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Bekhorot 5: Wilderness Accounting

September 23, 2026 | י״ב בתשרי תשפ״ז

Rabbi Yochanan came to Rabbi Elazar in a dream, and it was a harbinger for a good day. And the sanctification of the first-borns would not end, because of his own learning. Also, the story of a Roman official (Kunterukus) who bothers Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai about the number of Levites in the wilderness and in the final count in the Torah. Also, on the census count of the half-shekel. Where there shenanigans in the census money? Poor accounting? Plus, a new mishnah: A cow that gives birth to a kind of donkey… The question is when the first-born law kicks in, but the other question is how does a cow deliver a kind of donkey? Even given the exceptional status of the donkey

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Anne and Yardaena

Anne Gordon is the deputy editor of Ops & Blogs at The Times of Israel. She is a veteran educator, having taught in high school and post-high school institutions in Israel and America for several decades. Yardaena Osband is a pediatrician and teaches in her community and online. They both hail from Boston, proud alumna of Maimonides School, where they first learned Gemara. Talking Talmud is their conversation (via podcast) on the daf yomi. They say: “Learning the daf? We have something for you to think about. Not learning the daf? We have something for you to think about! (Along with a taste of the daf…) Join the conversation with us!”

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