Temurah 33 – For Redemption, The Sacrifice Must Be Standing

Earlier we said that a dead sacrifice cannot be redeemed, because it cannot stand up. The Torah said that, as part of the redemption process, the animal must undergo evaluation while it is standing. Since a dead animal cannot stand up, it cannot be redeemed. However, we still don't know if this refers to Altar consecrations, or to Temple consecrations. Rabbi Yochanan maintains that it refers to both; thus, a sanctified can never be redeemed, once it died by itself.

However, Resh Lakish, his student and constant companion in arguments, says that this requirement applies only to Temple consecrations, but animals that were consecrated as sacrifices on the Altar do not require standing up for evaluation, and may therefore be redeemed if they die.

Their disagreement is questioned on the basis of the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, who said that “Temple sacrifices that died may be redeemed.” According to Rabbi Yochanan, we understand why Rabbi Shimon had to clarify his disagreement. But according to Resh Lakish, why didn't Rabbi Shimon simply state, “They may be redeemed,” since we already know that we are talking about Temple sanctification? – Rabbi Shimon did not precisely know the position of the first teacher, and preferred to state his view in every detail.

Art: Philipp Peter Roos - A Goat And A Sheep In An Italianate Landscape