For the source text click/tap here: Bechorot 35
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As we have learned, a firstborn kosher animal must be given to the kohen so that it can be sacrificed in the Temple. After the destruction of the Temple the kohen had to wait until the animal developed a permanent mum – a blemish – at which time the animal became the property of the kohen who was then allowed to eat it like any other meat.
This law creates a situation whereby it is to the advantage of the kohen for the firstborn to develop a mum. The Mishna on our daf teaches that when there was reason to suspect that a mum was deliberately inflicted on the animal, the Sages forbade the animal from being slaughtered.
It happened that a Quester (Roman official ) saw an old ram whose hair was long and dangling and asked: what is the status of this? They replied: ‘it is a firstborn and it may be slaughtered only if it has a blemish’. The Roman took a dagger and slit its ear. The matter came before the Sages and they permitted it. After they had permitted, he went and cut into the ears of other firstborns. The Sages thereupon forbade them.
The official learns that the firstborn animal cannot be slaughtered unless a blemish exists. He subsequently causes such a blemish.
The unusual feature of the narrative is that the official may not have intended to violate any religious commandment. Indeed, he may have believed that he was helping the Jewish owner overcome a practical difficulty.
The Talmud therefore examines the language through which the official learned of the restriction.