Commentaire sur Bekhorot 4:3
הַשּׁוֹחֵט הַבְּכוֹר וּמַרְאֶה אֶת מוּמוֹ, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַתִּיר. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, הוֹאִיל וְהוּא נִשְׁחַט שֶׁלֹּא עַל פִּי מֻמְחֶה, אָסוּר:
Si l'on abat un premier-né et révèle son défaut, le rabbin Yehudah permet qu'il [soit mangé]. Le rabbin Meir dit: Puisqu'il n'a pas été abattu par la parole d'un expert, il est interdit.
Bartenura on Mishnah Bekhorot
רבי יהודה מתיר – with blemishes that are in the eye, Rabbi Yehuda admits/agrees that it is prohibited, because they change after death since because of the pain of death, the eye changes and even though it appears as a permanent blemish, if it had appeared to it while living it would have appeared as a passing [blemish], and he would not permit anything other than blemishes that are on the body that do not change. But Rabbi Meir holds that we make a decree that blemishes that are on the body that do not change on account of blemishes that are in the eye that do change. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Meir.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Bekhorot
If one slaughtered the first born and then showed its blemish [to an expert]:
Rabbi Judah permits,
But Rabbi Meir says: since it was not slaughtered by the instructions of the expert, it is forbidden.
One of the main functions of rabbis was to examine first born animals and to determine whether they had a blemish that would prohibit the animal from being sacrificed. After the Temple was destroyed, this was obviously a very important matter, one of grave economic significance, because other than slaughter and eat the first born, nothing else could be done with it. Indeed, one of the major aspects of rabbinic ordination was allowing a student to become a rabbi in order to allow first borns to be eaten. In order to receive such ordination one must be an expert in determining what animals are blemished and trustworthy to allow the blemished ones and forbid the unblemished ones.
Generally, the animal would first be shown to an expert (a rabbi) and then, if the rabbi determined that it was blemished, the animal could be slaughtered and eaten. However, in the case in our mishnah, the person slaughtered it and then brought it to a rabbi. At this point, the rabbi must determine whether there was a blemish on the animal before it was slaughtered.
According to Rabbi Judah, if the sage sees such a blemish, the meat may be eaten. Rabbi Meir, however, prohibits the meat because he did not follow the proper procedure.
Rabbi Judah permits,
But Rabbi Meir says: since it was not slaughtered by the instructions of the expert, it is forbidden.
One of the main functions of rabbis was to examine first born animals and to determine whether they had a blemish that would prohibit the animal from being sacrificed. After the Temple was destroyed, this was obviously a very important matter, one of grave economic significance, because other than slaughter and eat the first born, nothing else could be done with it. Indeed, one of the major aspects of rabbinic ordination was allowing a student to become a rabbi in order to allow first borns to be eaten. In order to receive such ordination one must be an expert in determining what animals are blemished and trustworthy to allow the blemished ones and forbid the unblemished ones.
Generally, the animal would first be shown to an expert (a rabbi) and then, if the rabbi determined that it was blemished, the animal could be slaughtered and eaten. However, in the case in our mishnah, the person slaughtered it and then brought it to a rabbi. At this point, the rabbi must determine whether there was a blemish on the animal before it was slaughtered.
According to Rabbi Judah, if the sage sees such a blemish, the meat may be eaten. Rabbi Meir, however, prohibits the meat because he did not follow the proper procedure.
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