The Eddie D. Sitt 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, commonly known as Benny C. He has dedicated this masechet, and with the help of God, may he have success and prosperity. Being that he is a Kohen, may he serve in the Beit HaMikdash when the Mashiach comes, alongside the other Kohanim in the merit of this masechet, which specifically discusses the avoda of the Kohanim in the Beit HaMikdash regarding the Korbanot. We begin today’s daf on Daf Pe Amud Bet. This daf is being studied for the elevation of the soul of Esther bat Ruach Hashem, may her soul be at rest in the Garden of Eden, amen. We also pray for the complete recovery of Michal bat Benjamin and for the success of Benjamin Mordechai ben Esther.
We start today’s daf on Pe Amud Bet, beginning with the phrase Tashema. It appears we are right in the middle of the amud. Let’s review where we are holding. We had the opinion of Rav Ashi. His opinion was that ein bila applies. According to Rabbi Eliezer, when two liquids mix together, they do not mix evenly; they do not mix at all. Therefore, it is possible that when you sprinkle some of the liquid, you may only have one of the two and not both. This was Rav Ashi's opinion, which he was discussing in relation to a shitta of Rabbi Eliezer regarding haza'ah. If you have a cup of Mei Chatat and some regular waters fell into it, Rav Ashi says you must perform haza'ah twice. We want to understand the logic behind Rabbi Eliezer's ruling: why do you have to perform haza'ah twice? Rav Ashi explains that because there was a mayim kol shehu that fell in, and ein bila means they do not mix. Therefore, you must perform yazzeh shtei haza'ot, which means with two haza'ot, you are guaranteed to reach the required measure for haza'ah.
In the previous daf, Rav Ashi stated that since there was a small amount of water, ein bila means there is no mixture of liquid. Thus, it is possible that the first sprinkling was entirely mayim psulin. Therefore, you must perform yazzeh shtei haza'ot. However, when you perform two haza'ot, you can be assured that even if the first was all pasul, the second will be kasher.
The Gemara will challenge this. Tashema, we have a Tosefta that states: if the Kohen had a mixture of dam ta'arovet, where you had blood that is supposed to be sprinkled above the chut hasikra and blood that is supposed to be sprinkled below the chut hasikra, and the Kohen did not ask any questions, he went ahead and sprinkled all the blood above without consulting anyone, ellu v'ellu, whether it follows the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer or Chachamim, they agree that he must return and sprinkle below lemata. Now, if you say yesh bila, then the bloods mixed. If you have a Korban Chatat and a Korban Olah, and you say yesh bila, the bloods definitely mixed. For sure you have the Chatat blood above, and when you sprinkle the bloods below, you have no problem because it is shirayim. The bloods that you sprinkle below will fall into the yesod, and you have fulfilled your obligation as required.
The Gemara continues to explore the implications of this ruling. If both placements—the sprinkling above and below—are valid, then how can we reconcile this with Rabbi Eliezer's position that ein bila means the bloods do not mix? The Gemara asserts that the case must be understood as a scenario where the majority of bloods are from the Chatat, and thus the Kohen could sprinkle from the majority, ensuring compliance with the halachic requirements.
As we delve deeper, the Gemara raises another point: if the Kohen sprinkled the bloods above and the leftovers got mixed up, what should be done with them? Abaye states that if the bloods were already sprinkled above, the leftover bloods should be sprinkled below, as all leftover bloods are considered shirayim, which belong in the yesod of the Mizbeach. This leads us to conclude that the Gemara is adamant that the bloods should not be treated as mixed in a way that would invalidate their status.
Ultimately, the discussion leads us to the conclusion that while there are various opinions regarding the mixing of bloods, the practical halachic rulings emphasize the importance of the Kohen's actions and the conditions under which these bloods are handled. The Gemara concludes that in cases of Korbanot, the principles of bilah and shirayim must be carefully navigated to ensure compliance with the laws governing sacrificial offerings.