Pesachim No.4: Initial Pesach Offering

You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of choice products; but they shall not be offered up on the altar for a pleasing odor.

MISHNA: The daily afternoon offering is slaughtered at eight and a half hours of the day, which is two and a half hours after midday, and is sacrificed, i.e., its offering on the altar is completed, at nine and a half hours of the day. On the eves of Passover, when the Paschal lamb must be offered after the daily offering, the daily offering is sacrificed earlier; it is slaughtered at seven and a half hours and sacrificed at eight and a half hours, whether it occurs during the week or on Shabbat. If Passover eve occurs on Shabbat eve, when the Paschal lamb must be offered even earlier to ensure that it will be roasted before the onset of Shabbat, the daily offering is slaughtered at six and a half hours and sacrificed at seven and a half hours, and the Paschal lamb is offered thereafter.

GEMARA: We learned in the mishna that one must focus his heart while reading the portion of Shema in the Torah in order to fulfill his obligation. From here, the Gemara seeks to conclude: Learn from this that mitzvot require intent, when one performs a mitzva, he must intend to fulfill his obligation. If he lacks that intention, he does not fulfill his obligation. With that statement, this Gemara hopes to resolve an issue that is raised several times throughout the Talmud

The LORD smelled the pleasing odor, and the LORD said to Himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the devisings of man’s mind are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done.

The parchment must be processed with gallnut juice or lime and must be processed for the appropriate purpose. It is proper to declare verbally at the beginning of the process that he is preparing it "for tefilin" or "for sefer torah" but if parchment [used for tefilin] was prepared for mezuzah, it is invalid.

The [fringe] strings have to be spun for their purpose.Rem"a: Some authorities are stringent to even comb them for their purpose. And the custom is to be lenient regarding combing. (Mordechai; Agudah, Section 23)[The spinner] should say at the start of the spinning that he is doing it for the purpose of fringes. Or he should say to a woman [who doing the spinning] "spin me fringes for a shawl." And if the strings were not spun for their purpose, they are unfit.

The sages taught in the language of the mishnah. Blessed be He who chose them and their teaching. Rabbi Meir said: Whoever occupies himself with the Torah for its own sake, merits many things; not only that but he is worth the whole world.He is called beloved friend; one that loves God; one that loves humankind; one that gladdens God; one that gladdens humankind. And the Torah clothes him in humility and reverence, and equips him to be righteous, pious, upright and trustworthy; it keeps him far from sin, and brings him near to merit. And people benefit from his counsel, sound knowledge, understanding and strength, as it is said, “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, strength is mine” (Proverbs 8:14). And it bestows upon him royalty, dominion, and acuteness in judgment. To him are revealed the secrets of the Torah, and he is made as an ever-flowing spring, and like a stream that never ceases. And he becomes modest, long-suffering and forgiving of insult. And it magnifies him and exalts him over everything.

§ The verse states: “And in every place offerings are presented to My name, and a pure meal offering; for My name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.” Does it enter your mind to say that it is permitted to sacrifice offerings in every place? Rather, Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: These are Torah scholars, who engage in Torah study in every place. God says: I ascribe them credit as though they burn and present offerings to My name. Furthermore, when the verse states: “And a pure meal offering,” this is referring to one who studies Torah in purity, i.e., one who first marries a woman and afterward studies Torah. Since he is married, he is not disturbed by sinful thoughts. The Gemara cites another verse that praises Torah scholars. “A Song of Ascents, Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand in the House of the Lord at night” (Psalms 134:1). What is the meaning of “at night,” given that the Temple service is not performed at night and all the offerings must be sacrificed during the daytime? Rabbi Yoḥanan says: These are Torah scholars, who engage in Torah study at night. The verse ascribes them credit as though they engage in the Temple service. § The Gemara cites another verse that is interpreted in a similar vein. King Solomon said to Hiram of Tyre: “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, and to burn before Him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Shabbatot, and on the New Moons, and on the Festivals of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever for Israel” (II Chronicles 2:3). Since the Temple was eventually destroyed, what did Solomon mean when he said that it is “an ordinance forever”? Rav Giddel says that Rav says: This is referring to the altar that remains built in Heaven even after the earthly Temple was destroyed, and the angel Michael, the great minister, stands and sacrifices an offering upon it. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says that there is an alternative explanation of the verse: These are Torah scholars, who engage in studying the halakhot of the Temple service. The verse ascribes them credit as though the Temple was built in their days and they are serving in it. § The Gemara cites similar interpretations of verses: Reish Lakish said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “This is the law [torah] of the burnt offering, of the meal offering, and of the sin offering, and of the guilt offering, and of the consecration offering, and of the sacrifice of peace offerings” (Leviticus 7:37)? This teaches that anyone who engages in Torah study is considered as though he sacrificed a burnt offering, a meal offering, a sin offering, and a guilt offering.

