## Bekhorot Daf 54b

###### Bekhorot 54b:1
[Bekhorot 54b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:1)

יִתְעַשְּׂרוּ מִזֶּה עַל זֶה! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אָמַר קְרָא ״הָעֲשִׂירִי״, תֵּן עֲשִׂירִי לָזֶה וְתֵן עֲשִׂירִי לָזֶה. אִי הָכִי, כְּבָשִׂים וְעִזִּים נָמֵי? ״וָצֹאן״ מַשְׁמַע כׇּל צֹאן אֶחָד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**let them be tithed from one for the other.** Abaye **said to him** that **the verse states: “The tenth** shall be sacred to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:32). This indicates that one must **give the tenth** animal **from this,** the flock, **and give the tenth** animal **from that,** the herd, with each counted and given separately. The Gemara raises a difficulty: **If so, sheep and goats** should **also** have to be tithed separately. The Gemara answers that the verse states: **“Or the flock,”** which **means** that **all** the goats and sheep **are one flock** and may be tithed together.


###### Bekhorot 54b:2
[Bekhorot 54b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:2)

הָכָא נָמֵי לֵימָא מַשְׁמַע כׇּל דָּגָן אֶחָד! אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: ״רֵאשִׁיתָם״, וְכֵן אָמַר רַבִּי אִילְעָא: ״רֵאשִׁיתָם״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara raises a further difficulty: **Here too,** with regard to *teruma* and tithes, **let us say** that the term “grain” (Numbers 18:12) **means** that **all** the different types of grain are considered **one grain,** and may be tithed together. **Abaye said** in response that there it is different, as the verse states: **“The first part of them”** (Numbers 18:12), in the plural, which teaches that one must give the first part for each type of produce separately. **And Rabbi Ile’a says likewise** that **“the first part of them”** teaches that one must give the first part for each type of produce separately.


###### Bekhorot 54b:3
[Bekhorot 54b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:3)

רָבָא אָמַר: בְּלָא ״רֵאשִׁיתָם״ נָמֵי מַשְׁמַע כׇּל דָּגָן אֶחָד — לָא מָצֵית אָמְרַתְּ. בִּשְׁלָמָא הָתָם אָמְרִינַן: ״וָצֹאן״ מַשְׁמַע כׇּל צֹאן אֶחָד, דְּאִי סָלְקָא דַעְתָּךְ כְּבָשִׂים וְעִזִּים נָמֵי — לִכְתּוֹב ״וְכׇל מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rava said** that there is an alternative answer: Even **without** the term **“the first part of them”** there is **also** no difficulty, as **you cannot say** the term “grain” **means** that **all** the different types of grain are considered **one grain.** Rava explains: **Granted, there,** with regard to sheep and goats, **we say** that the term **“or the flock” means** that **all** goats and sheep **are one flock. Because if it enters your mind** that **sheep and goats** may **also** not be tithed one for the other, like the herd and the flock, **let** the verse **write: And all the animal tithe,** without distinguishing between herds and flocks.


###### Bekhorot 54b:4
[Bekhorot 54b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:4)

וְכִי תֵּימָא: אִי כְּתִיב ״כׇּל מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה״, הֲוֵי אָמֵינָא אֲפִילּוּ חַיָּה — ״תַּחַת״ ״תַּחַת״ מִקֳּדָשִׁים גָּמַר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And if you would say** that **if** the verse **had written: All the animal tithe, I would say** that the requirement to tithe animals applies **even to undomesticated animals,** this is not so. The reason is that one **derives** the *halakha* of the animal tithe **from sacrificial** animals, via a verbal analogy of the terms “under” and “under.” With regard to sacrificial animals it states: “When a bull, or a sheep, or a goat is brought forth, then it shall be seven days **under** its mother, but from the eighth day onward it may be accepted for an offering made by fire to the Lord” (Leviticus 22:27), and with regard to animal tithe it states: “And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatever passes **under** the rod, the tenth shall be sacred to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:32). It is derived through this verbal analogy that just as an undomesticated animal cannot be consecrated as an offering, so too, it cannot be tithed.


###### Bekhorot 54b:5
[Bekhorot 54b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:5)

וְאָתֵי בְּקַל וָחוֹמֶר מֵחָדָשׁ וְיָשָׁן, ״בָּקָר וָצֹאן״ לְמָה לִי? בָּקָר וָצֹאן הוּא דְּאֵין מִתְעַשְּׂרִין מִזֶּה עַל זֶה, אֲבָל כְּבָשִׂים וְעִזִּים מִתְעַשְּׂרִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rava continues his explanation: **And** as one would not have thought that undomesticated animals are included in the animal tithe the verse could have stated: And all the animal tithe, and one would **derive** that one species may not be tithed for another **by an *a fortiori*** inference **from new** grain **and old** grain, as specified earlier: If the grain tithe may not be taken from the new grain for the old grain despite the fact that the prohibition of diverse kinds does not apply, all the more so with regard to different species of animal, which are prohibited as diverse kinds; the animal tithe may not be taken from one for another. If so, **why do I** need the verse to state: **“The herds or the flock”?** This teaches that **herds** of cattle **and flocks** of sheep or goats **may not be tithed from one for the other, but sheep and goats,** which are both called flocks, **may be tithed** from one for the other.


