1Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish. The reason of Rebbi Eleazar: 138 Lev. 22:18–19 . Speak to Aaron and to his sons , etc., who would sacrifice to the Eternal as elevation sacrifice; everything may be brought as elevation sacrifice, by your volition, unblemished, male . I could think that this includes birds. The verse says, in cattle , not birds 148 Since the verse restricts elevation offerings from four-legged animals to unblemished males, it is inferred that the restriction does not apply to birds [ Sifra Emor Parashah 7(20), Wayyiqra I Parshata 6(3 )]. In addition, since Lev. 1:14–17 is addressed to the individual, but Lev. 22:18–19 to the public, it is inferred that birds as elevation offerings are possible only to the individual; the public is restricted to four-legged animals. Since a gift to the Temple is a gift to the public, birds given to the Temple as part of an estate may not be sacrificed. . Rebbi Jeremiah and Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya were sitting and saying, there said Rebbi Joḥanan said, the reason of Rebbi Simeon is that we find that a female is qualified as elevation offering of a bird 128 Male animals are prescribed for four-legged elevation sacrifices, Lev. 1:3 , 10 , but not for birds, 1:14 ( Sifra Wayyiqra I Parshata 6(2,5). Argument missing in B. . And here, he 149 Even though the statement is transmitted in the name of R. Simeon ben Laqish, we do not hear that R. Joḥanan disagrees; the statement is coming from R. Joḥanan’s Academy. says so? Rebbi Yose said, I confirmed it following what Rebbi Samuel said in the name of Rebbi Ze`ira: Anything which could be sacrificed neither itself nor its money’s worth is sanctified only as money’s worth 150 If an animal is not dedicated as sacrifice and if sold, the money cannot be used to buy an animal which can validly be dedicated ( Note 119 ), the animal is given for the upkeep of the Temple, not to the gift account. . And you are saying, this is correct. You cannot sacrifice it, for it is written in cattle 151 And the public to whom the bird was given may not dedicate it as sacrifice. . You cannot redeem it since birds cannot be redeemed. 152 Mishnah Menaḥot 12:1 . Not only birds, but also dedicated wine and flour cannot be redeemed since the rules of redemption in Lev. 27 are formulated referring to four-legged animals only.
2The colleagues in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan; Rebbi Ayvo bar Nagari said before Rebbi Ila in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan. The reason of this Tanna: But if any impure animal from which no sacrifice to the Eternal may be offered 153 Lev. 27:11 . . Why does the verse say, impure 154 Since no impure animal can be sacrificed, either the mention of “impure” or that of “cannot be sacrificed” seems to be superfluous. ? But even impure for this denomination 155 If an animal was dedicated in a category for which it was not appropriate, and it never could be sacrificed in that category, it never was dedicated to the altar and therefore can be redeemed. . This is difficult; about this is written, he shall stand, he shall appraise 156 Lev. 27:12 . ? Rebbi Ze`ira in the name of Rebbi Eleazar did not say so but, but if any impure animal from which no sacrifice to the Eternal may be offered ; anything which could be sacrificed neither here nor at any other place does not effect substitution 157 If “impure” really means “unfit”, e. g. cattle or sheep with a broken leg, it is not dedicated to the altar and must be redeemed with the money going for the upkeep of the Temple. However, it cannot be made to stand as required by the verse. . This excludes the female of a bird which even though it cannot be sacrificed here is fit to be sacrificed at another place. Rebbi Abbin and Rebbi Abun asked before Rebbi Ze`ira: Are there not the animals used for active or passive bestiality, which can be sacrificed neither here nor at any other place, and they effect substitution 158 Tosephta Temurah 1:12 states that dedicating such an animal, while sinful, is equivalent to dedicating an unblemished animal which after dedication becomes blemished; all rules of me`ilah do apply and it may be redeemed only after it develops a permanent bodily defect. ? He said to them, also I did speak only about really impure ones 159 B reads: “defective ones.” . This is difficult; about this is written, he shall stand, he shall appraise 156 Lev. 27:12 . ?
