Bekhorot 14a — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

It is written [Deuteronomy 12:15]: “Only according to all the desire of your soul may you slaughter and eat meat, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that He has given you in all your gates; the impure and the pure may eat it, as the deer and as the gazelle”

The verse speaks of consecrated animals in which a blemish arose [after they had been consecrated, and which are called in the language of the Sages “disqualified consecrated animals”], which are to be redeemed and eaten anywhere [“in all your gates”].

One might have thought that they may be redeemed even on account of a temporary blemish. The verse therefore says: “Only.” And the verse says: “You shall slaughter and eat,” to tell you: you have no permission in them for shearing and working [even after they have been redeemed], but only for eating by means of slaughter. And the verse says: “The impure and the pure may eat it,” because they came by virtue of consecrated animals, concerning which it was stated: “And the flesh that touches any impure thing shall not be eaten.” Therefore, the verse had to permit this, that the impure and the pure may eat from one bowl.

And the verse says: “As the deer and as the gazelle,” for these are species exempt from the gifts of the foreleg, the cheeks, and the maw; and likewise disqualified consecrated animals that have been redeemed are exempt from the foreleg, the cheeks, and the maw [according to Rashi in the Pentateuch].

All consecrated animals whose permanent blemish preceded their consecration,

for it is impossible to consecrate them with bodily sanctity, and he consecrated them for their value, so that they would be sold and with their value he would bring a burnt-offering or another offering,

and were redeemed,

this is their law:

They are

liable with regard to the firstborn

if they give birth to a firstborn,

and with regard to the gifts

of the foreleg, the cheeks, and the maw, like wholly non-sacred animals.

And they go out to non-sacred status,

their redemption having been effective to take them out to non-sacred status even

for shearing and working.

And

their offspring,

whose mothers became pregnant with them before the redemption and gave birth to them after the redemption, as the Gemara explains,

and their milk

[the milk that was milked from them after they were redeemed]

is permitted.

And all these laws that we have stated apply

after their redemption.

And one who slaughters them,

the consecrated animals whose blemish preceded their consecration,

outside

[outside the Temple courtyard], even before their redemption, is

exempt

from karet, which applies to anyone who slaughters consecrated animals of the altar outside, because they were not consecrated with bodily sanctity.

And one does not effect substitution

even before their redemption, as the reason is explained in the Gemara.

And

even

if they died

before their redemption—

they may be redeemed

[one may redeem them] while they are dead.

Except for the firstborn and the tithe,

which, even if their blemish preceded their consecration, complete sanctity takes effect upon them in all respects, except that they are unfit to be offered.

And all

the consecrated animals

whose consecration preceded their blemish,

and bodily sanctity, which is a stringent sanctity and not sanctity of value, took effect upon them,

or

even if they had

a temporary blemish

before

their consecration,

which does not prevent the taking effect of bodily sanctity,

and afterward a permanent blemish arose in them,

so that it is found that their consecration preceded their blemish—

and they were redeemed,

this is their law:

They are exempt from the firstborn, and from the gifts.

And they do not go out

through their redemption

to non-sacred status for shearing and working.

And

their offspring and their milk are forbidden

even

after their redemption,

for the Torah said: “You shall slaughter and eat meat,” but not milk. And the offspring—these are the offspring with which they became pregnant before the redemption and which were born after the redemption—and by rabbinic decree the offspring are forbidden, as will be explained in the Gemara, because of a decree.

And one who slaughters them outside

before their redemption

is liable.

And one effects substitution,

both before their redemption and after their redemption.

And if they died, they are buried

and are not redeemed.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: All consecrated animals whose permanent blemish preceded their consecration and were redeemed are liable with regard to the firstborn and the gifts.

And we infer:

The reason is that they were redeemed

the consecrated animals that were initially consecrated only with sanctity of value—this is why they became liable with regard to the firstborn and the gifts.

But if they were not redeemed

yet, they are

exempt from the firstborn and from the gifts,

even though their sanctity is only sanctity of value—

he holds

this tanna:

sanctity of value

is equivalent to bodily sanctity, which

repels [them] from the firstborn and from the gifts.

We learned in the Mishna: All consecrated animals whose permanent blemish preceded their consecration and were redeemed...

And they go out to non-sacred status

for shearing and working:

And we infer:

The reason is that they were redeemed; but if they were not redeemed,

even though their sanctity is only sanctity of value,

they are forbidden

by rabbinic law

for shearing and working,

even in a manner in which there is no prohibition because of deriving benefit from consecrated property. If so, does

it support

our Mishna

in favor of Rabbi Elazar, who says that consecrated property for the upkeep of the Temple

—and likewise consecrated animals possessing sanctity of value for the altar—

is forbidden for shearing and working

by rabbinic law, just as it is forbidden by Torah law in the case of consecrated animals of the altar and redeemed disqualified consecrated animals?

They said

the members of the academy:

No,

do not prove from here in accordance with Rabbi Elazar’s words, that consecrated animals possessing sanctity of value for the altar, which are forbidden by rabbinic law for shearing and working, teach us that consecrated property for the upkeep of the Temple is also forbidden. For:

Sanctity of value for the altar is interchangeable with bodily sanctity for the altar

which is forbidden for shearing and working, and therefore

the Sages decreed concerning them.

But consecrated property for the upkeep of the Temple—

it may be said that

they did not

decree, since it is not interchangeable with bodily sanctity for the altar.

We learned in the Mishna: All consecrated animals whose permanent blemish preceded their consecration and were redeemed,

their offspring and their milk are permitted:

The Gemara asks:

What are the circumstances,

in what manner is our Mishna dealing, such that it needed to permit the offspring?

If you say that they became pregnant and gave birth after their redemption,

this cannot be said, for

it is obvious,

since

they are non-sacred animals.

Rather, they became pregnant

after the consecration and

before their redemption, and gave birth after their redemption.

And we infer:

indeed

offspring that were born—to consecrated animals whose blemish preceded their consecration, which were consecrated only for their monetary value—

before their redemption, they are forbidden

in benefit without redemption. And it is uncertain: