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Week 144 - Thursday - 29 August 2002

ZEVAHIM: CHAPTER 8: MISHNAH 12

If the blood of a sin-offering was collected in two cups, and one of them was taken outside, the inner one is fit. If one of them was brought inside, R. Yose Hagelili declares the outer one fit, but the Sages declare it unfit. Said R. Yose Hagelili, If where an outside intention renders unfit, what remains is not treated as what went out, an inside place where the intention does not render unfit, what remains should certainly not be treated as what entered! If it entered to make atonement, it is unfit though he did not make atonement; so R. Eliezer. R. Shimon says, Only if it made atonement. R. Yehudah says, If he took it in inadvertently, it is fit. The tzitz does not effect acceptance for any unfit blood which has been sprinkled on the altar, but only for that which is unclean, since the tzitz effects acceptance for what is unclean, but does not effect acceptance for what goes out.

Kehati

Having learned in the preceding mishnah that the blood of an outer sin-offering which entered inside becomes unfit, our mishnah deals with a sin-offering part of whose blood was taken outside or inside.

If the blood of a sin-offering - whose blood is offered outside was collected by the priest in two cups, and one of them was taken outside the Temple Court, and was thereby disqualified, the inner one - the cup which remained inside the Temple Court is fit, its blood may be sprinkled on the altar, and the sin-offering is valid.

If one of them was brought inside, R. Yose Hagelili declares the outer one which was not taken inside fit for sprinkling, but the Sages declare it unfit - once part of the blood enters the Sanctuary, all of it becomes unfit, as ordained regarding the blood of a sin-offering taken inside (Lev. 6:23) "And no sin-offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the holy place shall be eaten; it shall be burnt in the fire. " Any of the blood" signifies that even if only part of the blood entered the Sanctuary, all the blood is rendered unfit.

Said R. Yose Hagelili, If where an outside the Temple Court intention renders unfit, if the shehitah was performed with the intention of sprinkling the blood outside the Temple Court, it is unfit, nevertheless if part of the blood was taken outside, what remains of the blood is not treated as what went out, since all agree that if one cup was taken outside, the other, which was not, remains fit, an inside place - within the Sanctuary, where the intention does not render unfit -the offerer's thoughts, while slaughtering, to sprinkle the blood in the Sanctuary, does not disqualify the offering (see 3:6 above).

What remains should certainly not be treated as what entered! - However, the Sages reject this inference since the Torah 's explicit reference to "any of the blood" includes even part of the blood taken inside, as explained above. The halakhah follows the Sages.

If it entered to make atonement - if the blood of an "outer" sin-offering was taken into the Sanctuary with the intention to sprinkle it inside, it - the blood - is unfit though he did not sprinkle it there to make atonement; p> so R. Eliezer, who, as a baraita cited in the Gemara explains, reasons as follows: we learn here (Lev. 6:23) "And any sin offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the holy place", and further on (Lev. 16:17), " And there shall be no man in the Tent of Meeting when he goes in to make atonement”; just as the latter precedes the atonement (since "when he goes in to make atonement" implies prior to having done so, so also does the former precede the atonement (bringing it in for atonement, even before effecting it disqualifies it.)

R. Shimon says, The blood brought in becomes unfit only if sprinkled there and it thereby made atonement - according to a baraita cited in the Gemara, R. Shimon derives his rule from (Lev. 16:27): "And the bullock for the sin-offering, and the he-goat for the sin-offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place" - i.e., just as the above is subsequent to the atonement, since the burning of the bullock and the he-goat of the Day of Atonement in question are brought after the atonement, so also does it here mean that atonement has preceded.

R. Yehudah says, If he took it in inadvertently, and even if he sprinkled it there it - the blood - is fit. -The halakhah follows R. Yehudah.

The tzitz does not effect acceptance for any unfit blood which has been sprinkled on the altar, thus (Ex. 28:38) "it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things". As taught by our mishnah, the tzitz does not effect the acceptance of an offering for which unfit blood has been sprinkled but only for that which is unclean, if the meat and the fat became unclean and he then sprinkled the blood, the offering is accepted since the tzitz effects acceptance for what is unclean, even if he burnt on the altar the eimurim or the limbs of the burnt-offering which had become unclean, the offering is valid, but does not effect acceptance for what goes out - once the blood is taken out of the Temple Court, then even if reintroduced and sprinkled on the altar, the tzitz does not effect acceptance, i.e., the offering is invalid (see Bartenura and Tosefot Yom Tov).