3MISHNAH: Once every thirty days one sets the prices for the office 160 One lets contracts to supply the Temple with wine and flour to accompany the sacrifices. This lets the Temple set the prices for these items as explained in the next Chapter. . Anyone who accepts to supply fine flour at a rate of four 161 The contract is to supply 4 seah of flour for one tetradrachma. , if the going rate goes up to three he has to supply at the rate of four 164 When at the time of use the items were found to be in good order. ; if at the rate of three and the going rate went down to four he has to supply at four since the hand of the sanctuary is privileged. If the flour turned out worm-infected, it was infected in his possession 163 Even if the worms were not detected at the time of delivery, only at the time of use. ; and if the wine turned into vinegar it was vinegar in his possession. He is not paid until the altar did atone 164 When at the time of use the items were found to be in good order. .
4HALAKHAH: It was stated in the name of Rebbi Simeon: he receives his money immediately, for the priests are quick 165 Chapter 2, Note 33 . The text there is reproduced in B and M. .
5MISHNAH: These are the appointees who were in the Sanctuary 1 The permanent officers of the Temple who organized the service which was executed by the families of the clans of Cohanim, who came to serve in turn for one week. Different in Tosephta 2:14–15 . : Joḥanan ben Phineas of the seals 2 As explained in Mishnah 4 , a person who brings an animal as sacrifice to the Temple buys from the Temple the appropriate flour and wine offerings (as detailed in Num . 15:1–12 ). The “seal” (or ”signature”) is a ticket stamped with one of different stamps. The worshipper buys the ticket from the keeper of seals and delivers it to the keeper of libations who then gives him the correct amount to give to the officiating priests. , Aḥiyya of the libations, Mathew ben Samuel of the lotteries 3 The lotteries which distribute the different duties to the priests who came to serve for one week, as explained in Yoma Chapter 2. , Petaḥiah of the nests 4 He organizes the sale of “nests”, couples of pigeons or turtle doves, needed for several purification rites. . Petaḥiah is Mordecai. Why was he called Petaḥiah? For he had original ideas 5 In the interpretation of biblical verses. and explained them, and he knew seventy languages 6 In Ezra 2:2 and Neḥemiah 7:7 in the list of returnees from Babylonia one finds Mordecai Bilshan, where the traditional interpretation is to consider the second name not as an independent (Babylonian) name but an epithet “linguist” of Mordecai. (In modern Hebrew, by mispronunciation “linguist” is balshan .) A linguist is a person who knows the languages of all of the 70 peoples enumerated in Gen . 7 . . Ben Aḥiyyah for indigestion; Onias the digger of ditches, Gabinius the herald, Ben Gever for locking the doors, Ben Bevai for the oakum. Ben Arza for the cymbal, Hugdas ben Levi for the song. The family Garmu for the shew-bread, the family Eutinos for producing the incense. Eleazar for the gobelins, and Phineas the clothier.
6HALAKHAH: 7 This text is from the end of Chapter 3 in Yoma (Notes 238,239), where all textual variants are noted. “These are the appointees who were in the Sanctuary.” Rebbi Ḥizqiah said, Rebbi Simon and the rabbis. One said, he comes to enumerate the qualified ones of every generation. But the other said, he who was in a generation enumerated what was in his generation \ . He who said, he comes to enumerate the qualified ones of every generation, about all of them he says, the remembrance of the just is for blessing 8 Prov . 10:3 . . He who said, he who was in a generation enumerated what was in his generation, about all of them he says, but the name of evildoers shall rot . About whom was said, the remembrance of the just is for blessing ? About Ben Qaṭin 9 As mentioned in Mishnah Yoma 3:11 . and his kind.
7Rebbi Jonah said, it is written 10 Is. 53:12 . The verse continues: For he offered himself to death and counted the sinners. This applies to R. Aqiba who was a martyr and organized religious tradition in a systematic corpus. : Therefore, I shall distribute to him in public, and with the powerful he shall have part in booty , that is Rebbi Aqiba who organized interpretation of Scripture, practice, and homiletics 11 The reading of B: Mishnah, interpretation of Scripture, and practice, seems preferable since R. Aqiba had no reputation in homiletics and as a matter of principle homiletics about biblical verses is not to be systematized. . But some say, this refers to the men of the Great Assembly, who organized principles and details 12 They find in the work of the Great Assembly the essence of Second Temple and later rabbinic Judaism, the effort to turn the mostly disjointed statements of the Torah into a systematic code of laws. .