Midrash · Halachah

Sifrei Devarim 217/ספרי דברים רי״ז

א(דברים כא יז) כִּי אֶת הַבְּכֹר בֶּן הַשְּׂנוּאָה יַכִּיר – יַכִּירֶנּוּ לַאֲחֵרִים, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנֶּאֱמָן אָדָם לוֹמַר ׳זֶה בְּנִי בְּכוֹר׳. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁנֶּאֱמָן אָדָם לוֹמַר ׳זֶה בְּנִי בְּכוֹר׳, כָּךְ נֶאֱמָן לוֹמַר ׳זֶה בֶּן גְּרוּשָׁה וְזֶה בֶּן חֲלוּצָה׳, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: אֵינוֹ נֶאֱמָן.

1Pisqa’ 217²⁴1. “Rather, he must recognize the First-born son of the rejected wife” (Dt. 21:17).Recognition implies that[the father] should make known to others[his son’s First-born status].This teaches thata person can be relied upon when he says:Meet my First-born son!R. Judah says:Just as a person can be relied upon [to be truthful]when he says:Meet my First-born son[who is entitled to inherit twice the sum due his brothers],so, too, can [a Priest] be relied upon [to be truthful]when he says:Meet the son of the divorcee[whom I later married]!Or: Meet the son of my sister-in-law,the Shoe-loosener²⁵, see Dt. 25:5-11. Cf. Pisqa’ot 288-291.[whom I later married]!²⁶ Cf. Rashi, B. Qid. 78b, s.v., l’a mib`ay’a ‘eihuBut sages say:He cannot be relied upon [to disadvantage his son].

בלָתֶת לוֹ פִּי שְׁנַיִם – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בּוֹ. אוֹ פִּי שְׁנַיִם בְּכָל הַנְּכָסִים? הֲרֵי אַתָּה דָן: הוֹאִיל וְנוֹחֵל עִם אֶחָד וְנוֹחֵל עִם חֲמִשָּׁה, מַה מָּצִינוּ כְּשֶׁנּוֹחֵל עִם אֶחָד – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בּוֹ, אַף כְּשֶׁנּוֹחֵל עִם חֲמִשָּׁה – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בְּאֶחָד מֵהֶם.

22. “By giving him two times as much from all his property” (Dt. 21:17).Does this mean that the First-born receivestwice as much as any one share[e.g., forty percent]?²⁷Or [does he receive] twice as much asthe sum of all property [set aside for the heirs by the estate[e.g., fifty per cent of the whole]?²⁸Look—You can reason it out this way.Whereas [the First-born is either] sharing the estatewith one other heir, or sharing it with five—since we find that,when he shares with one heir,he takes twice as much as that heir[that is, forty per cent, to his brother’s twenty per cent],so, too, when he shares with five heirs,[namely, himself and four brothers,]he takes twice as much property[at fifty percent of the whole]as any one of their shares[each of which amounts to twenty five percent].

גאוֹ כַּלֵּךְ לְדֶרֶךְ זוֹ: הוֹאִיל וְנוֹחֵל עִם אֶחָד וְנוֹחֵל עִם חֲמִשָּׁה, מַה מָּצִינוּ כְּשֶׁנּוֹחֵל עִם אֶחָד – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בְּכָל הַנְּכָסִים, אַף כְּשֶׁנּוֹחֵל עִם חֲמִשָּׁה – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בְּכָל הַנְּכָסִים! תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְהָיָה בְּיוֹם הַנְחִילוֹ אֶת בָּנָיו״, רִבָּה נַחֲלָה לַבָּנִים.

3Perhaps we can try another approach?Whereas the First-born is [either] sharing the estatewith one other heir, or with five other heirs—since we find that,when he shares with one heir,he takes twice as much property as any one of them,[forty percent as opposed to twenty percent,]so, too, when he shares with five heirs,he should take twice as much property as all of them[fifty percent as opposed to twenty percent].3. The Teaching states:“So when the day comes to bequeath to his sons” (Dt. 21:16)—this includes the release of the heirs’ inheritance[of the assets of the estate].

דאַחַר שֶׁלָּמַדְנוּ שֶׁרִבָּה נַחֲלָה לַבָּנִים, הָא אֵין עָלֶיךָ לָדוּן אֶלָּא כַּדִּין הָרִאשׁוֹן: הוֹאִיל וְנוֹחֵל עִם אֶחָד וְנוֹחֵל עִם חֲמִשָּׁה, מַה מָּצִינוּ כְּשֶׁנּוֹחֵל עִם אֶחָד – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בּוֹ אַף כְּשֶׁנּוֹחֵל עִם חֲמִשָּׁה – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בְּאֶחָד מֵהֶם. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (בראשית מח כב): ״וַאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם אַחַד עַל אַחֶיךָ״, וְאוֹמֵר (דברי הימים א ה א-ב): ״וּבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן בְּכוֹר יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי הוּא הַבְּכוֹר״ וְאוֹמֵר: ״כִּי יְהוּדָה גָּבַר בְּאֶחָיו וּלְנָגִיד מִמֶּנּוּ, וְהַבְּכוֹרָה לְיוֹסֵף״.

44. And, similarly, he [Jacob] says [to Joseph]:“And I have given you a single portion more than your brothers” (Gn. 48:22)—[this is the right of the First-born, transferred from Reuben].And He says [of Reuben and Joseph]:“And my son, Reuben, first-born of Israel! He is, indeed, the First-born! Yet, for desecrating his father’s couch, his right of the First-born was given to the sons ofJoseph b. Israel, so he is no longer mentioned as the First-born” (1Chron. 5:1-2).And He says:“For Judah dominated his brothers, and royalty proceeded from his line,but the right of the First-born went to Joseph” (1Chron. 5:2).

ההוֹאִיל וּמָצִינוּ שֶׁהַבְּכוֹרָה לְיוֹסֵף וּבְכוֹרָה לְדוֹרוֹת, מַה בְּכוֹרָה הָאֲמוּרָה לְיוֹסֵף – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בּוֹ, אַף בְּכוֹרָה הָאֲמוּרָה לְדוֹרוֹת – פִּי שְׁנַיִם בְּאֶחָד מֵהֶם.

5Now that we have learned toinclude the sons’ inheritance [in the total estate],[it is clear that] all you need dois follow the reasoning of the first argument:Whereas [the first-born] can sharethe inheritance with one heir,or he can share it with five heirs—just as we have found that,when he shares with one heir,he takes twice as much property as this one,so, too, when he shares the inheritance with five,he takes twice as much property as any one of them.Since we have found thatthe right of the First-born passed to Joseph,and the right of the First-born is for all generations—just as the right of the First-born given to Josephwas a double share of any one of them,so, too, the right of the First-born for all generationsis a double share of any one of them.

ובְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא לוֹ, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵין הַבְּכוֹר נוֹטֵל בָּרָאוּי כְּבַמּוּחְזָק.

6“From all his property” (Dt. 21:17)—this teaches that the First-borndoes not take from the estate’s anticipated incomeas freely as he does from its current holdings.²⁹ 216.1

זכִּי הוּא רֵאשִׁית אוֹנוֹ – וְלֹא רֵאשִׁית אוֹנָהּ שֶׁל אִשָּׁה.

75. “For this son is the first sign of his vitality” (Dt. 21:17)—but not the first sign of a woman’s vitality.

חלוֹ מִשְׁפַּט הַבְּכֹרָה – מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַבְּכוֹרָה יוֹצְאָה בְדַיָּנִים.

8“His is the right (mishpat) of the First-born” (Dt. 21:17)—this teaches thatthe right of the First-born is administered by judges.