Bekhorot 58a — the Talmud in English

So that livestock should be available for those ascending for the pilgrimage festivals,

for people refrain from selling until they tithe, as will be explained; and if these periods preceding the pilgrimage festivals had not been the time for the animal tithe, there would not have been livestock available to purchase for those ascending for the pilgrimage festivals.

And the Gemara explains why there was no livestock to sell until the time of the threshing floors:

And although it was taught

in our Mishna:

Before

the threshing floor has arrived, it is permitted to sell and slaughter,

and if so, livestock is also available for sale not at the time of the threshing floors, nevertheless

a person is pleased to perform a mitzva with his property,

and afterward to sell and eat

[it is pleasing to a person to perform the mitzva of the animal tithe with his property, and only afterward to sell and eat]; and if so, they would not sell without tithing, and therefore they established threshing floors at these times preceding the pilgrimage festival, so that at that time they would tithe and be able to sell. The Gemara further explains the wording of our Mishna:

And why did he call it “

threshing floor”

[why was the time of the tithe called by this name], as we learned: “Three threshing floors”?

Because

the

time

immerses like a threshing floor—

just as it establishes grain for the tithe, so that it is prohibited to eat from it until he tithes, so too the time of the threshing floors rabbinically

immerses the livestock,

so that it may not be sold or eaten until he tithes. The Gemara further explains the wording of our Mishna:

And how much

is

the half-period [“

half”]?

Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Yehuda explained: A half-period is no less than fifteen days

[before the beginning of the pilgrimage festival], that is: on the thirtieth of Adar when the month is full, or on the twenty-ninth of it when the month is deficient; on the twentieth of Iyyar; and on the twenty-ninth of Elul.

The Gemara asks:

What is the indication,

how is fifteen days indicated by the wording “half-period”?

He said,

he explained:

Rabbi Abbahu: A half-period

is

half,

from the language of a slice, which implies something divided into two parts.

And

half of what,

what is it half of, such that it is fifteen days?

And the Gemara explains:

Half of the laws of Pesach! For it is as it was taught: One asks and expounds concerning the laws of Pesach thirty days before

Pesach.

And half of what ? What is the fifteen-day half of?

We learned in the Mishna:

Ben Azzai says: On the twenty-ninth of Adar, on the first of Sivan:

The Gemara asks:

With regard to what do Rabbi Akiva and Ben Azzai disagree,

for both Rabbi Akiva and Ben Azzai established the time as fifteen days before Pesach, since the twenty-ninth of Adar is fifteen days before Pesach when Adar is deficient?

And the Gemara explains their disagreement concerning the first threshing floor:

Rabbi Akiva holds: Adar adjacent to Nisan is sometimes

a

full

month

and sometimes

it is

deficient; sometimes

[it occurs]

that

the month is full, and

it falls—

fifteen days before Pesach—

on the thirtieth day

of Adar,

and sometimes it

is a deficient month, and

it falls—

fifteen days before Pesach—

on the twenty-ninth

of Adar,

and for this reason he did not establish a fixed time

for a particular day of the month, and therefore Rabbi Akiva stated it using the expression “at the half-period of Pesach.”

And Ben Azzai holds: Adar adjacent to Nisan is always deficient; therefore he established a time on the twenty-ninth of Adar.

And the Gemara further explains their disagreement concerning the second threshing floor, for Rabbi Akiva stated “at the half-period of Shavuot,” while Ben Azzai stated “on the first of Sivan”:

For this reason Ben Azzai said

on the first of Sivan,

because

since they are not numerous

[because there are not many animals born between Pesach and Shavuot],

if you say that he should advance and tithe

[if you say, according to Rabbi Akiva, that he should advance the tithe by fifteen days before Shavuot], then

by the time the pilgrimage festival arrives, they will have been entirely depleted

[by the time the pilgrimage festival arrives, the livestock will have come to an end in the market], since once they have been tithed they immediately stand ready for sale.

We learned in the Mishna: Ben Azzai says...

On the twenty-ninth of Av:

since there are not many

The Gemara explains their disagreement concerning the third threshing floor: Rabbi Akiva said fifteen days before the pilgrimage festival, whereas Ben Azzai said the twenty-ninth of Av. For this reason Ben Azzai said that the threshing floor is on the twenty-ninth of Av, because

Ben Azzai follows his own reasoning

[according to his view in our Mishna],

for he says: The animals born in Elul are tithed separately,

because of the uncertainty whether the first of Elul is the New Year or the first of Tishrei is the New Year. And if the time had been established on the twenty-ninth of Elul, there would be concern lest they combine the animals born in Elul with those preceding them; therefore he said the twenty-ninth of Av, but not earlier, in order to place the threshing floor as close as possible to the festival.

And we challenge: Nevertheless, why did he say the twenty-ninth of Av, which implies that even when the month is full, from the twentieth onward it is on this day,

and let him tithe them on the thirtieth day

of Av? That is, let him say that the time of the tithe is forty-nine days before the pilgrimage festival, and sometimes it is the twenty-ninth of Av, and sometimes the thirtieth of it!?

