הלכות בכורות ד׳Firstlings 4

Chapter 4 of 8 in Firstlings — 21 halachot

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Halacha 1א׳

בֶהֱמַת הַשֻּׁתָּפִין חַיֶּבֶת בִּבְכוֹרָה. לֹא נֶאֱמַר (דברים יב יז) (דברים יד כג) "בְּקָרְךָ וְצֹאנֶךָ" אֶלָּא לְמַעֵט שֻׁתָּפוּת הַנָּכְרִי שֶׁאִם הָיָה שֻׁתָּף בַּפָּרָה אוֹ בָּעֻבָּר אֲפִלּוּ הָיָה לַנָּכְרִי אֶחָד מֵאֶלֶף בָּאֵם אוֹ בַּוָּלָד הֲרֵי זֶה פָּטוּר מִן הַבְּכוֹרָה. הָיָה לוֹ בְּאֶחָד מִשְּׁנֵיהֶם אֵיבָר אֶחָד כְּגוֹן יָד אוֹ רֶגֶל. רוֹאִין כָּל שֶׁאִלּוּ יֵחָתֵךְ וְהָיָה בַּעַל מוּם הֲרֵי זֶה פָּטוּר. וְאִם אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיֵּחָתֵךְ אֵיבַר הַנָּכְרִי וְלֹא יִפָּסֵל. הֲרֵי זֶה חַיָּב בִּבְכוֹרָה:

An animal belonging to partners is subject to the law of the firstborn. Scripture said (Deuteronomy 12:17; 14:23), "your herd and your flock," only to exclude partnership with a gentile: if a gentile had a share in the cow or in the fetus — even if the gentile had one part in a thousand of the mother or of the offspring — it is exempt from the law of the firstborn. If he had one limb in either of them, such as a foreleg or a leg, we consider: if that limb were cut off and the animal would be blemished, it is exempt; and if the gentile's limb could be cut off without rendering it unfit, it is subject to the law of the firstborn.

Halacha 2ב׳

הַלּוֹקֵחַ עֻבַּר פָּרָתוֹ שֶׁל נָכְרִי. אוֹ הַמּוֹכֵר עֻבַּר פָּרָתוֹ לְנָכְרִי. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רַשַּׁאי הֲרֵי זֶה פָּטוּר מִן הַבְּכוֹרָה. וְאֵין קוֹנְסִין אוֹתוֹ עַל דָּבָר זֶה:

One who buys the fetus of a gentile's cow, or who sells the fetus of his cow to a gentile — although he may not do so, it is exempt from the law of the firstborn, and he is not penalized for this.

Halacha 3ג׳

הַמְקַבֵּל בְּהֵמָה מִן הַנָּכְרִי לִהְיוֹת מְטַפֵּל בָּהּ וְהַוְּלָדוֹת בֵּינֵיהֶם. אוֹ נָכְרִי שֶׁקִּבֵּל מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל כָּזֶה. הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ פְּטוּרִים מִן הַבְּכוֹרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג ב) "פֶּטֶר כָּל רֶחֶם בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַכּל מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל:

One who receives an animal from a gentile to tend it, the offspring to be divided between them, or a gentile who received such an animal from an Israelite — these are exempt from the law of the firstborn, as it is said (Exodus 13:2), "whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel" — until the whole of it belongs to an Israelite.

Halacha 4ד׳

הַמְקַבֵּל צֹאן מִן הַנָּכְרִי בְּמָמוֹן קָצוּב וּפָסַק עִמּוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַשָּׂכָר בֵּינֵיהֶם וְאִם פִּחֲתוּ פִּחֲתוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁבִּרְשׁוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם וַהֲרֵי הֵם כְּקִנְיָנוֹ הוֹאִיל וְאִם לֹא יִמְצָא הַנָּכְרִי אֶצְלוֹ מָמוֹן אַחֵר לִגְבּוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ יִגְבֶּה מִן הַבְּהֵמוֹת הָאֵלּוּ וּמִוַּלְדוֹתֵיהֶן נַעֲשָׂה כְּמוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ אַחֲרָיוּת עֲלֵיהֶן וְעַל וַלְדוֹתֵיהֶן וַהֲרֵי יַד הַנָּכְרִי בְּאֶמְצַע וּפְטוּרִין מִן הַבְּכוֹרָה הֵם וּוַלְדוֹתֵיהֶן. אֲבָל וַלְדֵי וְלָדוֹת חַיָּבִין שֶׁהֲרֵי שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם וְאֵין לַנָּכְרִי רְשׁוּת עֲלֵיהֶן:

One who receives a flock from a gentile for a fixed sum and stipulated with him that the profit be divided between them and that any loss be the Israelite's — although they are in the Israelite's possession and are as his acquisition, since if the gentile should find no other money of his to collect from he would collect from these animals and their offspring, it is as though the gentile holds a lien upon them and upon their offspring, and his hand is in the middle; therefore they and their offspring are exempt from the law of the firstborn. But the offspring of the offspring are subject to it, for they belong to the Israelite and the gentile has no right over them.

Halacha 5ה׳

יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנָּתַן מָעוֹת לְנָכְרִי וְקָנָה לוֹ בָּהֶן בְּהֵמָה מִנָּכְרִי בְּדִינֵיהֶן אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא מָשַׁךְ קָנָה וְחַיֶּבֶת בִּבְכוֹרָה. וְכֵן אִם קָנָה הַנָּכְרִי מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל בְּדִינֵיהֶם וְנָתַן מָעוֹת אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא מָשַׁךְ קָנָה וּפְטוּרָה מִבְּכוֹרָה:

An Israelite who gave money to a gentile, and the gentile bought an animal for him with it from another gentile under their law — even though he did not draw it, he has acquired it, and it is subject to the law of the firstborn. So too if a gentile bought from an Israelite under their law and gave money — even though he did not draw it, he has acquired it, and it is exempt from the law of the firstborn.

…and 16 more halachot in this chapter.

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Mishneh Torah, Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: rendered from the Hebrew for this app — our own, not a borrowed translation