ZEVAHIM: CHAPTER 9: MISHNAH 1

The altar sanctifies what is eligible for it. R. Yehoshua says, Whatever is eligible for the fire - if it ascended it shall not descend, since it is written (Lev. 6:2): "It is the burnt-offering on the fire upon the altar" - just as the burnt-offering, which is eligible for the fire, does not descend once it has ascended, so does whatever is eligible for the fire not descend once it has ascended. Rabban Gamliel says, Whatever is eligible for the altar, does not descend once it has ascended, since it is written, "It is the burnt-offering on the fire upon the altar" - just as the burnt-offering, which is eligible for the altar, does not descend once it has ascended, so also does whatever is eligible for the altar not descend once it has ascended. Rabban Gamliel and R. Yehoshua differ only in regard to the blood and the drink-offerings, of which Rabban Gamliel says they shall not descend, but R. Yehoshua says they shall descend. R. Shimon says, If the sacrifice is fit but the drink-offerings are unfit, the drink-offerings are fit but the sacrifice is unfit, even if both are unfit, the sacrifice shall not descend but the drink-offerings shall descend.

Kehati

The Torah states (Ex. 29:37): "... and the altar shall be most holy, whatever touches the altar shall be holy", whence we know that even an invalid offering that was taken up onto the altar has been sanctified by it, and is not taken down. This chapter specifies those elements that are not removed from the altar once they are placed upon it, and those that must be taken down.

The altar sanctifies what is eligible for it - once anything fit for the altar lies on it, it is sanctified by it and must not be taken down. The meaning of 'eligible for the altar' is the subject of the following controversy:

R. Yehoshua says, Whatever is eligible for the fire of the altar, even if it became unfit - if it ascended the altar it shall not descend from it, seeing that the altar has sanctified it, since it is written (Lev. 6:2): "It is the burnt-offering on the fire upon the altar". According to R. Yehoshua "it is the burnt-offering on the fire" signifies that it retains its status, i.e., once something fit for the fire of the altar has reached it, it is irremovable, for - just as the burnt-offering, which is eligible for the fire, since it is wholly burnt on the altar, does not descend once it has ascended as explained above, so does whatever is eligible for the fire - i.e., the eimurim which must be burnt on the altar fire - not descend once it has ascended - even if disqualified; but unfit blood and drink-offerings which were taken up must be taken down, since they are ineligible for the fire.

R. Gamliel says, Whatever is eligible for the altar, though it is not eligible for the altar fire, e.g., blood and drink-offerings, does not descend from the altar once it has ascended it, since it is written, "It is the burnt-offering on the fire upon the altar" - according to R. Gamliel "it is the burnt-offering... on the altar" signifies that - just as the burnt-offering, which is eligible for the altar, does not descend once it has ascended, since "it is" denotes that it retains its status, so also does whatever is eligible for the altar not descend once it has ascended - to the sole exclusion of the minhah's handful of flour not yet sanctified in a service vessel, for since the part due for the altar has not yet been established, it does not become sanctified even when placed upon the altar.

Rabban Gamliel and R. Yehoshua differ only in regard to the blood and the drink-offerings, which are fit for the altar but not for the fire, of which Rabban Gamliel says they shall not descend, even if they have become unfit, let him sprinkle the blood and offer up the wine, but R. Yehoshua says they shall descend, since they are unfit for the fire on the altar.

R. Shimon says, If the sacrifice is fit but the drink-offerings that accompany the sacrifice are unfit, e.g., if they were taken outside or became unclean, or the drink-offerings are fit but the sacrifice is unfit, and thereby disqualify the drink-offerings since these are linked to the sacrifice, and even if both are unfit, nevertheless once placed on the altar the sacrifice shall not descend because the altar sanctifies it but the drink-offerings which do not function independently, are not sanctified by the altar and shall therefore descend.

According to the Gemara R. Shimon relies on (Ex. 29:37): "Whatever touches the altar shall be holy" followed by (ibid. ibid. 38, 42), "And this is what you shall offer on the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day... a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations"; accordingly, the altar sanctifies only that which corresponds to a burnt-offering, i.e., just as a burnt-offering is brought in its own right, so also (does the altar sanctify) whatever comes in its own right. This excludes drink-offerings, which are linked to the sacrifice. Hence, if either the drink-offering or the sacrifice is invalid, the latter remains on the altar, but the former are taken down. Not so drink-offerings brought independently as a freewill offering which even when rendered unfit, remain on the altar. According to Rabban Gamliel, drink-offerings, whether independent or linked to a sacrifice, are not taken down since they are eligible for the altar. According to R. Yehoshua both are removed, since they are unfit for the fire. The halakhah follows R. Yehoshua.

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