The Eddie B. Sit edition of the audio series of the Talmud Bavli, specifically focusing on Masechet Zevachim, has been dedicated by our esteemed friend and student of the shiur daf yomi, Binyamin HaKohen. May he be blessed with success as he dedicates this masechet, which discusses the avodah of the Kohanim in the Beit HaMikdash concerning the korbanot. Today’s study, Daf Kuf Tet Zayin, is dedicated le’ilui nishmat Avraham ben Esther, with a plea that the spirit of Hashem rests upon him in Gan Eden. Additionally, we wish a refuah sheleimah for Micky ben Jamie and success for Binyamin Mordechai ben Esther.
We begin today’s daf from Kuf Tet Vav amud bet, starting at the bottom of the amud. The discussion opens with the phrase amar mar, which appears three lines from the bottom, referencing a Baraita. The Baraita states: “Hakol kesherin lehakriv,” meaning that all are fit to be offered as sacrifices. Before the establishment of the Mishkan, the Baraita explains that one could bring any type of animal, provided it was tahor.
The Gemara questions, “Minan hanei milei?” – how do we know this? Amar Rav Huna answers, citing the verse about Noach: “Vayiven Noach mizbe’ach l'Hashem vayikach mikol habehemah hatehorah.” This indicates that from all behemot hatehorot and ofot hatahor, any type of animal that is tahor is permissible for sacrifice. The term behemah includes all categories of animals, which encompasses both behemah and chayah. The Gemara further clarifies that chayah is included within behemah, as Rashi explains using various verses to support this inclusion.
Moving on, the Gemara addresses the acceptance of both male and female animals for sacrifices, whether they are temimim (without blemish) or ba'alei mumim (with blemishes). The Gemara asks how we know this, and it references the Baraita again. The Baraita mentions the terms zecharim and nekevot, indicating that both male and female animals can be brought as offerings.
However, the Gemara emphasizes the distinction that while males and females may be offered, the laws of tamim and zachrut apply specifically to behemah and not to ofot. The Gemara explains that the laws concerning tamim are unique to behemah, and this is derived from the heikesh made between behemah and ofot in the verse regarding Noach.
Shifting focus, the Gemara discusses the specific prohibition against bringing an animal that is mechussar eiver (missing a limb) before the Mishkan. It cites Rabbi Elazar, who questions how we learn that a mechussar eiver is prohibited for offerings. The Gemara explains that when Noach was commanded to bring animals onto the Teivah, he was instructed to bring animals that were whole and complete.
Next, the Gemara addresses the notion of treifah (an animal with a fatal defect) and its comparison to mechussar eiver. The Gemara concludes that the verse about bringing animals onto the Teivah serves to teach us the requirement of completeness in the limbs of the animals offered as sacrifices.
The Gemara continues with a discussion regarding the different categories of animals that were permissible for sacrifice, emphasizing that only tahor animals were accepted. It raises a critical question about the existence of tamei animals at that time, given that the Torah had not yet been given. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani explains that the tamei animals were those that were destined to be tahor in the future.
This leads to a further exploration of how Noach knew which animals were tahor and how he was able to determine their status based on the acceptance of the animals by the Teivah. The Gemara explains that if the Teivah accepted seven of a type, then that type was tahor, while those that were only accepted two were deemed tamei.
As the discussion unfolds, the Gemara reflects on the laws governing korbanot before the giving of the Torah. It states that all offerings were considered olot, while the Jewish people had the additional privilege of bringing shelamim. The Gemara emphasizes that this distinction was crucial, as it highlights the unique status of the Bnei Yisrael even before the establishment of the Mishkan.
In conclusion, the Gemara elucidates the halachic distinctions regarding offerings, the requirements for animals brought before the Mishkan, and the implications of these laws for both the Bnei Yisrael and the Bnei Noach. This exploration serves to deepen our understanding of the avodah and the sanctity of the sacrifices in the context of the Beit HaMikdash.