מִצְוַת קִדּוּשׁ בְּכוֹרוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל – לְקַדֵּשׁ הַבְּכוֹרוֹת, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כָּל הַוְּלָדוֹת הַנּוֹלָדִים בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה, כְּלוֹמַר יוֹצֵא רִאשׁוֹן מֵרֶחֶם הַנְּקֵבָה, בֵּין בָּאָדָם, בֵּין בַּבְּהֵמָה הַזְּכָרִים קֹדֶשׁ לַשֵּׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג ב) קַדֶּשׁ לִי כָל בְּכוֹר פֶּטֶר כָּל רֶחֶם בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָדָם וּבַבְּהֵמָה לִי הוּא. וְדַוְקָא בְּהֵמָה, דְּהַיְנוּ שׁוֹר וְכֶבֶשׂ וְעֵז, אֲבָל לֹא חַיָּה. וּמִכָּל בְּהֵמָה טְמֵאָה, חֲמוֹר לְבַד בְּמִצְוָה זוֹ. (בכורות י, א) וְעִנְיַן הַמִּצְוָה בִּבְהֵמָה טְהוֹרָה כֵּן, שֶׁמִּצְוָה עַל הַבְּעָלִים לְהַקְדִּישׁוֹ וְלוֹמַר, הֲרֵי זֶה קֹדֶשׁ, וְחַיָּבִים לָתֵת אוֹתוֹ בְּכוֹר לַכֹּהֲנִים, וְיַקְרִיבוּ חֶלְבּוֹ וְדָמוֹ עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וְהֵם אוֹכְלִים הַבָּשָׂר בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְאֵינוֹ נוֹתְנוֹ לוֹ מִיָּד שֶׁיִּוָּלֵד, אֶלָּא מְטַפֵּל בּוֹ בִּבְהֵמָה דַּקָּה שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם וּבַגַּסָּה חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם. (שם כו, ב) וּבְחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ, שֶׁאֵין לָנוּ מִקְדָּשׁ נוֹעֵל דֶּלֶת בְּפָנָיו וּמֵת מֵאֵלָיו, כְּדַעַת קְצָת הַמְפָרְשִׁים, (מרדכי ע"ז פ"א בשם רבי אליעזר ממיץ, רמב"ם בכורות א י) וּמֵהֶם שֶׁאָמְרוּ שֶׁמַּמְתִּין לוֹ לְעוֹלָם. וְאִם נָפַל בּוֹ מוּם יֵאָכֵל בַּמּוּם בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּלְכָל אָדָם שֶׁיִּרְצֶה הַכֹּהֵן לִתְּנוֹ, וּכְחֻלִּין (דִּכְחֻלִּין) הוּא נֶחְשָׁב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (דברים טו כב) הַטָּמֵא וְהַטָּהוֹר יֹאכְלֶנּוּ כַּצְּבִי וְכָאַיָּל. וְכֵן כָּתַב הָרַמְבַּ"ן ז"ל בְּהִלְכוֹת בְּכוֹרוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ (סוף פרק ה). וּבְכוֹר אָדָם וּפֶטֶר חֲמוֹר, נְפָרֵשׁ עִנְיָנָם בְּמִצְוַת הַפְּדִיָּה שֶׁבְּכָל אֶחָד, בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם, וְהֵם בְּסֵדֶר זֶה וּבְסֵדֶר וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח. The commandment of sanctifying the firstborn in the Land of Israel: To sanctify the firstborn; meaning to say that all those that are born first, which is to say [that] come out first from the womb of the female — whether with people or with beasts — the males are holy to God; as it is stated (Exodus 13:2), “Sanctify for Me every firstborn; the first issue of every womb among the Israelites — man and beast — is Mine.” And specifically the beast (behemah) — which is an ox and a sheep and a goat — but not a wild animal (chayah). And from the impure beasts, only the donkey is [included] in this commandment (Bekhorot 10a). And the content of the commandment with a pure beast is that it is a commandment upon the owners to sanctify it and say, “Behold this is holy.” And they are obligated to give the firstborn to the priests (Kohanim); and [the latter] offer its fat and its blood on the altar and eat the meat in Jerusalem. And he does not give it immediately when it is born, but rather takes care of it — with [sheep and goats] for thirty days; and with [cattle] for fifty days (Bekhorot 10a). And outside the Land, where we do not have a Temple — according to some commentators (Mordechai in the name of Rabbi Eliezer of Metz on Avodah Zarah, Chapter 1) — he locks the door in front of it and it dies on its own. But there are [others] of them (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Firstlings 1:10) that said we should always kill it. And if a blemish developed upon it, he can feed it to any man and in any place that the priest wants to give it to him. And it is considered like unsanctified meat (as it is like unsanctified meat) — as it is stated (Deuteronomy 15:22), “the impure and the pure you shall eat it, like the gazelle and the deer.” And so wrote Ramban, may his memory be blessed, in his Laws of Firstlings (at the end of Chapter 5). And we shall explain the topics of the firstborn of a man and the [firstborn] of a donkey with the commandment of the redemption of each of them, with the help of God. And they are in this Order and in the Order of Vayikach Korach.
