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In Parah 1:3, we read:

‮כְּבָשִׂים, בְּנֵי שָׁנָה. וְאֵילִים, בְּנֵי שְׁתַּיִם. וְכֻלָּם מִיּוֹם לְיוֹם. בֶּן שְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ אֵינוֹ כָשֵׁר לֹא לְאַיִל וְלֹא לְכֶבֶשׂ. רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן קוֹרֵהוּ פַּלְגָּס. בֶּן עַזַּאי קוֹרֵהוּ נוֹקֵד. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל קוֹרֵהוּ פַּרְכָדִיגְמָא. [...]

Lambs no more than one year old, And rams no more than two years old. And all these years are reckoned from day to day. One that is thirteen months old is not valid, neither as a ram nor as a lamb. Rabbi Tarfon called it palges. Ben Azzai called it noked. Rabbi Ishmael called it parakhrigma. [...]

We see that there is a 30-day period where the animal is considered neither a lamb nor a ram. This in-between period is not listed when discussing a cow in Parah 1:1.

Does the 30 day in-between period hold also for cows, even though it's not stated? If no, why is there such a distinction?

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  • The Mishnah Acharonah on 1:3 asks this question, but I don't understand/can't parse the answer (if it is indeed an answer).
    – magicker72
    Sep 17, 2019 at 5:12
  • I don’t have time to write it up, but if someone wants to tackle Tosfos to RH 10a DH Ben and to BB 121a DH Yom, they address the general principle of יום אחד בשנה חשוב שנה and discuss how this discrepancy plays into that.
    – DonielF
    Oct 17, 2019 at 16:13

1 Answer 1

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The Artscroll Yad Avraham commentary to this Mishna only discusses lambs and rams regarding this "indeterminate status". In addition, at no point in their commentary to the mishna in 1:1 (which describes the various appellations of a cow) do they discuss any intermediate 30-day period.

The Rambam also does not mention the intermediate status of cows (Maase Korbanot 16:2).

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  • Thanks. It's nice to see an answer (even if inferred by omission). Does the Artscroll commentary mention a "why"?
    – magicker72
    Sep 17, 2019 at 22:34
  • @magicker72 no and now I wonder myself :->
    – mbloch
    Sep 18, 2019 at 3:52

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