Daat Emet
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
Daat Emet
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
Born with two heads — on which does he place tefillin?
Home » Daily Peppers
Yaron Yadan 01/05/2009
Born with two heads — on which does he place tefillin?

One of the sages, Flimo, asked Rabbi Judah the Nasi: If one has two heads, on which should he place tefillin? Rabbi Judah the Nasi answered him angrily, assuming he was being mocked by this unrealistic question, and told Flimo to either leave the place and go into exile or be excommunicated and isolated from people. Later on an incident occurred and a baby was born with two heads. The baby’s father came to Rabbi Judah the Nasi and asked him: I have an eldest son who was born with two heads. How much do I pay to redeem him — the value of one son, which is five sela [approximately 1800 shekel] or of two, which is 10 sela [3600 shekel]? He was answered: The payment must be for two sons, 10 sela. The students asked: Why did the rabbi require he pay a double redemption price for the infant with two heads? An eldest son born with a defect which will kill him is exempt from the redemption of the first-born, and being born with two heads is a fatal defect. Answer: Since the laws of the Torah about the redemption of the first-born specify “You shall take five shekels for each head” (Nu,bers 3:47), it means that the laws of the redemption of the first-born go by heads, and since this first-born has two heads, the father must pay double to redeem him.
(Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Menachot 37a-b)

About the Author

ירון ידען View all posts by Yaron Yadan

ירון ידען (נולד בטבריה ב-8 בדצמבר 1961) הוא פעיל חברתי ומייסד ארגון "דעת אמת" העומד בראש מפלגת אור.

Additional Peppers
One who thought he heard the braying of a donkey but really heard a shofar has not fulfilled his obligation

One who thought he heard the braying of a donkey but really heard a shofar has not fulfilled his obligation

A woman urinates while standing and sees impure blood

A woman urinates while standing and sees impure blood

How did they count the throwing of the blood at the Holy Temple curtain on Yom Kippur?

How did they count the throwing of the blood at the Holy Temple curtain on Yom Kippur?

A fetal cow in the womb of a camel: pure or impurifying?

A fetal cow in the womb of a camel: pure or impurifying?

White mouse, black mouse, leaven and the rat

White mouse, black mouse, leaven and the rat

Was the town of Hutzal in Babylon walled in the era of Joshua?

Was the town of Hutzal in Babylon walled in the era of Joshua?

Married a virgin, claimed there was no hymeneal bleeding, and was found to be a liar

Married a virgin, claimed there was no hymeneal bleeding, and was found to be a liar

© 2016 כל הזכויות שמורות לדעת אמת.
Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset