Temurah 24b

תמורה כ״ד ע״ב

Learn Temurah 24b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Temurah 24b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Using הערמה to keep an unborn animal from becoming a בכור, רב יהודה's ruling on blemishing a בכור before birth, and which cases the end of the משנה is about

Overview

The משנה teaches a strategy (הערמה): before an animal gives birth for the first time, the owner declares that the unborn male will be an עולה, so it never becomes a בכור for the כהן. It then goes through different birth outcomes: a male, a female, a male and a female, two males, two females, and a טומטום or אנדרוגינוס. In the גמרא, רב יהודה rules that one may give a בכור a blemish (מום) before it is born. The גמרא challenges him from the משנה, which seems to allow only an עולה, a stronger holiness. The גמרא answers that the משנה speaks of when the בית המקדש stands, while רב יהודה means today. It also explains why his ruling is still needed: there is no גזרה against it, because blemishing early stops the owner from shearing or working the בכור. Then the גמרא clears up the end of the משנה. The female שלמים case is about the young of a הקדש animal, and the two-males case is about an ordinary mother. The amud ends by quoting the טומטום and אנדרוגינוס line, and the discussion of it continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (15)

1. StatementHow to consecrate an unborn firstborn ahead of time
2. StatementTwins: a male and a female, or two males
3. StatementTwo females, or a baby whose gender is unclear
4. StatementBlemishing a firstborn before it is born
5. ChallengeChallenge: the משנה only allows an עולה
6. Resolutionרב יהודה is talking about our times, without a בית המקדש
7. ChallengeIf it is only for today, why say it at all?
8. ResolutionWe might have made a decree in case most of the head comes out
9. ChallengeMaybe we really should make that decree
10. ResolutionBlemishing early is better, so people won't shear or work the בכור
11. ChallengeA female is never a בכור, so why make it a שלמים?
12. ResolutionThe end of the משנה is about the young of a consecrated animal
13. ChallengeWhy isn't the second male calf holy like its mother?
14. ResolutionThis last part is about an ordinary mother animal
15. StatementQuoting the next case: a טומטום or אנדרוגינוס