The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying: Speak to the Israelite people, and say to them: When any of you presents an offering of cattle to the LORD, he shall choose his offering from the herd or from the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall make his offering a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, for acceptance in his behalf before the LORD. He shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, that it may be acceptable in his behalf, in expiation for him. The bull shall be slaughtered before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall offer the blood, dashing the blood against all sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The burnt offering shall be flayed and cut up into sections. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay out wood upon the fire; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall lay out the sections, with the head and the suet, on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar. Its entrails and legs shall be washed with water, and the priest shall turn the whole into smoke on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD. If his offering for a burnt offering is from the flock, of sheep or of goats, he shall make his offering a male without blemish. It shall be slaughtered before the LORD on the north side of the altar, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar. When it has been cut up into sections, the priest shall lay them out, with the head and the suet, on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar. The entrails and the legs shall be washed with water; the priest shall offer up and turn the whole into smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to the LORD. If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he shall choose his offering from turtledoves or pigeons. The priest shall bring it to the altar, pinch off its head, and turn it into smoke on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar. He shall remove its crop with its contents, and cast it into the place of the ashes, at the east side of the altar. The priest shall tear it open by its wings, without severing it, and turn it into smoke on the altar, upon the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to the LORD. When a person presents an offering of meal to the LORD, his offering shall be of choice flour; he shall pour oil upon it, lay frankincense on it, and present it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest shall scoop out of it a handful of its choice flour and oil, as well as all of its frankincense; and this token portion he shall turn into smoke on the altar, as an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to the LORD. And the remainder of the meal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from the LORD’s offerings by fire. When you present an offering of meal baked in the oven, [it shall be of] choice flour: unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. If your offering is a meal offering on a griddle, it shall be of choice flour with oil mixed in, unleavened. Break it into bits and pour oil on it; it is a meal offering. If your offering is a meal offering in a pan, it shall be made of choice flour in oil. When you present to the LORD a meal offering that is made in any of these ways, it shall be brought to the priest who shall take it up to the altar. The priest shall remove the token portion from the meal offering and turn it into smoke on the altar as an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to the LORD. And the remainder of the meal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from the LORD’s offerings by fire. No meal offering that you offer to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for no leaven or honey may be turned into smoke as an offering by fire to the LORD. You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of choice products; but they shall not be offered up on the altar for a pleasing odor. You shall season your every offering of meal with salt; you shall not omit from your meal offering the salt of your covenant with God; with all your offerings you must offer salt. If you bring a meal offering of first fruits to the LORD, you shall bring new ears parched with fire, grits of the fresh grain, as your meal offering of first fruits. You shall add oil to it and lay frankincense on it; it is a meal offering. And the priest shall turn a token portion of it into smoke: some of the grits and oil, with all of the frankincense, as an offering by fire to the LORD. If his offering is a sacrifice of well-being— If he offers of the herd, whether a male or a female, he shall bring before the LORD one without blemish. He shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall dash the blood against all sides of the altar. He shall then present from the sacrifice of well-being, as an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is about the entrails; the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, that is at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. Aaron’s sons shall turn these into smoke on the altar, with the burnt offering which is upon the wood that is on the fire, as an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to the LORD. And if his offering for a sacrifice of well-being to the LORD is from the flock, whether a male or a female, he shall offer one without blemish. If he presents a sheep as his offering, he shall bring it before the LORD and lay his hand upon the head of his offering. It shall be slaughtered before the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar. He shall then present, as an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat from the sacrifice of well-being: the whole broad tail, which shall be removed close to the backbone; the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is about the entrails; the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, that is at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. The priest shall turn these into smoke on the altar as food, an offering by fire to the LORD. And if his offering is a goat, he shall bring it before the LORD and lay his hand upon its head. It shall be slaughtered before the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar. He shall then present as his offering from it, as an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is about the entrails; the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, that is at the loins; and the protuberance on the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys. The priest shall turn these into smoke on the altar as food, an offering by fire, of pleasing odor. All fat is the LORD’s. It is a law for all time throughout the ages, in all your settlements: you must not eat any fat or any blood.

MISHNA: The slaughtered offering is slaughtered for the sake of six matters, and one must have all of these matters in mind: For the sake of the particular type of offering being sacrificed; for the sake of the one who sacrifices the offering; for the sake of God; for the sake of consumption by the fires of the altar; for the sake of the aroma; for the sake of the pleasing of God, i.e., in fulfillment of God’s will; and, in the cases of a sin offering and a guilt offering, for the sake of atonement for the sin.

The following sequence of Mishnayos and the selection from Sifra “Rabbi Yishmael Says,” were inserted after the Scriptural selections dealing with daily-offerings in order to give every Jew the opportunity to study/recite daily, the minimum of selections from Scripture, Mishnah, and Talmud. Even though Sifra is not actually a Talmudic tractate, it is a Tanaitic expansion of Mishnah. (See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 50:1). MISHNAH I Where are the offerings slaughtered [in the Holy Temple?] The holiest of offerings³¹These include all burnt-offerings, sin-offerings and guilt-offerings. are slaughtered on the north side [of the Altar]. The bullock and he-goat of Yom Kippur are slaughtered on the north side, and their blood is received³²The blood was received directly from the throat of the animal. in a sacred vessel, on the north side. Their blood must be thrown between the poles³³The High Priest actually stood between the poles of the Ark and sprinkled the blood once above [on the Ark Cover] and seven times below [the Ark Cover]. [of the Ark], and in front of the curtain³⁴Separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy. and upon the Gold Altar;³⁵The Gold Altar stood inside the Holy confines, whereas the Copper or Outer Altar stood in the Courtyard. [omission of] any one of these applications prevents [atonement].³⁶Atonement was achieved only upon completion of the service of sprinkling the blood. The remainder of the blood [in the vessel] he [the Kohein] would pour on the western base of the Outer Altar; [but] if he did not do so, it did not prevent [atonement]. MISHNAH II The bullocks that are burned entirely, and the he-goats that are burned entirely,³⁷A bullock was brought as a burnt-offering in one of two cases:
It was brought as an atonement when the entire nation sinned unknowingly, as a result of an erroneous ruling by the Sanhedrin, Supreme Court; it was brought by the Kohein Gadol when he sinned unknowingly as a result of an erroneous interpretation of the law on his part.
A he-goat was brought as an atonement when the king sinned in similar circumstances, or when an entire tribe committed an idolatrous sin. are slaughtered on the north side, and their blood is received in a sacred vessel, on the north side; their blood must be thrown in front of the curtain³⁸Separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy. and upon the Gold Altar; [omission of] any one of these applications prevents [atonement]. The remainder of the blood [in the vessel] he [the Kohein] would pour on the western base of the Outer Altar; [but] if he did not do so, it did not prevent [atonement]. These [offerings] and those³⁹This includes the Yom Kippur offerings mentioned in Mishnah I. are burned at the place where the ashes were put.⁴⁰The ashes removed from the Outer Altar every morning were deposited outside Jerusalem. The sin-offerings burned there did not have to be burned by a Kohen, but could be burned by an Israelite. MISHNAH III The communal and individual sin-offerings— these are the communal sin-offerings: The he-goats offered on Rosh Chodesh and on the Festivals are slaughtered on the north side, and their blood must be received in a sacred vessel, on the north side; their blood requires four applications [one] on each of the four corners.⁴¹Of the Outer Altar. How [was this done]? He [the Kohein] went up the ramp [of the Altar]⁴²The ramp led up to the Altar from its south side. It was 32 cubits long and 16 cubits wide, and provided the Kohanim with access to the ledge which ran around the Altar, and upon which they were able to stand while performing their service. and turned to the ledge [bordering the Altar]; he came to the southeast corner, the northeast corner, the northwest corner, the southwest corner.⁴³At each of these corners, he would apply the blood. He poured the rest of the blood at the southern base [of the Altar]. These offerings were eaten within the Temple Courtyard by the male Kohanim, prepared in any fashion,⁴⁴It could be cooked or roasted. on that day and [the following] night until midnight. MISHNAH IV The burnt-offering is one of the holiest offerings. It is slaughtered on the north side and its blood is received in a sacred vessel on the north side; its blood requires two applications which are [like] four.⁴⁵The blood was applied against the southwestern and northeastern corners of the Altar and spread along both sides of each corner so that all four sides of the Altar received the blood. It must be skinned, severed into parts, and totally consumed by the fire.