Before the korbanot (offerings) are slaughtered, semichah (leaning) is done to them. The owner places his hands on the animal’s head and presses down, putting his weight on it. This is called semichah. We’ll talk about this in the Mishnah. Which korbanot require semichah?
The Mishnah says, kol korbanot ha-tzibur ein bahem semichah. All communal korbanot do not require semichah. One exception to the rule is the bull that comes for any of the mitzvot (commandments), that means the bull on a communal error: if the Sanhedrin makes a mistake and gives an improper halachic ruling that results in the majority of the Jewish people transgressing an aveirah (transgression) punishable by karet (excision)—for example, if they permit a certain type of chelev (forbidden fat), when in reality it is a problem, and this is discovered afterwards, and the majority of the people followed their ruling and ate chelev—then they would have to bring this type of offering. This type of offering does have semichah; the members of the Sanhedrin do the leaning on the bull.
Secondly, the goat sent as part of the avodah (service) of Yom Kippurim is one on which the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) does semichah. R. Shimon adds in, he says, in addition to the first one (the par ha-ba al kol ha-mitzvot (the bull that comes for any of the mitzvot)), he says also, this se'ir (he-goat) that comes for avodah zarah (worshipping idolatry), and he would remove the se'ir ha-mishtaleach (scapegoat) from his count. So everybody agrees that only two of these communal korbanot require semichah.
Besides removing the se'ir ha-mishtaleach from his count, he would say that if the Beit Din, the Sanhedrin, gave an improper ruling about worshipping idolatry, worshipping avodah zarah, then they have to bring a se'ir avodah zarah. They have to bring a he-goat to get a kapara (atonement) for the avodah zarah that was worshipped. This also requires semichah.
Kol korbanot ha-yachid te'unim semichah. All individual korbanot require semichah. Chutz min ha-bechor (firstborn) veha-ma'aser (tithe) veha-pesach (Passover offering). Exceptions are the bechor, the ma'aser and the pesach offerings. These individual korbanot would not require semichah. Only the owner of a korban could do the semichah on it.
He will talk about a situation where a person made a pledge to bring an olah (burnt offering) or a shelamim (peace offering), designated an animal for that purpose, and then died before he was able to offer the korban. The ha-yoresh is a person who inherited a korban. For example, a son who inherited his father’s korban and now has to offer it does semichah on the korban. He also brings the required nesachim (libations) with the korban, and he also has the ability to make the korban temurah. We explained temurah earlier in the masechet (tractate). There’s a prohibition against a person declaring an animal as a substitute for an animal that was already consecrated. If he does it, then both of those animals have the sanctification; they’re both holy. But he’s not allowed to do it; he’s violating the Torah if he does. But that’s only true if the owner of the korban is trying to substitute it; if someone else does, the words accomplish nothing. So we’re saying in this Mishnah that a son who inherits his father’s korban, which was already sanctified, becomes like the owner, and he can make the animal temurah just like his father had the ability to. We learn this from this. We also learn that he also does semichah like his father will...