###### Bekhorot 54b:6
[Bekhorot 54b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:6)

אֲבָל הָכָא, מִי סַגִּיא דְּלָא כְּתִיב ״דָּגָן״? לְמַעוֹטֵי שְׁאָר מִינִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Rava concludes: **But here,** in the case of grain, **would it suffice if** the Torah **had not written: “Grain,” to exclude other types** of foods from the obligation of tithes by Torah law? In other words, the term “grain” must be serving to exclude other types of food, as one cannot claim they could have been excluded in some other manner.


###### Bekhorot 54b:7
[Bekhorot 54b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:7)

מַתְקֵיף לַהּ רַב הוּנָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב נַחְמָן: אֵימָא לְעָרְבוּ לְבָקָר בְּצֹאן! אֲמַר לֵיהּ מָר זוּטְרָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב נַחְמָן לְרָבָא: אִית לֵיהּ נָמֵי ״הָעֲשִׂירִי״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Huna, son of Rav Naḥman, objects to this** claim of Rava in which it is derived from the words “herd” and “flock” that cattle and sheep may not be tithed together. One can **say** instead that this teaches **that** one should **intermingle the** cattle in the **herd with** the sheep in the **flock** and tithe them all together. **Mar Zutra, son of Rav Naḥman, said to** Rav Huna, son of Rav Naḥman: **Rava also accepts** the opinion of Abaye that the verse **“The tenth** shall be sacred to the Lord” teaches that cattle and sheep must be tithed separately, and therefore he does not entertain that derivation.


###### Bekhorot 54b:8
[Bekhorot 54b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:8)

אִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי, אָמַר רָבָא: בְּלֹא ״עֲשִׂירִי״ נָמֵי לָא מָצֵית אָמְרַתְּ בָּקָר וָצֹאן מִתְעַשְּׂרִין מִזֶּה עַל זֶה, דְּאִיתַּקַּשׁ מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה לְמַעֲשֵׂר דָּגָן — מָה מַעְשַׂר דָּגָן מִמִּין עַל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִינוֹ לָא, אַף מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה מִמִּין עַל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִינוֹ לָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**There are** those **who say** that **Rava said:** Even **without** the verse **“The tenth** shall be sacred to the Lord” **you also cannot say** that **a herd and a flock** should **be tithed from one for the other, as animal tithe is juxtaposed to grain tithe: Just as grain tithe** may **not** be separated **from** one **type** of grain **for** another grain **that is not its type, so too, animal tithe** may **not** be separated **from** one **type** of animal **for** another species of animal **that is not its type.**


###### Bekhorot 54b:9
[Bekhorot 54b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:9)

וְהָא רָבָא הוּא דְּאָמַר: ״שָׁנָה״ לְשָׁנָה הִקַּשְׁתִּיו, וְלֹא לְדָבָר אַחֵר! הֲדַר בֵּיהּ רָבָא מֵהַהִיא. וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: חֲדָא (מיניה) [מִינַיְהִי] רַב פָּפָּא אַמְרַהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But isn’t** it **Rava** himself **who said** that the term: **“Year** by year” (Deuteronomy 14:22), teaches that **I have juxtaposed** the two types of tithe **with regard to the year** in which they were born, teaching that one may not tithe old and new flocks together, **but not with regard to another matter,** i.e., there is no prohibition against tithing two types together? The Gemara answers: **Rava retracted that** first opinion, and maintains that the juxtaposition applies even to the tithing of two types together. **And if you wish, say** instead that **one of** those opinions was **said** by **Rav Pappa,** not by Rava. Since Rav Pappa was Rava’s closest student and took over as head of the academy after Rava’s death, his statements were occasionally mistaken for those of Rava himself.


