The Firstborn of Man and Beast on the Eighth Day

"So you shall do with your ox (Exodus 22:29)." Scripture compared the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beast and the firstborn of beast to the firstborn of man. Just as with the firstborn of a beast, stillbirths exempt it from the law of the firstborn, so too with the firstborn of man, stillbirths exempt him from the law of the firstborn. And just as with the firstborn of man you are permitted to give him to any priest you wish, so too with the firstborn of a beast, and so forth. Because Scripture says, "And you shall bring there your burnt-offerings (Deuteronomy 12:6)," I might hear that there is an obligation to bring the firstborn to the chosen House; the verse teaches "among man and among beast (Exodus 13:2)," comparing the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beast. Just as with the firstborn of man one attends to him for thirty days, so too with the firstborn of a beast one attends to it for thirty days. "Seven days it shall be with its mother" - why is this said? Because Scripture says, "It shall be seven days under its mother (Leviticus 22:27)" - "with its mother." Or does it mean literally "under its mother"? The verse teaches, "Seven days it shall be with its mother": just as here it means "with its mother," so too there it means "with its mother." Rabbi Natan says: "under its mother" is stated only to be expounded - "under its mother" means "after its mother." Or does "under its mother" mean as it plainly sounds? You may reason thus: it says "its mother" here and "its mother" there; just as there it means close to it, so too here it means close to it. "Seven days it shall be with its mother" - just as the firstborn, being sacred, nurses only from non-sacred animals, so too all of them nurse only from non-sacred animals. From here they said: All consecrated animals may not nurse their young, and a lightly-tithed animal may not nurse its young. And all of these are derived only from the firstborn: just as the firstborn, being sacred, nurses only from non-sacred animals, so too all of them nurse only from non-sacred animals. How do they do it? They take money from the sanctuary, buy a non-sacred animal, and the consecrated ones have compassion upon the young and nurse them. Even though they said this, others were donating on this condition. "And on the eighth day you shall give it to Me" - I know only the eighth; from where do I learn from the eighth onward? You may reason thus: it says "eighth" here and it says "from the eighth day onward it shall be accepted (Leviticus 22:27)." Just as the "eighth" stated there fits both the eighth and from the eighth onward, so too the "eighth" stated here fits from the eighth onward. "On the eighth day you shall give it to Me" - to exclude one whose time is lacking. We learned there: For how long are Israelites obligated to attend to the firstborn? For small cattle, thirty days; for large cattle, fifty days. Rabbi Yose says: For small cattle, three months. If the priest said, "Give it to me within that time," he should not give it to him. And if it had a blemish and the priest said, "Give it to me that I may eat it," it is permitted. From where do we know these things? Rav Kahana said: Scripture says, "The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me; so you shall do with your flock"; "Your fullness and your tithe-offering you shall not delay; so you shall do with your ox." Rava said: "You shall do" - Scripture added for you another act of attendance with your ox. And say sixty days? Scripture entrusted these matters only to the Sages. Rabbi Yose says: For small cattle, three months, because tending it is greater. It was taught: because its teeth are small. If the priest said, "Give it to me within that time," he should not give it, for he appears like a priest who assists at the threshing floors.