Avodah Zarah, Daf Kaf Daled, Part 1
Introduction
This week s daf continues discussing the red heifer.
אמר מר ישראל היו משמרין אותה משעה שנולדה
וניחוש דלמא רבעי לאמא כי הוה מעברה דאמר רבא וולד הנוגחת אסורה היא וולדה נגחו וולד הנרבעת אסורה היא וולדה נרבעו
The Master said: Israelites watched the heifer from the time of its birth.
But we should be suspicious that they had bestiality with its mother when she was pregnant, for Rava said: The young of a goring cow is unfit, for it was both the cow and her young that did the goring. Likewise the young of an animal that had engaged in bestiality is unfit, since the animal and the young were ill-used together?
Even if the new born red heifer is watched from the time its born, there is the problem that if the non-Jew had bestiality with the mother, the animal is unfit.
אימא ישראל היו משמרין אותה משעה שנוצרה
וניחוש דלמא רבעוה לאמא מעיקרא דתנן כל הפסולין לגבי מזבח ולדותיהן מותרין ותני עלה ר’ אליעזר אוסר
Rather, say that Israelites watched it from the time it was first formed.
Let us be concerned that they had bestiality with them mother, for we have learned: All [animals] which are forbidden to be offered on the altar their young are permitted.
And on this it was taught that R. Eliezer forbade.
Even watching the mother from the time she became pregnant is not sufficient for R. Eliezer holds that if the mother was disqualified, then her young is too.
הניחא לרבא דאמר רבא אמר רב נחמן מחלוקת כשנרבעו כשהן מוקדשין אבל כשהן חולין דברי הכל מותרין
Now, this makes sense according to Rava, for Rava said in the name of R. Nahman: The dispute only applies to a case of an animal which engaged in bestiality when already dedicated as a sacrifice; but if when still non-sacred, all agree that [the young] is permitted.
We could solve the problem by saying that the offspring are disqualified only if they had bestiality with the mother when the mother was already dedicated to the Temple. We could say that we do not have to worry about the non-Jews having bestiality with the mother because the mother was surely not yet dedicated.
אלא לרב הונא בר חיננא אמר רב נחמן מחלוקת כשנרבעו כשהן חולין אבל כשהן מוקדשין דברי הכל אסורין מאי איכא למימר
But to R. Huna b. Hinena who said in the name of R. Nahman that the dispute applies to a case of an animal with which they engaged in bestiality while still non-sacred, but if when already dedicated all agree that [the young] is forbidden what could you say?
But according to R. Hinena, R. Eliezer disqualifies the offspring even if someone had sex with the mother before it was dedicated, then according to R. Eliezer we should not buy animals for sacrifice from non-Jews even if they were watched from birth.
אימא ישראל היו משמרין אותה לאמא משעה שנוצרה
וניחוש דילמא רבעוה לאמא דאמא כולי האי לא חיישינן
Rather we must say that the mother, too, was watched by Israelites since the time it was first formed.
But let us suspect that they had bestiality with the mother’s mother?
This suspicious we are not.
Not only must the young be watched, but the mother has to be watched from birth as well.
אמר מר ישראל היו משמרין אותה משעה שנוצרה.
מנא ידעינן? אמר רב כהנא כוס אדום מעבירין לפניה בשעה שעולה עליה זכר
The Master said: It was watched by Jews from the time it was first formed. How did they know it [would be born a red heifer]?
R. Kahana said: A red cup would be passed before [the mother] when the male is mating with her.
Earlier we said that Jews would watch the mother of the red heifer from the time the child was formed in its womb. But how would the Jews know to watch this animal? Did they watch every cow just in case it would have a red heifer?
R. Kahana offers a solution pass a red cup (of wine?) in front of her while he was mating. This would magically create a red heifer! [Maybe if you want a redheaded kid you can try this at home ☺].
א"ה אמאי דמיה יקרין?
הואיל ושתי שערות פוסלות בה
ומאי שנא דידהו אמר רב כהנא במוחזקת
If that is so, why should [a red heifer] be so costly?
Because even two hairs [of another color] disqualify her.
Then why [use this means] on their [animals]?
R. Kahana said: When it was assumed [to be of the breed that could form a red heifer].
If all you need to do is pass a red cup in front of the mating animal and out comes a red heifer, then why is the red heifer so expensive.
The answer is that even two non-red hairs on the entire animal disqualify it. While it is evidently easy to produce a mostly red heifer, an exclusively red heifer is difficulty.
So now comes the final and obvious difficulty why do we need non-Jews to produce the red heifer. If all you need is the red cup trick, then we could just make our own red heifer?
The answer is that the trick only works with certain breeds of cows, and evidently those breeds are possessed by the non-Jews.
We should note that the Talmud painted itself into this corner with a series of difficulties. This happens from time to time the Talmud raises difficulties, resolves them but then creates new difficulties that lead to some extremely strange types of resolutions.