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Bechorot 60 for kids: Counting to Ten

בכורות ס׳

🐑 This daf asks how to count animals for animal tithe. What happens if two leave the pen together, or someone calls an animal by the wrong number?

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Stories from Bechorot 60

Words to know

Rashi and Tosafot on Bechorot 60 in simple English

Rashi on Bechorot 60a, in English Tab translation (20)
  1. He may not say, “I will select ten” — the thin animals, and claim that the rest are exempt because only five remain, too few to tithe.
  2. Rather, he brings them into the pen — all of them, thin and fat alike. He may neither select the thin ones nor treat the five left after tithing ten as wholly exempt: they join a later gathering. Rashi explains that although five animals can join five from a later gathering, one might have thought he could leave these five outside the pen and sell or slaughter them now, since five alone cannot be tithed. Instead, he must bring them all in. Once the remaining five have entered the pen, they are set aside for tithing with a later gathering and cannot be sold or slaughtered.
  3. At the Festival discourse — on the Sabbath before the Festival, when the laws of the Festival are taught.
  4. That one remaining animal — is part of a count capable of reaching ten through either opening, and thus exempts all the others. It is itself sacred whether it leaves the pen or remains until last, because the tenth becomes sacred automatically.
  5. He called it “one” again — instead of calling it “ten,” he began a new count: one, two, three. Thus the nineteenth animal was called “ten,” and even the first nine were exempt through a count capable of reaching ten.
  6. It becomes sacred automatically — even though he called the tenth animal “one.” Consequently, the last nine animals would not be exempt.
  7. Pair by pair — two at a time, with only one animal in the tenth counted group. All would then be exempt through a count capable of reaching ten, since that last animal could complete either group.
  8. According to the number of animals — we follow the animals that emerged, not his count of “one, two.” Once five pairs—ten animals—have emerged, one of them is sacred. The animals that emerge afterward cannot be exempted, since they were not part of a count capable of reaching ten.
  9. The mother of Rav Huna bar Seḥora was fortunate to have a son who answered Rava in keeping with Rava’s own teaching — he could resolve the question during the discourse by applying Rava’s rule that a count capable of reaching ten exempts the animals: the one remaining animal could complete the count at either opening.
  10. MISHNA: The ninth and tenth are flawed — the animal he called “ninth” was actually the tenth, and the one he called “tenth” was actually the eleventh. He might mistakenly treat the former as unconsecrated and the latter as animal tithe; if he acts without consulting a court, their status is mishandled. One interpretation is that, because his miscount began before the ninth animal, neither can be offered and they may be eaten only after developing a blemish. This differs from a mistake beginning with the ninth, where the tenth is offered as tithe and the eleventh as a peace offering. Rashi rejects another interpretation that makes the flaw depend on his intending to count the two together. He prefers an explanation he found in another commentary: sanctity does take effect, and the mishna itself explains why their status is called flawed—he called the tenth “ninth” and the eleventh “tenth.”
  11. It is offered as a peace offering — the Gemara derives this from a verse.
  12. Can a substitute create a substitute? — the eleventh animal called “tenth” is, according to Rabbi Yehuda, a substitute for the animal tithe. The law that a substitute cannot create another substitute is derived in tractate Temura from the wording “its substitute,” rather than “the substitute of its substitute.”
  13. If it were a substitute — the eleventh animal could not be offered, because a substitute for animal tithe is not offered. Since it is offered as a peace offering, it must be treated as an original consecration and can therefore create a substitute, like other peace offerings.
  14. From it — from the tenth animal itself.
  15. GEMARA: By hundreds — he counted each group of one hundred together.
  16. It is sacred according to his count — after he has counted nine groups of one hundred, the tenth group of one hundred is sacred.
  17. According to the number of animals — we do not follow the groups he names. As soon as he has counted five pairs, totaling ten animals, the tenth animal is tithe.