⁴⁶The Kohanim received no part of the meat which was burned, but they shared in the hide. MISHNAH V Communal peace-offerings⁴⁷The communal peace-offering were the two lambs offered on Shavuos (Leviticus 23:20). and guilt-offerings. These are the guilt-offerings: the guilt-offering for robbery,⁴⁸This offering was brought when a person denied and swore falsely that he had been entrusted with something for safekeeping. the guilt-offering for unauthorized use of sacred objects, the guilt-offering for violating a betrothed handmaiden,⁴⁹This offering was brought only when the handmaiden was half-slave, half-free and was betrothed to an Israelite servant. the guilt-offering of a Nazirite,⁵⁰This offering was brought by a Nazirite who had become ritually defiled by a dead body. the guilt-offering of a metzora,⁵¹This offering was brought by the metsora when he was cured and declared undefiled by the Kohein. the guilt-offering for suspension.⁵²This offering was brought by a person in doubt whether an act he had committed required a sin-offering. These are slaughtered on the north side and their blood received in a sacred vessel on the north side; their blood requires two applications which are [like] four.⁵³See note 1 on Mishnah IV. These [offerings] were eaten within the Courtyard by the male Kohanim, prepared for eating in any fashion.⁵⁴See note 4 on Mishnah III. On that day and [the following] night until midnight. MISHNAH VI The thanksgiving-offering⁵⁵The thanksgiving-offering was brought when a person was released from captivity, when he recovered from a serious illness, or after traveling overseas or through wilderness. and the ram of the Nazirite⁵⁶The ram was brought by a Nazirite at the termination of his vow. are of lesser sanctity. They are slaughtered anywhere in the Temple Courtyard,⁵⁷These offerings did not have to be slaughtered or have their blood received on the north side of the Altar. and their blood requires two applications which are [like] four; they may be eaten anywhere in the city⁵⁸The city of Jerusalem. by anyone,⁵⁹Any Israelite who was circumcised and ritually clean could eat of these offerings. Females were also permitted to eat of those offerings. and prepared for eating in any fashion, [and may be eaten] on that day and the following night until midnight. The portion given to the Kohanim,⁶⁰The Kohanim received the shoulder and right shank as their portion. They also received a portion of the meal-offerings which accompanied the meat-offerings. has the same rule, but may be eaten only by the Kohanim, their wives, children, and slaves.⁶¹Their non-Jewish slaves were permitted to eat of these offerings. The portions of the sin-offerings were however restricted to the male Kohanim. [These slaves were circumcised and were responsible for mitzvos, similar to those incumbent upon women.] MISHNAH VII The peace-offerings are [also] of lesser sanctity. They are slaughtered anywhere in the Courtyard, and their blood requires two applications which are [like] four. They may be eaten anywhere in the city by anyone, and prepared for eating in any fashion, for two days and one night.⁶²That day, the following night and the following day. The portion given to the Kohanim has the same rule, but may be eaten only by the Kohanim, their wives, children, and slaves. MISHNAH VIII Firstborn animals, the tithe of cattle and the Passover-offering (Pascal lamb) are [also] of lesser sanctity. They are slaughtered anywhere in the Temple Courtyard, and their blood requires one application provided that it is applied above the base (of the Altar).⁶³The blood was applied on the wall of the Altar which was above the base. [Not all its walls were above the base.] They differ in their consumption: The firstborn is eaten only by Kohanim, while the tithe may be eaten by any person. They may be eaten anywhere in the city, and prepared for eating in any fashion, and may be eaten for two days and one night. The Pascal lamb must be eaten only at night⁶⁴The night of Passover. and only until midnight; and it may not be eaten except by those registered for it, and it may only be eaten when spit-roasted.⁶⁵Never cooked, baked, rare, or raw.

The Gemara suggests: A Paschal offering can prove the point, as it is not brought for atonement, yet it is disqualified if sacrificed not for its sake.

(Exodus 12:7) "And they shall take from the blood": I might think either by hand or by vessel; it is, therefore, written (Ibid. 22) "And you shall dip it in the blood which is in the saf," whereby we are apprised that he digs out a trough in the lintel and slaughters (the lamb, [the blood dripping]) into it, "saf" signifying a lintel, as in (Ezekiel 43:8) "When they placed their threshold ('sipam') next to My threshold," and (Isaiah 6:4) "And the posts of the threshold ('sippim') shook." These are the words of R. Yishmael. R. Akiva says: "saf" signifies a vessel, as in (I Kings 7:50) "And the 'sippoth' and the snuffers, and the basins and the spoons, etc."