## Bekhorot Daf 8a

###### Bekhorot 8a:1
[Bekhorot 8a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:1)

הַדּוֹלְפָנִין פָּרִין וְרָבִין כִּבְנֵי אָדָם. מַאי דּוֹלְפָנִין? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: בְּנֵי יַמָּא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The *dulfanin* reproduce like people.** The Gemara asks: **What are *dulfanin*? Rav Yehuda says:** They are creatures that are called **sons of the sea.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:2
[Bekhorot 8a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:2)

כֹּל שֶׁבֵּיצָיו מִבַּחוּץ — מוֹלִיד, וְכֹל שֶׁבִּפְנִים — מֵטִיל בֵּיצִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The *baraita* continues: In the case of **any** male animal **whose testicles are external,** the female **gives birth** to live offspring, **and** in the case of **any** male animal **whose testicles are internal,** the female **lays eggs.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:3
[Bekhorot 8a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:3)

אִינִי? וְהָאָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אֲוָוז וַאֲוָוז בָּר כִּלְאַיִם זֶה בָּזֶה, וְהָוֵינַן בָּהּ: מַאי טַעְמָא? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: זֶה בֵּיצָיו מִבַּחוּץ, וְזֶה בֵּיצָיו מִבִּפְנִים, וְתַרְוַיְיהוּ מְטִילֵי בֵּיצִים!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **Is that so? But doesn’t Shmuel say** that a domestic **goose and a wild goose are** considered **diverse kinds,** and one may not mate them **with each other. And we discussed it: What is the reason? Abaye said:** In the case of **this** one, the male wild goose, **its testicles are external, and** in the case of **that** one, the domestic goose, **its testicles are internal.** The Gemara comments: **And** yet **both** geese **lay eggs.** Evidently, the fact that the male’s testicles are external does not prove that the female gives birth.


###### Bekhorot 8a:4
[Bekhorot 8a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:4)

אֶלָּא, כֹּל שֶׁזַּכְרוּתוֹ מִבַּחוּץ — מוֹלִיד, מִבִּפְנִים — מֵטִיל בֵּיצִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather,** the *baraita* must mean the following: With regard to **any** animal **whose male** reproductive **organ** is **external,** the female **gives birth,** and in the case of any male animal whose reproductive organ is **internal,** the female **lays eggs.** Although the testicles of the male wild goose are external, its reproductive organ is internal.


###### Bekhorot 8a:5
[Bekhorot 8a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:5)

כֹּל שֶׁתַּשְׁמִישׁוֹ בַּיּוֹם — יוֹלֵד בַּיּוֹם, בַּלַּיְלָה — יוֹלֵד בַּלַּיְלָה, כֹּל שֶׁתַּשְׁמִישׁוֹ בֵּין בַּיּוֹם בֵּין בַּלַּיְלָה — יוֹלֵד בֵּין בַּיּוֹם בֵּין בַּלַּיְלָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The *baraita* continues to discuss matters of animal procreation: **Any** species **whose sexual intercourse** occurs only **during the daytime gives birth** only **during the daytime;** any species whose intercourse occurs only **at night gives birth** only **at night; any** species **whose intercourse** occurs **both during the daytime and at night gives birth both during the daytime and at night.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:6
[Bekhorot 8a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:6)

תַּשְׁמִישׁוֹ בַּיּוֹם יוֹלֵד בַּיּוֹם — תַּרְנְגוֹל, בַּלַּיְלָה יוֹלֵד בַּלַּיְלָה — עֲטַלֵּף, תַּשְׁמִישׁוֹ בֵּין בַּיּוֹם בֵּין בַּלַּיְלָה יוֹלֵד בֵּין בַּיּוֹם בֵּין בַּלַּיְלָה — אָדָם וְכֹל דְּדָמֵי לֵיהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara elaborates: The statement that any species whose **intercourse** occurs **during the daytime gives birth during the daytime** is referring to **a chicken.** The statement that any species whose intercourse occurs **at night gives birth at night** is referring to **a bat.** The statement that any species whose **intercourse** occurs **both during the daytime and at night gives birth both during the daytime and at night** is referring to **a human and any** creature **that is similar to him.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:7
[Bekhorot 8a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:7)

לְמַאי נָפְקָא מִינַּהּ? לְכִדְרַב מָרִי בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב כָּהֲנָא, דְּאָמַר רַב מָרִי בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב כָּהֲנָא: בָּדַק בְּקִינָּה שֶׁל תַּרְנְגוֹלִין מֵעֶרֶב יוֹם טוֹב וְלֹא מָצָא בָּהּ בֵּיצָה, וּלְמָחָר הִשְׁכִּים וּמָצָא בָהּ בֵּיצָה — מוּתֶּרֶת בַּאֲכִילָה בְּיוֹם טוֹב, אֵימַר: לֹא בָּדַק יָפֶה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **What** halakhic **difference is** there whether an animal gives birth during the daytime or at night? The Gemara answers: The difference is **with regard to that which Rav Mari, son of Rav Kahana,** said. **As Rav Mari, son of Rav Kahana, said:** If one **examined a chicken’s nest on a Festival eve and did not find an egg in it, and the following day,** on the Festival, **he rose early,** before dawn, **and found an egg in it, consumption** of the egg is **permitted on the Festival.** It is not considered an egg that was laid on the Festival, which is forbidden (see *Beitza* 2a), as chickens do not lay eggs at night. Although he examined the nest before the Festival and failed to find an egg there, one is compelled to **say** that **he did not examine** the nest **carefully.**


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

וַהֲלֹא בָּדַק יָפֶה! אֵימַר: יָצְתָה רוּבָּהּ וְחָזְרָה הֲוָה, וְכִדְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: בֵּיצָה שֶׁיָּצְתָה רוּבָּהּ מֵעֶרֶב יוֹם טוֹב וְחוֹזֶרֶת — מְוֻתֶּרֶת לְאוֹכְלָהּ בְּיוֹם טוֹב.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara challenges: **But he did examine** the nest **carefully,** as the *baraita* states that he examined it. The Gemara explains: One must **say** that this **was** a case where **most of** the egg **emerged** on the eve of the Festival **and returned** inside its mother before the examination. **And** this ruling is **in accordance with** the opinion **of Rabbi Yoḥanan, as Rabbi Yoḥanan says:** In a case where **most of the egg emerged on the eve of the Festival and returned** inside its mother it is **permitted to eat it on the Festival,** as once most of it emerged it is considered to have been laid already.


###### Bekhorot 8a:9
[Bekhorot 8a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:9)

כֹּל שֶׁתַּשְׁמִישׁוֹ וְעִיבּוּרוֹ שָׁוֶה — יוֹלְדִים וּמְגַדְּלִים זֶה מִזֶּה. הַכֹּל מְשַׁמְּשִׁין פָּנִים כְּנֶגֶד עוֹרֶף, חוּץ מִשְּׁלֹשָׁה שֶׁמְּשַׁמְּשִׁין פָּנִים כְּנֶגֶד פָּנִים, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: דָּג, וְאָדָם, וְנָחָשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The *baraita* continues: **Any** two animals of different species **whose** manner of **intercourse and** time of **gestation are identical can have offspring** together **and** can **raise,** i.e., nurse, the young **of each other.** With regard to the manner of intercourse, **all** species **engage in intercourse** with **the face** of the male **opposite the back of the neck** of the female, meaning that the male comes from behind the female, **except for three** species **that engage in intercourse face-to-face, and they are these: Fish, and humans, and** the **snake.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:10
[Bekhorot 8a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:10)

וּמַאי שְׁנָא הָנֵי תְּלָתָא? כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אָמְרִי בְּמַעְרְבָא: הוֹאִיל וְדִיבְּרָה עִמָּהֶם שְׁכִינָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And what is different** about **these three? When Rav Dimi came** from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he reported that **they say in the West,** Eretz Yisrael, the following explanation: They are different **because the Divine Presence spoke with them.** This occurred when the fish swallowed the prophet Jonah (see Jonah 2:11), when Adam and other prophets were spoken to by God, and when the snake caused Adam and Eve to sin (see Genesis 3:14).