###### Bekhorot 54b:10
[Bekhorot 54b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:10)

**מַתְנִי׳** מַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה מִצְטָרֵף כִּמְלֹא רֶגֶל בְּהֵמָה רוֹעָה, וְכַמָּה הִיא רֶגֶל בְּהֵמָה רוֹעָה? שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר מִיל. הָיוּ בֵּין אֵלּוּ לְאֵלּוּ שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁנַיִם מִיל — אֵין מִצְטָרְפִין. הָיוּ לוֹ בָּאֶמְצַע — מֵבִיא וּמְעַשְּׂרָן בָּאֶמְצַע. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר: הַיַּרְדֵּן מַפְסִיק לְמַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** Animals subject to the obligation of **animal tithe join together** if the distance between them is no greater **than the distance that a grazing animal** can **walk** and still be tended by one shepherd. **And how much is the distance that a grazing animal walks?** It is **sixteen *mil*.** If the distance **between these** animals **and those** animals **was thirty-two *mil* they do not join together.** If **he** also **had** animals **in the middle** of that distance of thirty-two *mil*, **he brings** all three flocks to a pen **and tithes them in the middle. Rabbi Meir says: The Jordan** River **divides** between animals on two sides of the river **with regard to animal tithe,** even if the distance between them is minimal.


###### Bekhorot 54b:11
[Bekhorot 54b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:11)

**גְּמָ׳** מְנָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** The mishna teaches that animals join together for the purposes of tithing if the distance between them is no greater than the distance a grazing animal can walk and still be tended by one shepherd. The Gemara asks: **From where are these matters** derived? What is the source that this is the maximum distance at which they can be tithed together?


###### Bekhorot 54b:12
[Bekhorot 54b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:12)

אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר שֵׁילָא: דְּאָמַר קְרָא ״עוֹד תַּעֲבֹרְנָה הַצֹּאן עַל יְדֵי מוֹנֶה״, וְקִים לְהוּ לְרַבָּנַן דְּשִׁיתְּסַר מִיל קָא שָׁלְטָא בֵּיהּ עֵינָא דְּרוֹעֶה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabba bar Sheila said that the verse states:** “So says the Lord of hosts: Yet again shall there be in this place, which is desolate, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, **the flock shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,** says the Lord” (Jeremiah 33:12–13). It is derived from here that animals that can pass under the hands of one shepherd are called one flock and can be counted together for the animal tithe. **And the Sages have** an accepted **tradition that the eye of the shepherd can see** up to a distance of **sixteen *mil*.**


###### Bekhorot 54b:13
[Bekhorot 54b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:13)

הָיוּ בֵּין אֵלּוּ לְאֵלּוּ שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁנַיִם מִיל אֵין מִצְטָרְפִין וְכוּ׳. שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁנַיִם הוּא דְּאֵין מִצְטָרְפִין, הָא בְּצִיר מֵהָכִי מִצְטָרְפִין? וְהָא קָתָנֵי: שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר מִיל, טְפֵי לָא! מִשּׁוּם דְּקָא בָעֵי לְמִיתְנֵא סֵיפָא: הָיוּ לוֹ בָּאֶמְצַע — מֵבִיא וּמְעַשְּׂרָן בָּאֶמְצַע.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches that if the distance **between these** animals **and those** animals **was thirty-two *mil* they do not join together.** The Gemara infers: **It is** only if the distance between them is **thirty-two** *mil* **that they do not join together,** from which it can be inferred that if the distance between them is **less than this** they do **join together. But** the mishna earlier **teaches: Sixteen *mil*,** which indicates: **And no more.** The Gemara answers: One cannot infer that if the distance is less than thirty-two *mil* the animals join together. The mishna mentions thirty-two *mil* only **because it wants to teach** in **the latter clause:** If **he** also **had** animals **in the middle** of that distance of thirty-two *mil*, **he brings** them all to a pen **and tithes them in the middle.**


###### Bekhorot 54b:14
[Bekhorot 54b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:14)

וְכַמָּה? אָמַר רַב: חָמֵשׁ מִכָּאן וְחָמֵשׁ מִכָּאן וְחָמֵשׁ מֵאֶמְצַע, דְּהָנֵי חָמֵשׁ חַזְיָא לְהָכָא וְחַזְיָא לְהָכָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And how many** animals must he have on the two sides and in the middle in order to tithe them as one group? **Rav says: Five from here and five from there and five in the middle.** The reason is **that these five** in the middle **are fit** to combine **with** the animals **here and are** likewise **fit** to combine **with** the animals **there,** to amount to a total of ten, to which the obligation of animal tithe applies. For this reason all three flocks are considered as one flock.


###### Bekhorot 54b:15
[Bekhorot 54b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/54b:15)

וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר: אֲפִילּוּ חָמֵשׁ מִכָּאן וְחָמֵשׁ מִכָּאן וְאֶחָד בָּאֶמְצַע, חָזֵינַן לְרוֹעֶה כְּמַאן דְּקָאֵי הָכָא, וְקָרֵינַן בֵּיהּ ״מוֹנֶה״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And Shmuel says: Even** if there are **five from here and five from there and** only **one in the middle** they may be tithed together. The reason is that **we see the shepherd as one who stands here** in the middle **and we apply** the verse: **“Who counts them”** (Jeremiah 33:13), to him. Since he can see and count both sides from his vantage point in the middle, they are all considered one flock.