Thursday, January 12, 2012

Bechorot 59 – Tithing Procedure

To tithe, one gathers his animals into a pen, and makes a small opening for them, so that two animals can't exit at once. He counts them with a staff: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and the one that exits tenth he marks with red dye, and pronounces, “This one is hereby tithe.”

If he did not mark the tenth one with red dye, did not count them with a staff, or did not pass them through a narrow exit, but counted them as they were crouching or standing, they are still tithed, since the Torah said, “And the tenth one will be holy” – even when the correct procedure is not followed. However, if he just ten out of a hundred or one out of ten, without counting all – it is not tithe, because the Torah said “tenth”, but not “ten”. Rabbi Yose ben Yehudah says that it is tithed even in that case, since the Torah said, “It will be considered to you as tithe” - a mental consideration is sufficient.

If a counted animal jumped back, all are exempt, but if the tithe animal jumped back, all have the stringency of tithe.

Art: Ary Johannes Lamme - Paying The Tithe

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