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי מִצְוָה זוֹ. שֶׁרָצָה הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְזַכּוֹתֵנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִצְוָה בְּרֵאשִׁית פִּרְיוֹ, לְמַעַן דַּעַת כִּי הַכֹּל שֶׁלּוֹ, וְאֵין לוֹ לְאָדָם דָּבָר בָּעוֹלָם רַק מָה שֶׁיְּחַלֵּק לָנוּ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בַּחֲסָדָיו. וְיָבִין זֶה בִּרְאוֹתוֹ, כִּי אַחַר שֶׁיָּגַע הָאָדָם כַּמָּה יְגִיעוֹת וְטָרַח כַּמָּה טְרָחִים בְּעוֹלָמוֹ, וְהִגִּיעַ לַזְּמַן שֶׁעָשָׂה פְּרִי, וְחָבִיב עָלָיו רֵאשִׁית פִּרְיוֹ כְּבָבַת עֵינוֹ, מִיָּד נוֹתְנוֹ להקב"ה וּמִתְרוֹקֵן רְשׁוּתוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ וּמַכְנִיסוֹ לִרְשׁוּת בּוֹרְאוֹ. וְעוֹד לְזֵכֶר הַנֵּס הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁעָשָׂה לָנוּ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בִּבְכוֹרֵי מִצְרַיִם, שֶׁהֲרָגָם וְהִצִּילָנוּ מִיָּדָם. It is from the roots of this commandment that God, may He be blessed, wanted to make us merit to do a commandment with the beginning of His fruit, in order that all should know that everything is His; and that man has nothing in the world, except that which God, may He be blessed, apportions to us, in His kindness. And he will understand this when he sees that after a man exerted himself [with] many exertions and put himself through many troubles in His world and reached the time when it makes a fruit — and his first fruit is beloved to him like the [apple] of his eye — he immediately gives it to the Holy One, blessed be He, and empties his possession of it and of his properties [to put it] into the possession of his Creator. And it is also to remember the great miracle that God, may He be blessed, did for us with the firstborn of Egypt — as He killed them and saved us from their hand.
דִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. בְּאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם נִשְׁחָט וְנֶאֱכָל, וְעַד אֵי זֶה זְמַן מִצְוָה לָהֶם לְאָכְלוֹ, וְעִנְיַן הַמּוּמִין הַפּוֹסְלִין בּוֹ, וְאֵי זֶה מוּם קָבוּעַ אוֹ מוּם עוֹבֵר, וְהַחִלּוּק שֶׁבֵּינֵיהֶם, וּמִי נֶאֱמָן עַל מוּמָיו, וְאִם נָפְלוּ בּוֹ אוֹ נַעֲשׂוּ בּוֹ לְדַעַת, וְאֵיזֶה חָכָם רָאוּי לְהוֹרוֹת בְּמוּמָיו, וְדִין בְּכוֹר הַשֻּׁתָּפִים יִשְׂרְאֵלִים אוֹ שֻׁתָּף גּוֹי, וּבְאֵי זֶה עִנְיָן נִפְטְרָה הַבְּהֵמָה מִן הַבְּכוֹרָה אוֹ לֹא נִפְטְרָה, וּבְכוֹר סָפֵק מָה דִּינוֹ, וְעִנְיַן יֹצֵא דֹּפֶן, טֻמְטוּם וְאַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס, וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטָיו, מְבֹאָרִים בְּמַסֶּכֶת בְּכוֹרוֹת (יט, א מא, א) (י"ד ש"ו עד ש"כ). The laws of this commandment — in which place it is sacrificed and eaten; until which time is it a commandment to eat it; the matter of blemishes that disqualify it; which one is a fixed blemish or a passing blemish and the difference between them; who is [considered] trustworthy about the blemishes and if they developed on it or were made on purpose; which sage is fitting to judge his [own] blemishes; the law of a firstborn of Jewish partners or of a gentile partner; and in what case a beast is, or is not, exempted from the [status of the] firstborn; what is the law of a questionable firstborn; the matter of a cesarean section; [a firstborn the sex of which is in doubt]; and the rest of its details — are [all] elucidated in Tractate Bekhorot. (See Tur, Yoreh Deah 306-320.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת מִצְוָה שֶׁל קִדּוּשׁ בְּכוֹר בְּהֵמָה טְהוֹרָה מִדְּאוֹרַיְתָא בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּלְבַד בְּכָל זְמַן, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ ז"ל (תמורה כא, ב) מִדִּכְתִיב (דברים יד כג, ועי' רמב"ם בכורות א, ה) וְאָכַלְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מַעְשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ תִּירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ וּבְכֹרֹת בְּקָרְךָ, מַקִּישׁ וכו'. וּמִדְּרַבָּנָן אַף בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ וּבִזְכָרִים וּבִנְקֵבוֹת בֵּין יִשְׂרְאֵלִים, בֵּין כֹּהֲנִים וּלְוִיִּם. (בכורות יג, א) וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַבְּכוֹר שֶׁנּוֹלַד לְכֹהֵן שֶׁלּוֹ הוּא, מִכָּל מָקוֹם חַיָּב לְהַקְרִיב חֶלְבּוֹ וְדָמוֹ וְיֹאכַל הַבָּשָׂר בְּתוֹרַת בְּכוֹר. וּבְכוֹר אָדָם וּפֶטֶר חֲמוֹר אֵינוֹ נוֹהֵג בְּכֹהֵן וְלֵוִי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּכְתֹּב בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם, וְזֹאת מִן הַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁחִיּוּבָהּ בְּסִבַּת דָּבָר. And the commandment of the sanctification of the firstborn pure animal is practiced according to the Torah in the Land of Israel alone, at all times; and like the rabbis expounded (Temurah 21b, and see Mishneh Torah, Laws of Firstlings 1:5), “From that which it is written (Deuteronomy 14:23), ‘And you shall eat in front of the Lord, your God, the tithes of your new grain and wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds’ — it compares, etc.” And rabbinically even outside the Land and with males and females, whether [of] Israelites, [of] priests or [of] Levites (Bekhorot 13a). And even though a firstborn that is born to a priest is his, nonetheless he is obligated to sacrifice its fat and its blood and to eat the meat according to the laws of firstborns. But the firstborn of a man and the [firstborn] of a donkey are not practiced with a priest or a Levite, as we will write with God’s help. And this is from the commandments mandated as a result of something [that happened historically].