  18. And he called the tenth “tenth” — this wording is not meant literally. The question is: If we follow the number of animals and disregard his count, why are the tenth and eleventh called flawed? The tenth should be animal tithe and the eleventh, which he called “tenth,” should be a peace offering.
  19. When they emerged on their own, this does not apply — we do not say that sanctity follows only the number of animals; we also follow his count.
  20. He counted them backward — he called the first animal to emerge “ten,” the second “nine,” the third “eight,” and so on. The tenth animal to emerge, which he called “one,” is sacred.
Tosafot on Bechorot 60a, in English Tab translation (1)
  1. If two came out together, he counts them as two; if he counted them as one, the ninth and tenth are flawed — Rashi explains that two animals came out together when the count reached six or seven, and he counted them as one. He therefore called the tenth animal “ninth” and the eleventh “tenth.” Although the Gemara later says that in such a case the tenth is animal tithe and the eleventh is a peace offering, here their status is uncertain: does counting the two as one make them count as one? This remains uncertain even according to the view that the tenth is consecrated by the number of animals. The animal called “ninth” might be the ninth or the tenth; the one called “tenth” might be animal tithe or consecrated for sacrifice as a peace offering.
Rashi on Bechorot 60b, in English Tab translation (23)
  1. And every tithe of herd or flock — This implies that the tenth animal is sacred whether the owner called it “tenth” or it was tenth in the count without being called “tenth.”
  2. The eighth and the twelfth — If he called either of them “tenth.”
  3. Just as it — The actual tenth animal is sanctified only when it is close to ten; nothing is closer to ten than the tenth animal itself.
  4. So too, one designated by mistake — An animal mistakenly called “tenth” is sanctified only if it is adjacent to the actual tenth: the ninth before it or the eleventh after it.
  5. Unique — There is only one actual tenth animal.
  6. So too, one designated by mistake is unique — If he mistakenly called both the ninth and the eleventh “tenth,” only one of them, not both, would be sanctified. How, then, can you say all three are sanctified?
  7. Unless he is silent about the ninth — If he called it “tenth,” the eleventh would not be sanctified, because two mistaken designations concerning one tithe cannot both take effect: like the tenth itself, only one mistaken designation can take effect.
  8. Rabbi Elazar’s reasoning is as follows — He agrees with Rabbi Yehuda, who says in the mishna that a mistaken designation has the status of substitution, and asks, “Can a substitute produce another substitute?” He also agrees with his father, Rabbi Shimon, who says in the first chapter of Temura that after one animal has been substituted for an offering, another cannot be substituted for that same offering. Likewise, one tithe cannot have two mistaken designations take effect.
  9. As the ninth — When the ninth animal was due to emerge.
  10. The tenth and a non-sacred animal — One of the two is the ninth and the other is the tithe, even though he called them both “ninth.”
  11. Are intermingled — They may be eaten only after they develop a blemish. Someone who shears or works with either animal does not receive forty lashes, since it might be the non-sacred one.
  12. The tenth and the eleventh are intermingled — The actual tithe and the sanctified eleventh are mixed together. Since the sanctified eleventh is brought as a peace offering, both are brought as offerings and eaten under the stricter requirements: two applications of blood and the setting aside of the breast and thigh, as for peace offerings.
  13. Why do I need this additional case? — Once we are taught the rule for two animals that emerged together as the ninth and were called “tenth,” we already know the corresponding rule for two that emerged together as the tenth.
  14. At the same time — He called both the tenth and the eleventh “tenth” simultaneously. The eleventh is sanctified even though the designation “tenth” was not removed from the actual tenth, since he called that animal “tenth” too.
  15. To include a case where the tenth emerged and he said nothing — That silence does not count as removing its designation as tenth; he must explicitly call it “ninth.”
  16. For if you do not say so — That is, if you do not say that simultaneous designation sanctifies the eleventh. Rav Ashi, who challenged Rav Kahana by asking why the designation “tenth” had not been removed, had not heard the earlier explanation that simultaneous designation is different.
