Mishnah
Mishnah

Bekhorot 7

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1

מוּמִין אֵלּוּ, בֵּין קְבוּעִין בֵּין עוֹבְרִין, פּוֹסְלִין בָּאָדָם. יוֹתֵר עֲלֵיהֶן בָּאָדָם, הַכִּילוֹן, וְהַלַּפְתָּן, הַמַּקָּבָן, וְשֶׁרֹאשׁוֹ שָׁקוּעַ, וּשְׁקִיפָס. וּבַעֲלֵי הַחֲטוֹטֶרֶת, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַכְשִׁיר, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹסְלִין:

These blemishes whether permanent or temporary invalidate a person [i.e., a priest, from serving in the Temple]. [The following] are added to these regarding a person: one whose head is shaped like a pyramid, or a radish or a hammer, or one whose head protrudes in front or if it does not protrude in the back. A hunchback, Rabbi Yehuda validates, and the Sages invalidate.

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2

הַקֵּרֵחַ, פָּסוּל. אֵיזֶהוּ קֵרֵחַ, כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שִׁטָּה שֶׁל שֵׂעָר מַקֶּפֶת מֵאֹזֶן לְאֹזֶן. וְאִם יֵשׁ לוֹ, הֲרֵי זֶה כָּשֵׁר. אֵין לוֹ גְבִּינִים, אֵין לוֹ אֶלָּא גְבִין אֶחָד, הוּא גִבֵּן הָאָמוּר בַּתּוֹרָה. רַבִּי דוֹסָא אוֹמֵר, כֹּל שֶׁגְּבִּינָיו שׁוֹכְבִין. רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶן אַנְטִיגְנוֹס אוֹמֵר, כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ שְׁנֵי גַבִּים וּשְׁתֵּי שִׁדְרָאוֹת:

One who is bald is invalid? Who is considered bald? Anyone who does not have a line of hair that encompasses [his head] from ear to ear; but if he does have [such] hair, he is valid. If he does not have eyebrows, or if he only has one, this is the <i>giben</i> spoken of in the Torah. Rabbi Dosa says: anyone whose eyebrows droop. Rabbi Chanina Ben Antignos says: anyone with scoliosis [lit. "two backs and two spines"].

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3

הֶחָרוּם, פָּסוּל. אֵיזֶהוּ חָרוּם, הַכּוֹחֵל שְׁתֵּי עֵינָיו כְּאֶחָת. שְׁתֵּי עֵינָיו לְמַעְלָה, וּשְׁתֵּי עֵינָיו לְמַטָּה, עֵינוֹ אַחַת לְמַעְלָה, וְעֵינוֹ אַחַת לְמַטָּה, רוֹאֶה אֶת הַחֶדֶר וְאֶת הָעֲלִיָּה כְּאֶחָת, סָכֵי שֶׁמֶשׁ, זוּגְדוֹס, וְהַצִּירָן. וְשֶׁנָּשְׁרוּ רִיסֵי עֵינָיו, פָּסוּל, מִפְּנֵי מַרְאִית הָעָיִן:

The <i>charum</i> is invalid. Who is a <i>charum</i>? One who can paint both his eyes at once [i.e., his nasal bridge is sunken]. If both his eyes are higher than normal or lower than normal or if one eye is higher than the other, or if one eye looks up while the other looks down [lit., "he sees the room and the attic at the same time"], or one who closes his eyes in the sun or one who has mismatched eyes or one whose eyes constantly tear. If his eyelashes fell out, he is invalid because it is unsightly.

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4

עֵינָיו גְּדוֹלוֹת כְּשֶׁל עֵגֶל, אוֹ קְטַנּוֹת כְּשֶׁל אַוָּז, גּוּפוֹ גָּדוֹל מֵאֵבָרָיו אוֹ קָטָן מֵאֵבָרָיו, חָטְמוֹ גָּדוֹל מֵאֵבָרָיו אוֹ קָטָן מֵאֵבָרָיו, הַצִּמֵּם, וְהַצִּמֵּעַ. אֵיזֶה הוּא צִמֵּעַ, שֶׁאָזְנָיו קְטַנּוֹת. וְהַצִּמֵּם, שֶׁאָזְנָיו דּוֹמוֹת לִסְפוֹג:

If his eyes were as big as [those] of a calf or as small as [those] of a goose, if his body is larger than [i.e., large in relation to the size of] his limbs or smaller than his limbs, or if his nose is bigger than his limbs or if it is smaller, the <i>tsimem</i> and the <i>tsime'a</i>. Who is a <i>tsime'a</i>? One whose ears are small. And a <i>tsimem</i>? One whose ears look [wrinkled] like sponges.

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5

שְׂפָתוֹ הָעֶלְיוֹנָה עוֹדֶפֶת עַל הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה, וְהַתַּחְתּוֹנָה עוֹדֶפֶת עַל הָעֶלְיוֹנָה, הֲרֵי זֶה מוּם. וְשֶׁנִּטְּלוּ שִׁנָּיו, פָּסוּל, מִפְּנֵי מַרְאִית הָעָיִן. דַּדָּיו שׁוֹכְבִים כְּשֶׁל אִשָּׁה, כְּרֵסוֹ צָבָה, טַבּוּרוֹ יוֹצֵא, נִכְפֶּה אֲפִלּוּ אַחַת לְיָמִים, רוּחַ קַצְרִית בָּאָה עָלָיו, הַמְאֻשְׁכָּן, וּבַעַל גֶּבֶר. אֵין לוֹ בֵיצִים, אוֹ אֵין לוֹ אֶלָּא בֵיצָה אַחַת, זֶהוּ מְרוֹחַ אָשֶׁךְ הָאָמוּר בַּתּוֹרָה. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, כּל שֶׁנִּמְרְחוּ אֲשָׁכָיו. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, כּל שֶׁרוּחַ בַּאֲשָׁכָיו. רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן אַנְטִיגְנוֹס אוֹמֵר, כֹּל שֶׁמַּרְאָיו חֲשׁוּכִין:

