Category Archives: Uncategorized

That beautiful braided braid we call challah, is not actually challah! It’s a loaf of bread from which challah has been taken. Challah was the amount of our dough that we were to give to the priest when we were living in Israel and the priest was serving in the Temple. We no longer liveContinue reading “Bekhorot 27”

Certain gifts seem thoughtful but unintentionally burden the recipient. On our daf today, we learn that when we give gifts, we should not be giving the recipient more work then they’ve bargained for. From here the Sages stated: Until when must an Israelite tend to and raise a firstborn animal before handing it to theContinue reading “Bekhorot 26”

Today’s daf contains two things I love in one: 1) snarky comments and 2) connection with this week’s Torah portion! When Ravin ascended from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael, he stated this halakha, including Rav Naḥman’s interpretation of the baraita, in the presence of Rabbi Yirmeya. Rabbi Yirmeya said: Foolish Babylonians! Because they dwell in aContinue reading “Bekhorot 25”

Today’s daf challenges the idea that, if you see a ewe nursing, you can assume that is it’s mother. Perhaps, an animal that has given birth might be merciful and nurse another mother’s offspring. Then the daf goes further and says that maybe a mom might nurse a baby animal of a different species! perhapsContinue reading “Bekhorot 24”

The daf has been trying to determine if a sheep is having its first horn or not. Today we get something a little obvious: if the mom is already nursing another infant when she is purchased, then you can safely assume that she has been pregnant so any subsequent pregnancy would not be a firstContinue reading “Bekhorot 23”

Sometimes my gems are brief asides, so today, as my gen is a brief aside, I am also summrizing the daf below. Here’s the gem: Rabbi Yoḥanan said: With regard to skeins, I heard three different halakhot: One involves a skein of warp threads, and one a skein of woof threads, and one a largeContinue reading “Bekhorot 22”

Everyone is an expert . . .no really, everyone IS an expert, just not in everything. On our daf today we get an “ask the expert moment.” When determining if a discharge from an animal is a miscarriage, we are told to ask a sage. Who is the sage we should ask? A wise shephard!Continue reading “Bekhorot 21”

Imagine having a mentor who didn’t just teach you – he literally saved your life. That was the connection between Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Yishmael. As a young boy, Yishmael was captured by the Romans. Rabbi Yehoshua paid a steep ransom to free him, brought him back home, and raised him in the halls ofContinue reading “Bekhorot 20”

Today’s daf is talking about firstborn male animals and trying to determine what makes a first born a first born. Turns out, that there are a lot of standards! The first born male has to be the first born (so no older sisters) AND it has to be the first pregnancy! But the Sages said:Continue reading “Bekhorot 19”

I love a sassy comeback, and on today’s daf, Rabbi Yoḥanan has one. Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba: While you were eating dates in Babylonia, we in Eretz Yisrael explained it based on the latter clause in the mishna. Ha! It’s a “while you were off galivanting” or “while you were havingContinue reading “Bekhorot 18”