Masechet Chullin, Perek (chapter) Chet (eight), Mishnah Vav (six). Here we’ll talk about the differences between Chelev and Dam, forbidden fats and blood. Neither is allowed to be eaten, even if the animal had proper Shechitah (ritual slaughter).
The Mishnah says, “Chomer ba-Chelev mi-ba-Dam.” There’s a stringency when it comes to Chelev over blood. “Chomer ba-Dam mi-ba-Chelev.” And blood has stringency over the Chelev. They both have their own strict laws that apply to them and do not apply to the other.
“Chomer ba-Chelev she-Chelev mo’alin bo.” The stringency with Chelev over blood is that somebody violates Me’ilah (misuse of sacred property) by benefiting from the Chelev, if it comes from a Korban (offering). When it comes to Chelev, these forbidden fats are placed on the Mizbeach (altar) when it comes to a Korban. When you’re not talking about a Korban, of course the fats are not allowed to be eaten. If somebody eats from them by mistake, they would have to bring a Korban Chatat (sin offering). Also, the blood of a bird or an animal: if somebody eats from it by mistake, they have to bring a Korban.
The Chelev, what we’re saying over here, is the property of Hashem. When the Chelev is part of a Korban, it is given over on the Mizbeach, and if somebody benefits from it by mistake, he has violated Me’ilah. Violating Me’ilah can only happen when someone does it unintentionally. He has to pay back the treasury of the Beit HaMikdash the amount that he benefited from, plus one-fifth. And he has to bring a Korban Asham (guilt offering).
So the Chelev of a Korban is subject to these laws of Me’ilah. Somebody has to bring a Korban Chatat if he ate the Chelev when he violated Pigul (disqualified offering due to improper intent), Notar (sacrificial meat left past its time), or because he was Tameh (ritually impure).
If a person offered a Korban, and during the essential service parts of it, the blood service, he had a Kavanah (intention) that was wrong—that he was going to eat the meat of the Korban past the proper time—then the Korban becomes automatically disqualified. If somebody by mistake afterwards ate from the meat, they have to bring a Korban Chatat.
So we say Pigul applies even to the Chelev, to the forbidden fats. Number two: if the person did everything properly and brought the Korban like it was supposed to be brought, but then allowed the deadline that he was supposed to eat it by to pass, it becomes Notar. If somebody eats it past that time, they have to bring a Korban Chatat. That applies to Chelev as well.
Thirdly, a person who is Tameh and eats from the meat of a Korban also has to bring a Korban Chatat. That applies to Chelev as well. The Chelev is considered to be just like the meat, and these three laws apply to somebody who violates any of them as well. The Chelev is considered to be just like the meat. The Korban Chatat is considered to be just like the meat.
The law is not like this when it comes to the Chelev. The blood of a Korban does not have any application to Me’ilah, Pigul, or Notar. And when somebody in a state of Tum’a (ritual impurity) eats from a Korban, there is also a stringency that applies to blood that would not apply to Chelev. The Chelev is considered to be just like the meat.
The prohibition against eating blood applies to a domesticated animal, a wild animal, and a bird, whether they are kosher or not kosher. If a person eats the blood from any of these animals, it doesn’t matter if they are kosher or not kosher; they have violated the prohibition against eating blood. The prohibition against eating Chelev applies only to the Chelev of a kosher domesticated animal, not to birds and not to wild animals; those laws are not connected to that whatsoever.
Just one other point: when we mentioned that a person has to bring a Korban in those situations with the Chelev, that’s in addition to the Korban, the normal Korban that he has to bring for eating the Chelev. So if he ate in that situation, he has to bring two Korbanot.