If his upper lip extends beyond the lower one, or if the lower one protrudes beyond the upper one - this is a blemish. If his teeth fell out he his invalid because it is unsightly. If his breasts hang like a woman's or if his stomach protrudes, of if his naval protrudes or if he is epileptic even infrequently if melancholia comes upon him, if his testicles are unusually large or if his male member is very long [these are blemishes]. If he does not have testicles or if he only has one, this is the <i>meruach ashakh</i> spoken of in the Torah. Rabbi Yishmael says: one whose testicles are crushed, and Rabbi Chanina ben Antignos says: one whose complexion is dark.

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6

הַמַּקִּישׁ בְּקַרְסֻלָּיו, וּבְאַרְכּוּבוֹתָיו, וּבַעַל פִּיקָה, וְהָעִקֵּל. אֵיזֶהוּ עִקֵּל, כֹּל שֶׁמַּקִּיף פַּרְסוֹתָיו וְאֵין אַרְכּוּבוֹתָיו נוֹשְׁקוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ. פִּיקָה יוֹצְאָה מִגּוּדָלוֹ, עֲקֵבוֹ יוֹצֵא לַאֲחוֹרָיו, פַּרְסָתוֹ רְחָבָה כְּשֶׁל אַוָּז. אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו מֻרְכָּבוֹת זוֹ עַל זוֹ, אוֹ קְלוּטוֹת (לְמַעְלָה) עַד הַפֶּרֶק, כָּשֵׁר. לְמַטָּה מִן הַפֶּרֶק וַחֲתָכָהּ, כָּשֵׁר. הָיְתָה בוֹ יְתֶרֶת וַחֲתָכָהּ, אִם יֵשׁ בָּהּ עֶצֶם, פָּסוּל. וְאִם לָאו, כָּשֵׁר. יָתֵר בְּיָדָיו וּבְרַגְלָיו שֵׁשׁ וָשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַכְשִׁיר, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹסְלִים. הַשּׁוֹלֵט בִּשְׁתֵּי יָדָיו, רַבִּי פּוֹסֵל, וַחֲכָמִים מַכְשִׁירִים. הַכּוּשִׁי, וְהַגִּיחוֹר, וְהַלַּבְקָן, וְהַקִּפֵּחַ, וְהַנַּנָּס, וְהַחֵרֵשׁ, וְהַשּׁוֹטֶה, וְהַשִּׁכּוֹר, וּבַעֲלֵי נְגָעִים טְהוֹרִין, פְּסוּלִין בָּאָדָם, וּכְשֵׁרִין בַּבְּהֵמָה. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, שׁוֹטָה בַבְּהֵמָה אֵינָהּ מִן הַמֻּבְחָר, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, אַף בַּעֲלֵי דִלְדּוּלִין, פְּסוּלִין בָּאָדָם, וּכְשֵׁרִין בַּבְּהֵמָה:

One whose ankles or knees knock or a <i>ba'al pikah</i> or an <i>akel</i> - [these are blemishes]. Who is an <i>akel</i>? One who places his feet together and his knees do not touch. [Who is a <i>ba'al pikah</i>?] If a bunion extends from his thumb or big toe. [If] his heel juts out backward, or if his sole is as wide as that of a goose. If his fingers or toes lie on top of each other, or they are webbed up to the joint - he is valid; beyond the joint and he cut it - he is valid. If he had an extra [digit] and he cut it off, if there was a bone in it, he is invalid, but if not he is valid. If he had extra [digits] on his hands and feet - [if he has] six digits each [for a total of] twenty-four, Rabbi Yehuda validates him, but the Sages invalidate him. One who is ambidextrous - Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi] invalidates him but the sages validate him. A dark-skinned person, or red-skinned or an albino or a very tall person or a dwarf or a deaf-mute or an insane person, or one who is drunk or one who has lesions [deemed] pure, these invalidate a person but are valid for an animal. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: An insane animal is not considered choice [for sacrificial use], Rabbi Eliezer says also those with dangling [appendages of] flesh - this is invalid in a person but valid for an animal.

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7

אֵלּוּ כְּשֵׁרִין בָּאָדָם, וּפְסוּלִין בַּבְּהֵמָה, אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת בְּנוֹ, וּטְרֵפָה, וְיוֹצֵא דֹפֶן, (וְשֶׁנֶּעֶבְדָה בָהֶן עֲבֵרָה, וְשֶׁהֵמִית אֶת הָאָדָם). הַנּוֹשֵׂא נָשִׁים בַּעֲבֵרָה, פָּסוּל, עַד שֶׁיַּדִּיר הֲנָיָה. הַמִּטַּמֵּא לַמֵּתִים, פָּסוּל, עַד שֶׁיְּקַבֵּל עָלָיו שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא מִטַּמֵּא לַמֵּתִים:

The following are valid in a person but invalid for an animal. One and one's child [one the same day], a <i>treifah</i> [possession an organic condition which will cause death within one year], one born through cesarean section, (or if a sin [of bestiality] was committed with or by them or if it killed a person). One who marries women who are forbidden to him is unfit until he takes a vow not to receive benefit from her. One who touches dead bodies is invalid until he accepts upon himself to not touch dead bodies.

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