| Tractate of theTalmud | |
|---|---|
| Seder: | Moed |
| Number ofmishnahs: | 42 |
| Chapters: | 5 |
| Babylonian Talmud pages: | 40 |
| Jerusalem Talmud pages: | 22 |
| Tosefta chapters: | 4 |
Beitza (Hebrew:ביצה) orBei'a (Aramaic: ביעה) (literally "egg", named after the first word) is a tractate inSederMo'ed, dealing with the laws ofYom Tov (holidays). As such, in medieval commentaries on the Talmud, the text is sometimes referred to as "tractate Yom Tov."[1][2]
It was originally composed inTalmudic Babylon (c.450–c.550 CE).[1]Seder Mo'ed is the secondseder (order) in theMishna, andBeitza is the seventh, eighth, or a later tractate withinMo'ed in theTalmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem)[3][4] and typically fourth in theTalmud Bavli (Babylon).[5]
It begins with a discussion of whether it is permitted to eat an egg laid around the time of a festival: "With regard to an egg that was laid on a Festival,Beit Shammai say: It may be eaten, andBeit Hillel say: It may not be eaten."[6][1]
The tractate consists of five chapters with a total of 42 mishnayot. Its BabylonianTalmud version is of 40 pages and itsJerusalem Talmud version is of 22 pages.
An overview of the content of chapters is as follows:[7]
Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906)."BEẒAH".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.It begins with a discussion of whether it is permitted to eat an egg laid around the time of a festival: "With regard to an egg that was laid on a Festival, Beit Shammai say: It may be eaten, and Beit Hillel say: It may not be eaten."