And we answer:

Sometimes the court makes it deficient

the

—

month of

Av,

and it turns out that the thirtieth day of the previous year is already the first of Elul. And although even if they err, when the month is deficient, by tithing thirty days after the beginning of Av as in the previous year, there is no concern that they will combine the animals born in Elul with those preceding them, since those born on the first of Elul are not yet tithed, as they are not yet of the requisite age until the eighth day after their birth, nevertheless they did not establish the time of the threshing floor on the thirtieth day, lest they err concerning it, thinking that it is the first of Elul when the month is deficient,

and

because

we require making a distinction between the new and the old month.

That is, so that through this they will know that the animals born in Elul are not to be combined.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say: On the first of Nisan, on the first of Sivan,

and on the twenty-ninth of Elul:

And the Gemara explains their reason:

For this reason the time of the first threshing floor is

on the first of Nisan:

Because Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon hold

like Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, who says:

One asks and expounds concerning the laws of Pesach thirty days before Pesach,

two weeks,

that is, from the first of Nisan, and it is proper that the time of the threshing floor, which was established because of the pilgrimage festival, should be when the time for asking and expounding arrives, since this too is among the laws of Pesach.

And for this reason the time of the second threshing floor is

on the first of Sivan, as we said

according to Ben Azzai, so that the livestock should not disappear from the market before Shavuot.

And for this reason the time of the third threshing floor is

on the twenty-ninth of Elul,

because

Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon follow their own reasoning, as they say

in tractate Rosh Hashanah:

On the first of Tishrei is the New Year for the animal tithe,

and therefore they established the time at the end of the year, so that there should be a distinction between the new and the old.

We learned in the Mishna:

And why did they say on the twenty-ninth of Elul and not say on the first of Tishrei? Because it is a festival day,

and it is impossible to tithe on a festival day; therefore they advanced it to the twenty-ninth of Elul:

And we challenge: Why do I need “because it is a festival day,”

and

behold,

let it emerge for him

that one should not establish a threshing floor on the first of Tishrei because

we require making a distinction between the new and the old,

that is, before the first of Tishrei, which is the New Year for the animal tithe according to Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon!?

: And why did they say the twenty-ninth of Elul rather than the first of Tishrei? Because it is a Festival day , and it is impossible to tithe on a Festival day; therefore, they advanced it to the twenty-ninth of Elul:

And we answer:

He states one reason and another

One,

one reason not to establish a threshing floor on the first of Tishrei is

that we require making a distinction between the new and the old.

And another: Because it is a festival day, and it is impossible to tithe on a festival day because of the sikarta

[it is the paint with which they mark the tenth animal to indicate that it is sacred], as explained in the Mishna on page 58b: “And the tenth that emerges he marks with red paint.”

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Meir says: On the first of Elul is the New Year for the animal tithe; Ben Azzai says:

The animals born in Elul are tithed separately:

It was taught: Ben Azzai said: Since these

[Rabbi Meir]

say this, and those

[Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon]

say this, the animals born in Elul are tithed separately,

for he cannot tithe them together with those preceding them, because perhaps the first of Elul is the New Year for the animal tithe, and he cannot tithe them together with those following them, because perhaps the first of Tishrei is the New Year for the animal tithe.

And we challenge:

And let Ben Azzai see

which

person’s reasoning is more convincing

[let Ben Azzai decide whose reasoning is more convincing and rule according to him]!?

And if you would say that Ben Azzai is unable

to

stand upon their reasoning

[he was unable to ascertain the view and reasoning of Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Elazar, and Rabbi Shimon]!?

But it was taught: Ben Azzai says: All the Sages of Israel appear to me like the peel of a garlic, except for this bald one

[he is Rabbi Akiva]!?

He said,

he answered:

Rabbi Yohanan: They stated it from tradition—

both Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon—

from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi,

and therefore Ben Azzai did not decide the matter.

It was taught: How did Ben Azzai say that the animals born in Elul

are tithed separately:

If

he had five born to him

animals

in Av and five in Elul, they are not combined,

these with those, because perhaps the first of Elul is the New Year for the animal tithe, and they are not combined.

And likewise, if five were born to him

five

animals

in Elul, and five

animals

in Tishrei, they do not

join

combine, because perhaps the first of Tishrei is the New Year for animal tithe.

And if five animals were born to him

five

animals

in Tishrei and five

animals

in Av

that follows it, these

combine, for according to all the approaches they are from one year.

And we raise an objection:

And we raise an objection:

It is obvious:

what novelty did the baraita make known to us through this detailed formulation!?

And we answer:

One might say: just as years are divided

so too

threshing floors are divided: just as animals do not combine when the New Year separates between them, so too animals do not combine when the time of the threshing floor separates between them; and behold, between those born in Tishrei and those born in the Av that follows it, two threshing floors intervened, and I would say that they do not combine—

—just as animals do not join together when the New Year separates them, so too animals do not join together when the threshing season separates them. And since two threshing seasons intervened between those born in Tishrei and those born in Av of the following year, I might have said that they do not join together—

it teaches us

the baraita that they do combine, and

as we learned

also in our Mishna:

Five before the New Year and five after the New Year do not combine,

but

five before the threshing floor and five after the threshing floor, these combine.

Rava said: According to Ben Azzai,

who is in doubt whether the New Year for animal tithe is on the first of Elul or on the first of Tishrei:

If

five were born to him

animals

in Av, and five

animals

in Elul, and five

animals

in Tishrei,

and it turns out that it is doubtful to him whether the first ten are obligated in animal tithe, and the last five will wait for another threshing floor, or perhaps the last ten are obligated in animal tithe, and the first five are exempt, since they have no one with whom to combine—