Bechoros 37b

בכורות ל״ז ע״ב

Bekhorot 37b

Learn Bechoros 37b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Bechoros 37b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Which blemishes allow a בכור to be slaughtered: why the blemish must be visible and permanent, and the exact measures for ear blemishes (split, notch, hole, dried-out ear)

Overview

The גמרא first explains why a בכור may be slaughtered only for a blemish that is both visible and permanent. 'מום רע' rules out a hidden blemish. A temporary blemish is ruled out by a קל וחומר from פדיון, which a ברייתא on ויקרא 27 supports, or else by the words 'lame and blind.' Next it goes through the ear blemishes in the משנה. A split counts at any size, a notch counts if a fingernail catches in it, and a dried-out ear is defined in two ways. For the size of a hole, the ת״ק says a כרשינה and רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה says a lentil, and the גמרא notes that these two are nearly the same. A contradiction from piercing a slave's ear is answered: a lentil-size hole is needed to permit slaughter, but a tiny hole already disqualifies the animal from the מזבח. The גמרא then asks whether a 'full כרשינה' means a hole the bean passes through. רב הונא רבה answers from a similar case, the משנה about a damaged skull. This leads to a side discussion about whether בית הלל's measure is a סלע, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (35)

1. QuestionWhy only extracted gums and not damaged ones?
2. ResponseA hidden blemish is not a 'מום רע'
3. ChallengeThen a temporary blemish should also count
4. ResolutionTemporary blemish is excluded by סברא
5. Proofברייתא: the פסוק speaks of blemished animals
6. QuestionMaybe it means a truly non-kosher animal?
7. ResponseAnother פסוק already covers non-kosher animals
8. ConclusionNo redemption for a temporary blemish
9. ResolutionSecond answer: lame and blind teach that only permanent blemishes count
10. StatementA split ear: any size counts, and a notch counts whatever caused it
11. ChallengeDoes a naturally caused split not count?
12. ResolutionCorrect reading: both a split and a notch count, whatever the cause
13. QuestionHow big must a notch be?
14. ResponseA notch must be big enough to catch a fingernail
15. StatementSize of a hole in the ear: a vetch or a lentil
16. StatementWhat counts as a dried-out ear
17. StatementA teaching: their words are almost the same
18. QuestionWhose words are almost the same?
19. RejectionNot the two views on a dried-out ear
20. ResponseIt means the two views on the size of the hole
21. ChallengeMust the hole be as big as a lentil? A contradiction from piercing a slave's ear
22. StatementAnything held in the hand, or only metal
23. ChallengeThe end of the ברייתא: pierce only in the earlobe
24. ChallengeThe Sages say a pierced kohen slave becomes blemished
25. ResolutionTwo different sizes: one for slaughtering, one for disqualifying
26. QuestionWhat is a כרשינה?
27. QuestionMust the bean pass through the hole or just fit in it?
28. ResponseI didn't hear this, but I heard something similar
29. StatementThe similar case: a spine or skull with a piece missing
30. Questionרב חסדא asks how big the measure of בית הלל is
31. ResponseThe answer: the size of a סלע coin
32. StatementDid the answer come from שמואל or from a ברייתא?
33. Challengeרב חסדא: then בית שמאי and בית הלל would be saying the same thing
34. ProofA משנה about window sizes, quoted to prove the point
35. ProofA window made by people is measured by the size of a סלע