  17. What case are we dealing with? — The case in which the tenth and eleventh are said to be intermingled, and the eleventh is considered sanctified even though he called the tenth “tenth,” is one in which he first called it something else.
  18. And he called it “eleventh” — He thereby removed the designation “tenth” from the actual tenth. So even if he later called both animals “tenth,” the eleventh is sanctified. But if he called both “tenth” from the outset, even simultaneously, the eleventh is not sanctified. The case specifies “eleventh” because calling the tenth “ninth” would plainly remove its designation; Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi later disputes whether calling it “eleventh” does so, and we must be taught that it does.
  19. According to whom — According to whose view do we explain calling the tenth “eleventh” as removing its designation as tenth?
  20. When he has many animals — Many animals to tithe. If, on counting the first ten, he calls the tenth “eleventh,” he might mean “the first tithe group”; in that case, he has not removed its designation as tenth.
  21. But when he has no more animals — If he has only eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen animals, he would not normally speak of a “first tithe group,” since he expects no further groups. We therefore understand “eleventh” literally: he has removed the tenth animal’s designation as tenth.
  22. Two emerged as the tenth — This refers back to Rava’s teaching that when two emerged together as the tenth and he called both “tenth,” the tenth and eleventh are intermingled. One baraita now teaches that the two must graze until they develop blemishes, while another teaches a different ruling.
  23. One must not bring sacred offerings into a situation where they may become disqualified — If both were sacrificed, they would have to be eaten under the stricter rules: their breasts and thighs would be given to the priests. Because priests are fewer, those portions might not be eaten within the permitted two days and one night and would become disqualified through being left over. This would needlessly expose the animal that is actually the tithe to that risk: its breast and thigh need not be given to priests, and the whole animal may be eaten by anyone. The dispute between Rabbi Shimon and the Sages is taught in Zevaḥim: when a guilt offering is mixed with peace offerings, Rabbi Shimon says both are slaughtered in the north and eaten under the stricter rules; the Sages reply that one must not bring sacred offerings into a situation where they may become disqualified.
Tosafot on Bechorot 60b, in English Tab translation (2)
  1. Until he remains silent about the ninth — This can be understood in two ways. First, he need not literally remain silent; he must simply not call the ninth animal “tenth.” He may even call it “ninth.” If he calls it “tenth,” the eleventh cannot become sacred: two animals mistakenly named “tenth” cannot both be consecrated, since the mistaken designation must apply to just one animal, like the actual tenth. Alternatively, if he calls the ninth “ninth,” then calling the tenth “ninth” no longer counts as a mistake: it is as though he called the tenth “tenth.” The eleventh is therefore not consecrated, because the name “tenth” has not been removed from the tenth. On this reading, he must be literally silent about the ninth. This resolves a question raised later. There the Gemara says that one animal put its head out first and he called it “eleventh.” It asks how this can accord with Rabbi, who says that calling an animal “eleventh” does not remove the name “tenth.” Why not instead say that he called that animal “ninth,” which would remove the name according to everyone? On the second reading, calling it “ninth” would not remove the name, as explained. On the first reading, the Gemara does not give that answer because it would teach nothing new: calling it “ninth” certainly removes the name. The stated case is needed because, according to Rabbi, calling it “eleventh” sometimes does not remove the name when the owner has many animals.
  2. Two animals emerged together as the tenth, etc. — Earlier, in chapter 2 of Bekhorot (17b), I explained that this view can hold that exact simultaneity is impossible.

Sources

Kid summary and story cards written by Tab from the William Davidson Edition English (Sefaria, CC BY-NC 4.0).

Tab translation (machine-assisted) of Rashi and Tosafot, from the Vilna Edition Hebrew (public domain) on Sefaria. May contain mistakes.

In the app, the Gemara text comes from Sefaria (William Davidson Edition, CC BY-NC 4.0; Hebrew/Aramaic Vilna Edition). Rashi and Tosafot Hebrew: Vilna Edition (public domain) via Sefaria.

Also spelled: Bekhorot, Bechoros, Bekhoroth 60.