Rabbi Akiva continued the discussion and asked the Sages the following question: “If one slaughters five offerings outside the Temple while forgetting that this is not allowed, is he to bring a sin-offering for each mistake, or one for all?”
Rabbi Yehoshua answered that he heard a similar law: “If one eats from one offering in five different dishes, he brings five sacrifices for misappropriation of Temple property,” and that in Rabbi Akiva's case, which is even worse, since it is five different animals, he for sure needs five sacrifices to atone. However, Rabbi Akiva replied, “If your teachers taught you this, I will accept, because they may have had their reasons, but if it your own logic, I will refute it: in your case, he is receiving pleasure from eating, and that's why he has to bring a sin-offering for each mistake, but in my case he does not receive any pleasure, and perhaps one sacrifice will atone for all.”
Rabbi Akiva also reported that he asked Rabbi Eliezer the following question: “If one performs many acts of work on many Sabbaths, but the were all of the same type, what is the law?” Rabbi Eliezer compared his case to multiple copulations with a woman who has not been to the mikva, where one brings a separate sacrifice for each act, but Rabbi Akiva refuted this, since in this case both he and she are liable. Rabbi Eliezer then compared it to cohabitation with a minor, where only he, not she, is liable, but Rabbi Akiva refuted it, by pointing out that eventually even the minor will be liable, when she grows up. Rabbi Eliezer then compared the case to copulations with an animal, and Rabbi Akiva accepted his proof.
Art: Anton Mauve - Watching The Flock
No comments:
Post a Comment