[If] two wives of two men who had not given birth then give birth to two boys [who became mixed up], this one gives five <i>selaim</i> to a priest and this one gives five <i>selaim</i> to a priest. If one of them dies within thirty days - if [the five <i>selaim</i>] were given to one priest, he gives them back five <i>selaim</i>. If they were given to two priests, they cannot extract [the money] from [either of] them. A boy and a girl, the fathers are exempt and the boy must redeem himself. If they gave birth to two girls and a boy or two boys and two girls, the priest receives nothing.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bekhorot
מת אחד – one of the offspring.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bekhorot
Introduction
Today’s mishnah introduces other various scenarios where children become mixed up and it is unclear if one is liable for redemption as a first born.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bekhorot
יחזיר להם חמש סלעים – and the two fathers can divide it, and these words [apply] when one of them wrote a power of attorney/authority to his fellow, for when one of them goes to the Kohen [the other] supersedes him/pushes him aside to stay that your son is the living one.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bekhorot
If two women who had never before given birth married two men and gave birth to two males, the one father gives five selas to the priest and the other gives five selas to the priest. Since both children are first born boys, it is obvious that both fathers must give five selas to a priest to redeem their sons.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bekhorot
זכר ומקבה האבות פטורים – for each one of them (i.e., the fathers) said to the Kohen, the female child is mine.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bekhorot
If one of the children died within thirty days [of its birth], if they gave the redemption money to one priest alone, he returns five selas to them, but if they gave the money to two priests, they are not able to recover it from them. Since one died before reaching thirty days, only one of the fathers needed to redeem his son. It is uncertain which father must give. If they both gave the five selas to the same priest, the priest must return five selas and they can split it between them. However, if they gave the money to two priests, then each priest can claim that he received the money for the living child and he doesn’t have to return it. The fathers will not be able to recover any money.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bekhorot
והבן חייב לפדות את עצמו – since nevertheless, he is a first-born [male son].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bekhorot
If they gave birth to a male and a female, the fathers are exempt, whereas the son must redeem himself [as in any case he is a first-born]. In this case, the male is definitely a first born but it is unclear who his father is. The father is therefore exempt from redeeming the son. However, the son, who is after all a first born, must redeem himself when he is old enough to do so.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Bekhorot
שתי נקבות וזכר – one can say, that the one [wife] gave birth to a female child and the other [wife] to a male child and a female child, but the female child came out first. Therefore, the Kohen does not have anything. And similarly, two male children and two female children (i.e., the female children could have been born first in each case).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bekhorot
If they gave birth to two females and a male or to two females and two males, the priest receives nothing. In this case, it is possible that none of the children is a first born male, and therefore the priest receives nothing.
