Happy Purim

Happy Purim 2012

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Temurah 19 – Descendants Of A Male Burned Offering

A burned offering can be only a male, and therefore there is no question of the law for its descendants. However, its exchange can be considered its descendant, in some sense. Additionally, if one exchanges it for a female animal, that female can in turn have descendants. All of these “descendants,” and their descendants, ad infinitum, are brought as burned offerings, with all their laws.

If one designates a female as a burned offering – which is invalid, as we have just said – it is left to graze until it develops a blemish. It is then redeemed, and the money is used for a valid male burned offering. If it gets a male offspring, it, too, is left to graze until it can be redeemed. Rabbi Eliezer says that the offspring itself can be offered. What is the basis for their disagreement? Some say that by the Torah law Rabbi Eliezer is correct, but according to the Sages, there is an additional enactment and a burden on him, since one should not sanctify a female animal as a burned offering. Others say, that since the original offering was “pushed off” from the Altar, its direct descendants cannot be brought either, and the argument is about the effect of “pushing off.”

Art: James Ward - A Dartmoor Ram, Ewe And Wether

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

Temurah 17 – Sometimes Exchanges Are More Stringent Than Sacrifices, And Sometimes Less

Sacrifices are more stringent than their exchanges: a sacrifice can be used to create an exchange, but an exchange cannot be used to create another exchange; partners can consecrate an animal to be a sacrifice, but not to make an exchange; fetuses and limbs can be consecrated, as part of a live animal, but one cannot make an exchange of them.

On the other hand, although it is completely impossible to consecrate a blemished animal, one can exchange a blemished animal for a sacrifice, and this exchange will work. In that way, one can create a blemished sacrifice, and in this exchanges are more stringent than regular sacrifices.

And in this sacrifices and exchanges are the same: the offspring of a peace offering and its exchange are peace offerings; so are their offspring, and the offspring of their offspring, until the end of time, with all the accompanying details. That is because peace offerings can be females, unlike, for example, burned offerings. Why did “end of time” have to be mentioned? – To disprove Rabbi Eliezer, who says on the next page that an offspring of a peace offering cannot be brought on the Altar.

Art: Bela Pallik - Ewes grazing

Temurah 16 – Generation Descent

When Moses was departing from this world to enter the Garden of Eden, he said to Joshua, “Ask me about any uncertainties in the Law that you have.” However, Joshua replied, “Master! Did I ever leave you for a moment? Have you not written about me in the Torah, 'And Joshua his servant would never left his tent'!” Moses was pained by this answer, and as a result, three hundred law were forgotten by Joshua and seven hundred uncertainties arose in his mind. All of Israel wanted to kill Joshua, but God said to him, “I cannot tell you these laws anymore after the passing of Moses, following the principle that the Torah is not in Heaven, however, go and occupy Israel with war,” and that is the meaning of the verse “And it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of God, that God said to Joshua... cross over Jordan.”

Nevertheless, this time Otniel ben Kenaz restored them through logic. That is the meaning of the phrase, “Otniel ben Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, conquered Kiryat Sefer (City of the Book), so Caleb gave him Achsah, Caleb's daughter, as a wife.” Why was she called Achsah (anger)? – Because she was so beautiful (and some say, so modest) that everyone who looked at her immediately became angered at his wife who lacked in comparison. Being married to a Torah scholar who spent all his time in studies, Achsah had nothing in her house. She went to her father, saying, “You have given me an arid land,” that is, devoid of all worldly goods. He gave her upper and lower springs. That means that he said, “One to whom belong all the mysteries of the world, the upper and lower, need not ask me for sustenance.” Rather, to him applies the verse from the Proverbs, “She (the Torah) is like a merchant's ships, from afar she brings her sustenance.”

Art: Claude Oscar Monet - Ships In Harbor

Temurah 15 – Sin Offerings That Are Not Needed

Continuing with differences between personal and communal offerings, there are personal sin offerings that, unfortunately, are left to die. However, this never happens with communal offerings.

What are these personal sin-offerings? There are five types: offspring of a sin-offering, exchange of another sin-offering, a sin-offering whose owners died and are thus no longer in need of atonement, one whose owners used another sin-offering for their atonement (which can happen when the first offering is temporarily lost), and one that became older than a year. This law is known as one that, instead of logic, is based on a teaching passed from Moses through successive generations. However, Rabbi Yehudah argues and says that he possesses a more authentic version of the rule, according to which even communal offering in the same situation also has to die.

Rabbi Shimon is known to give reasons for the rules of the Torah. He says that communal offerings need not die, and it can be proven by logic: for example, the sin-offering whose owners died, is not needed and therefore cannot be used. However, this is not applicable to the Community of Israel, which does not die.

Art: Aleksander Kotsis - Mother Died

Temurah 14 – Is It Permitted To Write Down The Talmud?

There are differences between personal and communal sacrifices: one can make (forbidden) exchange with personal sacrifices but not with communal ones; personal offering can be males or females, but communal offerings are always males; personal offerings that need to be brought at specific times (for example, of a Nazir) must be brought even if its time has passed, but communal offering need not be brought after their time has passed. On the other hand, communal offerings can be brought on Shabbat, and even in the state of impurity, but personal offerings cannot.

Rav Dimi had a clarification for these rules, concerning libations. He said, "If I had someone to carry a letter go Babylon, I would write and send this clarification to them." But would he send it? The Torah said that “Write these words...”  refers to the written Torah scroll, but “Through these words” refers to all other laws that one is not permitted to write down! – A new law is different, for it is better to violate the Torah prohibition of writing than risk whole Torah being forgotten.

But how can the Talmud even ask such a question, when we know that Rabbi Yehudah the Prince collected and published the Mishnah, and Rav Ashi collected and published the Talmud? – There are two versions Rav Sherirah Gaon's letter, and according to one, they only collected but did not publish.

Art: Gabriel Metsu - Man Writing a Letter