The Eddie B. Sit edition, an audio series of the Talmud Bavli, Masechet Zevachim, has been dedicated by our good friend and student of the Shiur Daf Yomi, Binyamin HaKohen, also known as Benny C. He has dedicated this Masechet, and with God's help, he will experience success and prosperity. Being that he is a Kohen, may he serve in the Beit HaMikdash when the Messiah comes, alongside the other Kohanim who will serve in the merit of his dedication to this Masechet, which specifically discusses the Avoda of the Kohanim in the Beit HaMikdash regarding the Korbanot.
Today's daf has been studied for the elevation of the soul of Avraham ben Esther, may the soul of the Holy One find rest in the Garden of Eden, Amen. We also pray for a complete recovery for Mickey ben Jamie, and for the success of Binyamin Mordechai ben Esther. We begin today’s daf on Ayin Tet Amud Bet, starting with a new Mishnah: Dam Temimim.
As observed, the entire chapter thus far has focused on cases of mixtures. The Mishnah continues along this theme: Dam temimim v'dam Baalei Mumim yishapech la-amah. This states that if the blood of Korbanot that were temimim (unblemished) gets mixed with the blood of Baalei Mumim (blemished), we say to pour it into the amah. Let us examine Rashi's commentary: Dam temimim v'dam Baalei Mumim milta deshchiacha hi. This is a common occurrence. Why do we pour it into the amah? Gezeira shema lo yerbeh alav v'yachshiruhu. We are concerned that one might not have a sufficient amount of blood and may inadvertently declare it valid.
In determining the cases of two types of blood, we have discussed several times that it can be difficult to ascertain what constitutes a majority. Blood appears similar to blood, and without clear differentiation, one might mistakenly regard the blood of the psul (blemished) as valid. If there was a sufficient quantity of water, it could dilute the blood to the point where it appears clear, rendering it pasul (invalid), since it must retain the appearance of blood. Conversely, if the dam pasul does not dilute the true blood, it remains kasher (valid). Thus, the reason for declaring it pasul is due to the concern that one might mistakenly validate a mixture lacking the required amount of blood in the keli (vessel).
We make this gezeira because the presence of dam Baalei Mumim in the Azara (Temple courtyard) is a frequent occurrence, making this concern far from theoretical. The Mishnah states: Dam temimim v'dam Baalei Mumim yishapech la-amah. What is the next case? Kos b'chosot. Here we have a cup of dam Baalei Mumim mixed with other cups of kesherim (valid blood), and we do not know which is which. Rabbi Eliezer states: Im karav kos echad yakrivu kol hakosot. Rabbi Eliezer's position is that if one cup was poured, we assume that cup is the one that is issur (forbidden), and the others are valid, as by Torah law it is batel b'rov (nullified in the majority).
To clarify, if there is only one cup with ten cups of heter (permitted), it is also batel b'rov according to Torah law, making this a gezeira m'drabbanan (rabbinic decree). Thus, Rabbi Eliezer is lenient, assuming that the cup poured by the Kohen is the issur cup, and the rest are valid. The sages, however, respond: Va-chachamim omrim afilu karvu kulan chutz me-echad yishapech la-amah. They disagree, asserting that even if all but one have been poured, it must still be poured into the amah.
The Gemara will question why this disagreement was necessary, given that we have encountered similar cases before, such as with the heads of the olot. The Gemara will address this in due course. Next case: Hanitanin l'mata. For instance, if the blood of Korbanot Chatat is sprinkled below the line of the chut hasikra... (the red thread), and it gets mixed up with blood that is supposed to be above the line, the case involves Korban Chatat above and other Korbanot below.
Rabbi Eliezer states: Yiten l'maala. The Kohen should sprinkle the blood above the line for the Chatat to fulfill the commandment, as it is a mitzvah to perform the Chatat before the others. Even if there are other bloods present, one must have the proper kavanah (intention) that this is not being done for the sake of the mitzvah. The only time it is pasul to sprinkle blood on the mizbe'ach is when it is done with the intention of fulfilling a mitzvah. Therefore, one must think of the blood as water: Ro'eh ani es hatachtonim milmalah k'ilu heim mayim. The blood that was meant to be below the line must be considered as if it were water, meaning it is not for sacrificial purposes.
Then, the leftover blood should be poured below the line. This will benefit the tachtonim (lower sacrifices), and whatever is in the elyonim (upper sacrifices) will fall to the bottom of the mizbe'ach because it must be placed into the yesod (foundation). The Gemara will elaborate on this process. The Mishnah indicates that bloods intended to be sprinkled below the line that were mixed with the blood of the Chatat above require the Kohen to sprinkle the blood above, even if the tachtonim are present.
Rabbi Eliezer states: Yiten l'maala techila ve'acharkach lemata. First, sprinkle above and then below. The pouring below will be for the shirayim (leftover blood) of the Chatat because the Chatat has already been performed. There is no concern about adding water in this case, as it will fall into the yesod anyway. The Gemara continues to discuss the implications of this ruling.
Now, the sages say velachachamim omrim yishapech la-amah. They do not provide the same leniency. The sages maintain that one cannot just switch the tachtonim to the elyonim for the sake of the mitzvah because it is not permitted to mix the two categories of sacrifices. If the Kohen does not ask and proceeds to sprinkle the blood above, it remains kasher. Rashi states that if the Kohen did not seek guidance and sprinkled the blood above, it is still kasher because he did not inquire.
The Gemara will clarify further: if the Kohen asked and received guidance, he should sprinkle the blood above, and the tachtonim will be considered valid for the purpose of the Chatat or olah depending on the case. The Gemara will continue to explore the implications of this ruling, particularly regarding the proper sequence of sacrifices and their respective requirements.