Horayos 13a

הוריות י״ג ע״א

Horayot 13a

Learn Horayos 13a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Who and what comes first: the order of קרבנות, of people in rescue and honor, and of lineage, where Torah learning outranks every status.

Overview

The amud is all about who or what comes first. It starts with קרבנות. The כהן משיח's bull comes before the community's bull, and every חטאת comes before an עולה. The one exception is the bull and goat for עבודה זרה, explained by the missing א in לחטת or by the word כמשפט. A ברייתא then ranks more offerings: communal before individual, king before commoner, female goat against ewe (a disagreement of תנאים), and the עומר and שתי הלחם before their sheep. A new משנה turns to people: when a man comes first and when a woman comes first for rescue, clothing and captivity. The גמרא ranks a person, his teacher and his parents, then חכם, מלך, כהן גדול, נביא, and all the levels of כהנים and Temple officials. It also explains why the סגן, not the משוח מלחמה, stays טהור. A final משנה ranks people by lineage, from כהן down to freed slave, but a learned ממזר comes before an ignorant כהן גדול, because Torah is 'more precious than pearls.' The amud closes with questions students asked about converts, freed maidservants, cats and mice.

Opening lines

The steps (53)

1. QuestionQuoting the משנה and asking for its source
2. ResponseThe word 'the first' teaches the priest's bull comes first
3. StatementA ברייתא states the priest's bull goes first
4. ProofThe one who atones goes before those he atones for
5. StatementThe bull for a communal mistake comes before the bull for idol worship
6. QuestionAsking for the reason
7. ResponseOne is a חטאת and the other an עולה
8. ProofA בנה אב that every חטאת comes before its עולה
9. ConclusionEven a bird sin-offering beats an animal burnt-offering
10. StatementThe bull for idol worship comes before the goat
11. ChallengeBut the goat is a sin-offering
12. ResolutionThe missing א in the word for sin-offering
13. Resolutionרבא: 'according to the law' sets the order
14. StatementThe community's goat comes before the king's goat
15. StatementThe king's goat comes before a regular person's female goat
16. StatementA regular person's female goat comes before a regular person's ewe
17. ChallengeAnother ברייתא says the ewe comes first
18. Resolutionאביי: Two תנאים disagree, each with a reason
19. StatementThe עומר and שתי הלחם come before their sheep
20. ConclusionThe rule: what the day requires comes before what the bread requires
21. StatementNew משנה: when a man comes first and when a woman comes first
22. StatementWhen both face degradation, the man is freed first
23. StatementWho is ransomed first: oneself, one's teacher, one's father, one's mother
24. StatementA חכם comes before the מלך
25. StatementThe מלך comes before the כהן גדול
26. StatementThe כהן גדול comes before the נביא
27. ProofA second פסוק: יהושע the כהן גדול and his colleagues
28. ChallengeMaybe the colleagues were ordinary people
29. Resolution'Men of a sign' means prophets
30. StatementRanking the different kinds of כהן גדול down to the סגן
31. StatementThe סגן comes before the אמרכל
32. QuestionWhat does the word אמרכל mean?
33. Responseרב חסדא: the אמרכל is the one who 'says it all'
34. StatementThe rest of the list down to the ordinary כהן
35. QuestionFor טומאה, which goes first: the סגן or the משוח מלחמה?
36. Responseמר זוטרא: the משוח מלחמה becomes טמא so the סגן stays ready
37. ChallengeBut the list says the משוח מלחמה ranks higher than the סגן
38. Resolutionרבינא: the list is about saving a life
39. StatementThe משנה's ranking list from כהן down to freed slave
40. StatementTorah wisdom outranks family status
41. ProofVerses showing כהן before לוי and לוי before ישראל
42. StatementReasons for the rest of the ranking
43. QuestionAsking for the source that wisdom outranks lineage
44. ResponseTorah is more precious than the כהן גדול
45. ProofA גר comes before an עבד משוחרר because of the curse
46. QuestionWhy do people prefer to marry a convert over a freed maidservant?
47. ResponseTwo reasons: the curse, and a presumption of modesty
48. QuestionWhy does a dog know its owner but a cat does not?
49. ResponseThe cat eats the mouse itself, so it forgets
50. QuestionWhy do all animals prey on mice?
51. ResponseBecause mice have a bad nature
52. QuestionWhat shows that mice have a bad nature?
53. ResponseMice chew even clothing they cannot eat