Talking Talmud

Two mishnayot! 1 - A woman gives birth to male twins, and it's not known which of them is the first born, the father gives the coins to the kohen, because one of them needs to be redeemed. But what if one of them dies before 30 days? Or after 30 days? Of if the twins are male and female, and you don't know which was born first? What if it's the father who died? Plus, the case of two people with the same name, and how the adjudicate claims against one of them. 2 - If a man has two wives, and each gives birth to a male baby, the father needs to redeem both of them. But what if one dies within 30 days? What if one of the babies is a girl? And what if the father dies? What if there is further confusion, in cases with two fathers, and the need to redeem sons, but then all the permutations kick in again, with greater scope to argue that the person who owes the redemption is the other guy.

More on the human first-borns -- who is exempt from the need to redeem the first born. The son of a woman from the Tribe of Levi -- but if her husband a kohen or a levi, the child would already not need redemption. So is the father a Yisrael? A non-Jew? Also, would a kohen need to redeem himself? For example, a kohen who has set the kehunah apart from himself. And: a new mishnah! With the kind of first-born statuses for inheritance and for the kohen. Where a miscarriage is explicitly not considered to be a birth. What about a first-born who was delivered by C-section? And what if there is another child born via "natural childbirth" after the C-section? Some say that second child would also need to be redeemed.

Finishing out the 7th chapter, about the blemishes among human beings: kohanim need to commit to not making themselves come in contact with a dead body. How is that different from marrying a person who is prohibited to the kohanim? And starting the 8th chapter -- on the process of redeeming the first-born son -- in the new mishnah! Or rather, there are different statuses for which one may or may not be called the first born, such as the inheritance and also for the kohen. With some complicated cases about premature births. Also, defining the moment of birth -- when the forehead emerges, even if the rest of the body hasn't followed yet. Including the case of a woman who was converting during the process of delivering the baby, and she is non-Jewish when the forehead emerges and Jewish when the rest of the baby emerging. And identifying that child (or any person, it seems), is as per one's face, from the forehead to including the nose (or perhaps before the nose).

More blemishes, but some of them are the kind of things that, nowadays, we correct fairly easily (bowleggedness, for example). Or a kohen with an extra digit -- which is not common, but not uncommon either, with a significant genetic component. Nowadays, they are easily removed. Or less changeable, perhaps, but also less identifiable as a blemish these days, like left-handedness. Plus, the question of how many bones are in the human body. Also, other "full-body" exemptions from being able to serve -- blemishes, of a kind, such as drunkenness, among others -- that disqualify a person from serving, but not an animal from being able to be the sacrifice. Including skin color and great height, with a side recommendation that like marry not-like. Plus, similar blemishes (including sins and crimes) that would disqualify an animal from being sacrificed if it were party to these (such as bestiality), but the person is not disqualified.

Cases of disqualification of kohanim from doing the Temple service for all kinds of eye blemishes, from blindness to pale spots on the eyes or excess tears -- and how they are derived from the verses in Leviticus. Also, mishnayot! 1 - Blemishes that are unsightly physical blemishes, including eyes and other parts of the face. Plus, an assessment of Moshe's height -- based on that of the Tabernacle, so perhaps he was 10 amot high, which would have been too tall, and indeed a blemish of disproportion. 2- Additional blemishes - if a man has breasts that distend like those of a woman; if his stomach or navel protrudes; if he has occasional epileptic seizures; and more. Plus, Torah scholars should not worry about urinating in public -- it's a health concern, as compared to drinking water in public, which was considered uncouth. With examples of the Torah scholars who, indeed, urinated in public. 3 - A kohen who has no testicles, or only one - those are blemishes that get in the way of working in the Temple. But maybe tis is only if the testicles were crushed?