts, and the leniencies of תרומת חוצה לארץ

Overview

The amud opens at the end of a ברייתא which teaches that the owner of produce keeps טובת הנאה, the right to choose which כהן gets his תרומה. Another ישראל may pay him a סלע to send it to a grandson who is a כהן, but a כהן may not pay for his own gifts. The גמרא explains that the ברייתא leaves out מתנות כהונה because they have only קדושת דמים, so a payment might make people think they were redeemed and treat them as ordinary food. The גמרא then turns to תרומת חוצה לארץ, which is only a rabbinic obligation and so has many leniencies. רבא allows giving it to a כהן who helped at the threshing floor. שמואל says it is cancelled out by a simple majority, and stories about רבה and רב הונא show this rule in practice. שמואל also allows eating first and separating later, and he forbids it only to someone whose טומאה comes from his own body, and only for eating. רבינא draws a practical rule from this for a נדה separating חלה. The amud ends with a woman on a boat asking whether a טמא מת may immerse and eat this תרומה; רב נחמן's answer comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (14)

1. StatementThe owner keeps the benefit of choosing who gets his gifts
2. StatementExample: paying a coin to direct the gift to a grandson
3. QuestionWhy doesn't the ברייתא mention the priestly gifts from animals?
4. Responseתרומה is permanently holy, so nobody will be confused
5. ResponsePriestly gifts could be mistaken for redeemed food
6. Statementרבא: foreign תרומה may go to a כהן who helped
7. Proofרב חמא gives it to his servant
8. Statementשמואל: foreign תרומה is nullified in a majority
9. Proofרבה nullifies it on purpose and eats it while impure
10. Proofרב הונא's method for תרומה wine
11. Statementשמואל: eat first, separate later
12. StatementForeign תרומה is forbidden only to someone impure from his own body, and only for eating
13. StatementA נדה may separate חלה outside ארץ ישראל
14. QuestionA woman on a boat asks whether a טמא מת may immerse and eat foreign תרומה