Bechoros 49a

בכורות מ״ט ע״א

Bekhorot 49a

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Topic

פדיון הבן: mixed-up babies, the thirty-day threshold, presumptions after the father's death, and redeeming before day thirty

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a case about two fathers whose babies got mixed up. One baby died before thirty days, so the כהן must return five סלעים. The גמרא says one father can collect for both with a הרשאה from the other. It defends this against נהרדעי's rule about מטלטלין, since the כהן does not deny receiving the money. רב הונא then adds that with two boys and a girl the כהן gets nothing, and the גמרא explains why our משנה left that case out. A new משנה rules that a בכור who dies within thirty days needs no פדיון, and day thirty counts like the days before it. רבי עקיבא treats day thirty as a doubt. The גמרא traces the רבנן's view to a גזירה שוה from the מדבר, and רבי עקיבא's doubt to the rule of שני כתובים הבאים כאחד. רב אשי adds that for mourning everyone treats day thirty as before, following שמואל's rule of leniency in mourning. The last משנה covers what to presume when the father dies, and whether a man redeems himself or his son first. The amud ends with רב and שמואל arguing over a פדיון done before day thirty, and רב brings a comparison to קידושין.

Opening lines

The steps (23)

1. ResolutionOne father comes with authorization from the other
2. ChallengeChallenge: no authorization for movable property
3. ResolutionThe rule applies only when the debt was denied
4. StatementQuoting the משנה: mixed male and female births
5. Statementרב הונא adds: two males and one female
6. QuestionWhy doesn't our משנה teach this case?
7. ResponseThe case works only with two fathers, not one
8. StatementThe משנה: when the firstborn dies before, after, or on day thirty
9. Statementרבי עקיבא: day thirty is a doubt, so the money stays put
10. QuestionWhat is the source of the Rabbis' view?
11. ResponseThe Rabbis learn 'month' from the firstborn count in the wilderness
12. ResponseWhy רבי עקיבא is unsure: 'and upward' was written again by valuations
13. ResponseThe rule: two verses teaching the same thing do not teach other cases
14. ResponseThe other side of רבי עקיבא's doubt
15. StatementFor mourning, day thirty counts like the day before
16. ProofThe reason: in mourning we follow the lenient view
17. Statementמשנה: Presumptions when the father dies
18. Statementמשנה: Redeeming himself or his son first
19. Statementרב and שמואל disagree about redeeming before day thirty
20. StatementThe cases where everyone agrees
21. StatementDefining the case where רב and שמואל disagree
22. Statementרב rules the son is redeemed
23. Proofרב's proof from betrothing a woman