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Week 162 - Friday - 3 January 2003

BEKHOROT: CHAPTER 6: MISHNAH 4

If its nose is pierced, or defective, or slit, its lip pierced, or defective, or slit, its outer hitin are defective, or cut out, and the inner ones uprooted. R. Haninah b. Antignos says, We do not examine from the double teeth inward, nor the double teeth themselves.

Kehati

Our mishnah lists blemishes in the nose, lips and mouth.

If its nose - that of the bekhor - is pierced and the hole is visible from the outside; if from within only, e.g., the septum which divides the nose, is perforated, it is not a blemish, since it is not exposed (see introduction to mishnah 1), or defective - i.e., lacking some substance (see mishnah 1 concerning the ear), or slit with no substance lacking, its lip - that of the bekhor - is pierced, or defective, or slit (see above explanations), its outer hitin - the gums which hold the incisors (Rashi); or the incisors (R. Gershom and Bartenura); an alternative version reads "the outer hutav" (chords), i.e., "the twin chords that protrude from the palate and are visible when the animal opens its mouth" (Rambam) - are defective, or cut out - or decayed, with but a residue left (Rambam)- and the inner ones - that hold the molars (Rashi); or the molars (R. Gershom); or the prominence on the windpipe (thyroid cartilage) - totally uprooted - but if merely defective or worn down, it is not a blemish.

R. Haninah b. Antignos says, We do not - it is not necessary to - examine from the two large double - or twin - teeth inward - since any blemishes in that area are not exposed, a bekhor may not be slaughtered on account of them - nor do we examine the double teeth themselves, since their blemish is hidden. Rambam defines mat'imot as the internal "chords" (thyroid cartilage) from which we do not examine further in, according to R. Haninah b. Antignos, since any blemish there is hidden from sight, and a bekhor may not be slaughtered on account of it. The halakhah does not follow R. Haninah b. Antignos.

BEKHOROT: CHAPTER 6: MISHNAH 5

If the sheath of the male organ is defective, or the genitals of a female animal in the case of sacrificial offerings, if the tail is mutilated from the bone but not from the joint, or if the top end of the tail bares the bone, or there is a finger's breadth of flesh between one segment and the other.

Kehati

This mishnah deals with blemishes in the genital organs.

If the sheath of the male organ is defective - it constitutes a blemish, since it does not heal, but if removed it is not a blemish, since it naturally returns to its normal condition (Gemara), or the genitals of a female animal are defective, in the case of sacrificial offerings other than a bekhor. which can only be male, e.g., a peace-offering, if the tail is mutilated from the bone - i.e., one segment of the tail-bone is flawed, it counts as a blemish, but it is not a blemish if from the joint - if it is defective in the joints between the tail-bone segments, since it recovers, or if the top end of the tail bares the bone - i.e., if the root-end of the tail is bared of skin and flesh (Rashi), it is a blemish, since it does not recover, alternatively, if the tip of the tail has a divided bone (Tosafot; Rambam); or there is a finger's - a thumb's - breadth of flesh between one segment and the other.

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