Sunday, March 4, 2012

Temurah 18 – Dissenting Opinions On Offspring Of Peace Offerings

Previously our teacher emphatically disagreed with someone, by stating that the offspring of a peace offering is itself a peace offering, until “the end of time.” That someone was Rabbi Eliezer, and here is his dissenting opinion: Rabbi Eliezer says that the offspring of a peaces offering may not be offered. Why not? Really by the Torah law it can, but the Sages enacted a decree against it, to prevent him growing whole flocks of peace offerings.

Rabbi Shimon says that they disagreed only about one generation. Does Rabbi Shimon mean to say that a child is an offering but a grandchild is not? Indeed, Rabbah says that it would be a logical understanding. However, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says that the opposite is true, a child is not brought, but a grandchild is. Why? Because a grandchild of an offering would be a rare situation, and the Sages do not establish decrees for rare situations.

The law of thanksgiving offering is unanimous: its offspring and its exchange are both brought as thanksgiving offerings, except that they do not require the usual forty loaves of bread.

Art: Petrus Paulus Schiedges - A Shepherd With His Flock

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