Bechoros 31a

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Bekhorot 31a

Learn Bechoros 31a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Returning to חבר status, judging one's own animals, and how blemished holy animals are sold

Overview

The גמרא brings a ברייתא about people who took on the strict practices of a חבר and then dropped them. רבי מאיר says they are never accepted back. רבי יהודה makes it depend on private versus public, and an איכא דאמרי gives another version of that split. רבי שמעון and רבי יהושע בן קרחה say they are always accepted, and רבי יוחנן rules like them. A second ברייתא says that at first a חבר who became a גבאי could never return, but later the rule changed so that once he quits he is like anyone else. A story follows about רב הונא בר חייא, where רב יוסף and רבה each act on a different line of that ברייתא. Next comes a ברייתא that a person may not inspect his own בכור, though he may rule on his own קדשים, מעשר and טהרות. The גמרא explains that the ban applies to a יחיד מומחה, and that in the other cases he has no real reason to lie. The chapter then ends, and a new משנה teaches that פסולי המוקדשין are sold in the market and weighed by the litra, while בכור and מעשר are not.

Opening lines

The steps (20)

1. Statementרבי מאיר: Those who left are never taken back
2. Statementרבי יהודה: It depends whether they left in private or in public
3. StatementA second version: It depends how they kept the practices at first
4. Statementרבי שמעון and רבי יהושע בן קרחה: Always accepted
5. Conclusionרבי יוחנן rules like the lenient pair
6. StatementThe early rule: A חבר who became a tax collector is removed for good
7. ConclusionThe later rule: Once he quits, he is like anyone else
8. StatementThe story of רב הונא בר חייא becoming a tax collector
9. Statementרב יוסף and רבה explain why they acted differently
10. StatementA ברייתא on inspecting one's own animals
11. QuestionWhat case is the ברייתא talking about?
12. ChallengeWith three judges, why suspect him?
13. ResolutionThe case is one expert judge ruling alone
14. StatementWhy he may inspect his own sanctified animals
15. StatementWhy he may rule on his own tithe animals
16. StatementWhy he may decide about his own pure foods
17. ConclusionHadran — Closing the chapter עד כמה
18. StatementBlemished holy animals are sold like regular meat
19. StatementFirstborn and tithe animals are the exception
20. StatementWeighing one portion against another for a firstborn