###### Bekhorot 8a:11
[Bekhorot 8a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:11)

תָּנָא: גָּמָל — אָחוֹר כְּנֶגֶד אָחוֹר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
A *tanna* **taught: A camel** engages in intercourse **back to back** with its mate.


###### Bekhorot 8a:12
[Bekhorot 8a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:12)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: תַּרְנְגוֹלֶת — לְעֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד יוֹם, וּכְנֶגְדָּהּ בָּאִילָן — לוּז, כֶּלֶב — לַחֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם, וּכְנֶגְדּוֹ בָּאִילָן — תְּאֵינָה, חָתוּל — לַחֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁנַיִם יוֹם, וּכְנֶגְדּוֹ בָּאִילָן — תּוּת, חֲזִיר — לְשִׁשִּׁים יוֹם, כְּנֶגְדּוֹ בָּאִילָן — תַּפּוּחַ, שׁוּעָל וְכׇל מִינֵי שְׁרָצִים — שִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים, וּכְנֶגְדָּם בָּאִילָן — תְּבוּאָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The Gemara cites a *baraita* that discusses the length of gestation for various animals. **The Sages taught** that **a chicken** hatches **after twenty-one days, and corresponding to it** in length of gestation **with regard to trees is the almond,** which ripens twenty-one days after the budding of the flower. **A dog** gives birth **after fifty days, and corresponding to it with regard to trees is the fig. A cat** gives birth **after fifty-two days, and corresponding to it with regard to trees is the mulberry. A pig** gives birth **after sixty days,** and **corresponding to it with regard to trees is the apple. A fox and all types of creeping animals** give birth after **six months, and corresponding to them with regard to trees,** i.e., plants, **is grain.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:13
[Bekhorot 8a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:13)

בְּהֵמָה דַּקָּה טְהוֹרָה — לַחֲמִשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים, וּכְנֶגְדָּן בָּאִילָן — גֶּפֶן. בְּהֵמָה גַּסָּה טְמֵאָה — לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חוֹדֶשׁ, וּכְנֶגְדּוֹ בָּאִילָן — דֶּקֶל. טְהוֹרָה — לְתִשְׁעָה חֳדָשִׁים, וּכְנֶגְדָּהּ בָּאִילָן — זַיִת. הַזְּאֵב וְהָאֲרִי וְהַדּוֹב וְהַנָּמֵר וְהַבַּרְדְּלָס וְהַפִּיל וְהַקּוֹף וְהַקִּיפוֹף — לְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, וּכְנֶגְדָּן בָּאִילָן — בְּנוֹת שׁוּחַ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Small kosher livestock,** such as sheep or goats, give birth **after five months, and corresponding to them with regard to trees is the grapevine. Large non-kosher livestock,** such as camels or donkeys, give birth **after twelve months, and corresponding to them with regard to trees is the date palm.** Large **kosher** livestock, such as cows, give birth **after nine months, and corresponding to them with regard to trees is the olive. The wolf, and the lion, and the bear, and the leopard, and the *bardelas*, and the elephant, and the monkey, and the long-tailed ape** give birth **after three years, and corresponding to them with regard to trees is the white fig.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:14
[Bekhorot 8a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:14)

אֶפְעֶה לְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, וּכְנֶגְדּוֹ בָּאִילָן — חָרוּב. חָרוּב זֶה, מִשְּׁעַת נְטִיעָתוֹ עַד שְׁעַת גְּמַר פֵּירוֹתָיו — שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, וִימֵי עִיבּוּרוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים. נָחָשׁ לְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים, וּלְאוֹתוֹ רָשָׁע לֹא מָצִינוּ חָבֵר. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: מוֹכְסָסִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The *baraita* continues: **A viper** gives birth **after seventy years, and corresponding to it with regard to trees is the carob.** In the case of **this carob,** the period **from the time of its planting until the time of the ripening of its fruit is seventy years, and the length of its gestation is three years. A snake** is born **after seven years, and for that wicked** animal **we have not found a counterpart** among trees. **And some say** that ***mukhsasim*** are the equivalent, as they ripen after seven years.


