Matmonim: Daf Yomi by Rabbi David Lapin

Bechorot 53b What Partnership Is - לא פקע איסורא דמעשר מיניה

True partnership is not when two people each own a section of an object or property, but when both own it all.  Source Sheet

Bechorot 53a In Partnership with G-d - לנאכל במומו לבעלים

Ma’aser beheima (tithes from the herds and flocks), like ma’aseir sheini (the tirhe to be consumed in Yerushalaim), belongs entirely to its owner, yet the Torah refers to

Bechorot 51a-b Giving and Receiving - המפריש פדיון בנו ואבד

Bechor adam (human first born) is different from all other gifts that we have to give to the Kohen. In the case of the bechor adam, the mitzva of redemption is only fulfi

Bechorot 48a Kedusha Intrinsic or Imposed - פדיון הבן על ידי שליח

Some cases of kedusha are intrinsic, for example shabbat and am yisrael. It seems an animal bechor is also born with kedusha. In other caes (including a human bechor), is

Bechorot 48a Mitzvot and Commerce - ספק פדיון הבן לקולא

We tend to build silos around the spiritual and the material worlds. In reality, as we see in halacha, the boundary between them is very permeable, and both are constitue

Bechorot 47a Cultivating Civilization - לא תוהו בראה לשבת יצרה

There are two dimensions in the mitzva of peru u’revu (have children): One is specific to the Jewish people, the other is a universal obligation of humankind to cultivate

Bechorot 45b Left Out - איטר ושולט בשתי ידיו

The primacy of the right hand (or leg) over the left, is a factor in hilchot tefillin, halitza and in avodat beit hamikdash. Does a leftie have a mum (disqualifying imper

Bechorot 43a Preserving Chosenness - קדושתן מרובה

Chosenness applies not only to the sacrifices we bring (מבחר נדריכם) and the mitzvot we do מצוות מן המובחר)). Yisrael itself was chosen. However once chosen, chosenness n

Bechorot 41a Being Our Best – מבחר נדריכם (2)

Beauty and wholeness are aspects of the object. Being the best, the qualitative dimension, is an aspect of the individual bringing the korban, not the korban itself. Sou

Bechorot 41a Beauty, Wholeness & Quality – מבחר נדריכם

The measures for beauty and wholeness in korbanot, are objective. Quality is a comparative idea. Source Sheet

Bechorot 40a More is Less - כל יתיר כנטול דמי

We cannot add to or reinforce our assets by drawing on that which belongs to others. Source Sheet

Bechorot 39a Wholeness & Appearance - מחוסר אבר מבפנים

In our superficial society appearance is often seen as more important than wholeness. In Torah this is not so. Wholeness is what always counts, appearance only sometimes.

Bechorot 35b-36a Questioning Our Intentions – לא חילקנו בין חבר לעם הארץ

Self interest makes it impossible to be sure of deep intention. Source Sheet

Bechorot 35a Robotic vs. Human Action – כל שהוא לדעתו אסור

Intentionality of the agent transforms his action from that of an agentic robot to a human action.The intentionality of the owner makes that action his. Source Sheet

Bechorot 33b-34a Cheating G-d - הצורם אוזן בכור

When we create an opportunity by doing something wrong, the opportunity itself becomes un-kosher. Source Sheet

Bechorot 32b-33a The Sanctity of Jewish Ownership - ובית הלל מתירין אפילו עכום

An object owned by a Jew is subject to more halachot than one owned by a non-Jew, and is therefore part of a higher system of kedusha. Source Sheet

Bechorot 31a Cheapening that which is Sacred - הבכור והמעשר הנייתו לבעלים

Often we find that principles of spirituality and of economics overlap. That is an indication of their Truth.  The value of things is expressed not only by how we handle

Bechorot 21b The Profit Motive or Piety - אם במוכר או בלוקח תליא מלתא

The seller of a cow that has not previously given birth is conflited between preserving the price by not revealing the fact to the buyer, and the piety of potentially cau

Bechorot 20a A System Built for Intimacy - רובא דתלי במעשה

Intimacy within the system of the human couple is more natural than it is for random male and female animals in a herd. Source Sheet

Bechorot 19a The Special Treatment of the Bechor - הנקבה בכור לכל מילי היא

The key to understanding the special status given to the first born in the Torah and its linkage to yetziat mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt), lies in the truthfulness of