Talking Talmud

4 mishnayot! 1 - On determining that an animal has a blemish - after slaughtering, and the tension of having non-experts involved in determining whether the animal has a blemish. 2 - What if the kohen makes an error in judgement? What is done is done. But the judge may well be liable. With mention of dina de-garmi. 3 - A story (in the mishnah!) about the error of the previous mishnah. 4 - Making sure that one's salary was not contingent on the assessment of blemishes - unless the person checking was an expert.

If the kohen demands the first-born before the prescribed time, the owner does not need to provide it, because it seems that such a kohen would look too close to an employee of the owner -- for taking care of the animal. Also, more on the question of giving terumah to the kohen when it does appear that he assists "on the threshing floor." Note the fact of a rabbinic level of terumah as well as a Torah level. Also, delving into the meaning of "shanah be-shanah" - year by year, with regard to the first-born's year, the calendar year, or perhaps the time of eating the sacrifice of the first-born.

To close the 3rd chapter: What if wool were plucked from an unblemished burnt-offering? What would the halakhah be regarding benefiting from that detached wool? The sacrifice might be postponed because of this question, and that can really complicate matters. And the new chapter begins -- with a new mishnah, and some basic questions about when the first-born is given the the kohen. "Small" animals should be given with a 30-day limit (or 3 months, depending on whom you ask) - sheep and goats. "Large" animals - that's cattle - have a 50-day limit.

If you're slaughtering the first-born, you can part the hair and even pluck a hair for the sake of smoother slaughtering. That is, plucking is not considered to be shearing. This might complicate matters for a red heifer -- if one trimmed red hair that had some black, which is allowed, in this case, without actually shearing. So that task is also unintended beyond its actually purpose. Note that cows are not considered "shorn," because their hairs are not wool. Plus, a historical account of 9 red heifers. Also, a new mishnah! A blemished first-born, who has shed hair, and then the animal is slaughtered (or it dies), can that hair be used in the way the body would be allowed for use after the slaughtering? It's a machloket.

One who purchases a nursing female animal from a non-Jew - and the question is whether that animal can conclusively be said to have born progeny before, or perhaps the animal was nursing another animal's offspring, without having borne any herself. Also, what if the first-born has a blemish? What about the slaughtering of the first-born? How one finds the best place for the slaughtering - moving/parting/plucking hair without shearing it. Maybe plucking IS the same as shearing... but it's allowed because the goal is dramatically different (moving the hair or fur aside vs. shearing it).