Beitzah 26 - September26, 20 Tishrei

Study Guide Beitzah 26

This week’s learning is sponsored by Dina Becker for a refuah shleima for Reuven Ephraim ben Shoshana (Ron Becker).

Today's daf is sponsored by Elana Kermaier in honor of her dear father Moshe Fox’s fourth yahrzeit - lilui nishmat Moshe Yehuda ben HaRav Binyaimin v'Chaya Tzipora. My father would be equally surprised and proud that I am learning the Daf. And by Ira and Natanya Slomowitz in memory of Ira’s father, Rabbi Shlomo Slomowitz, HaRav Shlomo ben HaRav Dov Tzvi v'Masha on his yahrzeit. 

A bechor, firstborn, of an animal is given to the kohen and must be sacrificed. However, if it is blemished from before Yom Tov with a permanent blemish, the kohen can slaughter it and eat it. Only an expert can determine if it has a blemish that disqualifies it from being sacrificed. If a bechor falls into a pit on Yom Tov can an expert go down into the pit to check if the animal was blemished to then permit the owner to take it out and slaughter it? Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon disagree. Rabbi Shimon ben Menasia explains according to Rabbi Shimon’s opinion that there are three different cases. Rabba bar Rav Huna explains that in one case it is forbidden entirely, in another, one cannot send an expert but if one did and it was blemished, they are permitted to slaughter it, and in the third, they can check it ab initio. They raise a difficulty against his explanation from a braita that they taught in Israel and reject his explanation. Hillel asked Rava if there is muktze for half a Shabbat, meaning if something usable when Shabbat came in and then became not usable and then usable again, would it be considered muktze for the rest of Shabbat, even though it is usable again? The Gemara brings several sources to try to determine the answer to the question but in the end, is unsuccessful.