Sunday, February 27, 2011

Zevachim 108 - Stringencies of Slaughtering and of Offering Up a Sacrifice Outside

There are ways in which slaughtering a sacrifice outside the Temple is more stringent, and there are other ways in which offering it up (burning) are more stringent.

If one takes an animal that was consecrated as a sacrifice and slaughters it for someone's consumption, he is liable to slaughtering outside. If, however, he offers it up for someone, he is not liable for offering up a sacrifice outside the Temple, because he did not dedicate it to God. In truth, he is liable for idol worship for worshiping that human, but that is a different liability.

Offering up is more stringent in this way: if two people held a knife together and slaughtered a sacrifice outside the Temple, they are not liable, but if they took a sacrificial limb and offered it up, they are liable.

If one offered a limb of a sacrifice, then became aware that it was prohibited, then forgot it, then offered another limb, again became aware and again forgot it, and so on, he is liable for each limb – so says Rabbi Shimon, but Rabbi Yose makes him liable just once.

Art: William Lucas - Sharpening The Knife 1868

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