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Week 144 - Friday - 30 August 2002

ZEVAHIM: CHAPTER 9: MISHNAH 2

And these, if they have ascended, do not descend: that which remained overnight, what is unclean, that which went outside, was slaughtered after its time or outside its place, the blood which unfit persons collected and sprinkled. R. Yehudah says: what was slaughtered at night, whose blood was poured away, or whose blood went outside the hangings - if it ascended it must descend. R. Shimon says, It shall not descend, for R. Shimon used to say, Whatever became unfit in the Sanctuary is accepted by the Sanctuary, if it did not become unfit in the Sanctuary, it is not accepted by the Sanctuary.

Kehati

Our mishnah lists those things which though rendered unfit, remain on the altar once placed thereon.

And these, if they have ascended, do not descend - because the altar sanctified them (see preceding mishnah): that - e.g., eimurim -which remained overnight outside the altar, and thus became unfit for offering; what is unclean - i.e., eimurim rendered unclean; that which went outside the Temple Court, or was slaughtered with the intention to sprinkle its blood, or burn or eat it after its time or outside its place; the blood which unfit persons collected and sprinkled - and thus rendered the sacrifice unfit (see 2:1 above); all these are not taken down once they have been placed on the altar, and are offered up.

R. Yehudah says: what - a consecrated animal that was slaughtered at night and is therefore unfit, thus, (Lev. 7:38): "... on the day that he commanded the children of Israel to present their offerings", which implies that the shehitah be performed by day; whose blood was poured away, or whose blood went outside the hangings (in the Desert Sanctuary, i.e., outside the Court in the Temple of Jerusalem) and the blood thus became unfit, then even - if it - the animal ascended the altar it may not be offered up and it must descend -the Gemara explains that according to R. Yehudah the phrase "This is the law of the burnt-offering, it is the burnt-offering" (Lev. 6:2) contains three limitations, i.e., "this" (zot), "it is" (hee) and "the burnt-offering" (ha'olah) which exclude the above three flaws, whereupon the animals even if placed on the altar must be taken down since they became unfit before their blood could be sprinkled.

R. Shimon says, It - the three categories mentioned by R. Yehudah shall not descend, for R. Shimon used to say, Whatever - any sacrifice which became unfit in the Sanctuary - in the Temple Court – is accepted by the Sanctuary, and thus once it has ascended the altar, it is not taken down; but if it did not become unfit in the Sanctuary, but was disqualified before it was slaughtered it is not accepted by the Sanctuary and must be taken down. According to R. Shimon, "this is the law of the burnt-offering" confers an equal status upon whatever lies upon the altar, which once there, may not be removed, whereas the term "this" excludes that which was rendered unfit outside the Sanctuary.

ZEVAHIM: CHAPTER 9: MISHNAH 3

These did not become unfit in the Sanctuary: the rovea, the nirba, the set aside, the worshipped, the etnan, the mehir, the kilayim, the terefah, that born through a Caesarean section, and blemished animals. R. Akiva declares blemished animals fit. R. Haninah Segan Ha-Kohanim says, My father used to reject blemished animals from the altar.

Kehati

The above - a continuation of the preceding mishnah, lists disqualifications which did not arise in the Sanctuary, whose object even if placed on the altar, must be taken down.

These are the ones that did not become unfit in the Sanctuary: the rovea -a male animal's connection with a woman, the nirba -a female animal's connection with a man; the - animal that has been - set aside for idolatry; the object worshipped as an idol; the etnan, - an animal given as a harlot's hire - the mehir - an animal exchanged for the price of a dog (see 8:1), the kilayim - e.g., the offspring of a he-goat and a sheep, terefah - e.g., an animal killed by another; that born through a Caesarean section - rather than naturally through the womb - and blemished animals - all these became unfit for the altar before they were slaughtered, hence if they were slaughtered as a sacrifice and reached the altar they must be taken down.

R. Akiva declares blemished animals fit, and once upon the altar they are not taken down. However, this is confined to blemishes pronounced fit in the case of birds, e.g., the duk (a cataract in the eye) but not to missing organs which also render a bird unfit, whereupon it must be removed from the altar.

R. Haninah Segan Ha-Kohanim says, My father used to reject blemished animals from the altar after they had reached it, but he did so indirectly – “as with the back of the hand" - rather than openly in a degrading manner. This is the halakhah.

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