###### Bekhorot 8a:15
[Bekhorot 8a:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:15)

מְנָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב, וּמָטוּ בָּהּ מִשּׁוּם דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן חֲנַנְיָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכׇּל הַבְּהֵמָה וּמִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה״. אִם מִבְּהֵמָה נִתְקַלְּלָה, מֵחַיָּה לֹא כׇּל שֶׁכֵּן?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **From where is this matter,** that the gestation period of a snake is seven years, derived? **Rav Yehuda says** that **Rav says, and** some **determined it** to be **in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya:** It is derived from **that** which **is stated** with regard to the punishment of the snake for causing Adam and Eve to sin: **“Cursed are you from among all animals, and from among all beasts of the field”** (Genesis 3:14), in that your gestation period should be longer than all of them. Now, why does the verse mention the beasts of the field, i.e., undomesticated animals? **If** the snake **was cursed** more **than the domesticated animals,** then **all the more so** is it **not** clear that it was cursed more **than the undomesticated animals?** The shortest gestation period of domesticated animals, which is five months for a goat, is longer than the shortest gestation period among undomesticated animals, which is fifty-two days for a cat.


###### Bekhorot 8a:16
[Bekhorot 8a:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:16)

אֶלָּא, לוֹמַר לָךְ: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁנִּתְקַלְּלָה הַבְּהֵמָה מֵחַיָּה, אֶחָד לְשִׁבְעָה, וּמַאי נִיהוּ? חֲמוֹר מֵחָתוּל, כָּךְ נִתְקַלֵּל הוּא מִבְּהֵמָה, אַחַת לְשֶׁבַע, דְּהָוֵה לֵיהּ שַׁב שְׁנֵי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather,** the verse mentions the beasts of the field **to tell you: Just as the domesticated animals were cursed** more **than the undomesticated animals by** a proportion of **one to seven;** the Gemara interjects: **And** with regard to **what** case **is that?** It is with regard to **a donkey,** whose gestation period as mentioned is twelve months, compared **to a cat,** whose gestation period is fifty-two days. Seven times longer than fifty-two days is 364 days, which means that the gestation period of the donkey, which is one year, is almost exactly seven times longer than that of the cat. Rav Yehuda continues: **So too,** the snake **was cursed** more **than domesticated animals,** i.e., the donkey, in a proportion of **one to seven, which is** a total of **seven years.**


###### Bekhorot 8a:17
[Bekhorot 8a:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Bekhorot/r/8a:17)

אֵימָא: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁנִּתְקַלְּלָה חַיָּה מִבְּהֵמָה, אַחַת לְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, וּמַאי נִיהוּ? אֲרִי מֵחֲמוֹר, כָּךְ נִתְקַלֵּל הוּא מֵחַיָּה אַחַת לְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, דְּהָוֵה לֵיהּ תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara challenges: **Say** that the verse can be interpreted as follows: **Just as the undomesticated animals were cursed** more **than the domesticated animals** by a measure of **one** year **to three years;** the Gemara interjects: **And** in **what** case **is that?** It is in the case of **a lion,** whose gestation period is three years, compared **to a donkey,** whose gestation period is one year. The Gemara continues its challenge: **So too,** the snake **was cursed** more **than the undomesticated animals,** i.e., the lion, by a proportion of **one** year **to three years, which is nine years.**