Bekhorot 19 - The Mystery of the Headless Cow

Tablet Magazine

Bekhorot 19 - The Mystery of the Headless Cow

Tablet Magazine

October 7, 2026 · 6:21

Open in app
On today’s page, Bekhorot 19, the rabbis discuss the rite of the Egla Arufa, or the decapitated calf, sacrificed whenever a stranger was murdered by an unknown assailant as a way to shock us all into understanding that we are responsible for each other. Still, why such a brutal ritual? And why a calf? Listen and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices