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Bekhorot 50: Mathing the Math (with Unholy Coins)

November 07, 2026 | כ״ז בחשון תשפ״ז

On the 5 silver coins for the redemption of the first-born son, and how they were valuated in other currencies. Which meant getting the math exactly right — as the example of Rav Ashi sending to R. Acha, who was a kohen, and they need to send back and forth to get the currency exactly right. From the money/coins of the pidyon ha-ben — when the dedicated coinage to the Temple, there was concern that the Hadrianic and Trajan coins would be all mixed up and profaned that money. Then a verse in Ezekiel calmed the sages down, because it was no longer considered to be consecrated. But there’s so much gold and silver in the world – how would this restriction help?!

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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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