Gemara Clarity

Temurah 5b

תמורה ה׳ ע״ב

Learn Temurah 5b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Temurah 5b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Does a forbidden act take effect? אביי and רבא tested against תמורה, בכור, מעשר, תרומה, a widow and a כהן גדול, and blemished animals

Overview

אביי and רבא argue about a general rule: when the תורה forbids an act and someone does it anyway, does the act still take effect? אביי says it does, and רבא says it does not. The גמרא tests both views against a series of cases. Against רבא it brings תמורה, תרומה separated before ביכורים, a widow who marries a כהן גדול, and consecrating blemished animals for the מזבח. Each of these works even though it is forbidden. Against אביי it brings בכור and מעשר, which cannot be redeemed even though redemption is only forbidden. Each time, the side under attack answers that the case is an exception learned from a special פסוק. The other side then shows what it learns from that same פסוק. Along the way the גמרא discusses blood of offerings that got mixed, and a לוי who took his מעשר early from the pile. The amud ends as the גמרא opens a new challenge about consecrating unblemished animals for בדק הבית, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וּלְרָבָא, הַאי ״הוּא״

And according to Rava, this word "it"

לְמַעוֹטֵי בְּכוֹר,

comes to exclude a firstborn,

דְּתַנְיָא:

as it is taught in a baraita:

בִּבְכוֹר נֶאֱמַר ״לֹא תִפְדֶּה״

Regarding a firstborn it is stated "you shall not redeem,"

The steps (31)

  1. ResolutionFor רבא, the word 'הוא' excludes a firstborn from the ban on selling
  2. ChallengeChallenge to רבא from substituting an animal
  3. Resolutionרבא answers: תמורה is different because a פסוק says so
  4. ResolutionWhy אביי still needs the פסוק 'both it and its substitute'
  5. ChallengeThe firstborn case seems to refute אביי
  6. Resolutionאביי: the word 'הם' makes the firstborn different
  7. QuestionWhat does רבא learn from 'הם'?
  8. ResponseFor רבא, 'הם' means only the originals are offered
  9. QuestionWhere does אביי learn that substitutes are not offered?
  10. Responseאביי learns it from 'לה׳ הוא'
  11. Responseרבא also learns the substitute rule from the ox-or-sheep verse
  12. QuestionThen what is the word 'הם' for, according to רבא?
  13. Response'הם' teaches that mixed blood of בכור and מעשר is still offered
  14. QuestionWhere does אביי learn the rule about mixed blood?
  15. Responseאביי learns it from the bull and goat blood of יום כיפור
  16. Rejectionרבא reads the יום כיפור blood as applied separately
  17. ChallengeChallenge to אביי: a מעשר animal cannot be redeemed
  18. Resolutionאביי: the מעשר case is special because it is learned from בכור
  19. ChallengeChallenge to רבא: תרומה separated before ביכורים still counts
  20. Resolutionרבא: a special פסוק teaches that תרומה always works
  21. ResponseWhat אביי learns from the פסוק: רב פפא's question
  22. Responseאביי answers רב פפא with the פסוק
  23. QuestionWhy include the pile and not the stalks?
  24. ResponseThe pile counts as 'grain', the stalks do not
  25. ChallengeA widow who marries a כהן גדול: the marriage works
  26. ResolutionA special פסוק: 'he shall not profane his seed'
  27. ResponseWhat אביי learns from the longer word 'לא יחלל'
  28. ChallengeChallenge to רבא from consecrating blemished animals
  29. Resolutionרבא: a special פסוק shows this הקדש works
  30. ResponseWhat אביי learns from 'ולנדר לא ירצה'
  31. ChallengeA new challenge: consecrating unblemished animals for Temple upkeep