[א] "ואם דל הוא" – שומע אני דל איש פלוני ממה שהיה, שהיה בן מאה מנה ונעשה בן חמשים מנה… ת"ל "ואין ידו משגת". אי "ואין ידו משגת", יש לו ואינו מוצא ליקח… ת"ל "אם דל הוא". הא עד שיאמרו ב' כתובים ואם לאו לא שמענו. 1) (Vayikra 14:21) ("And if he is poor, and his hand cannot attain, then he shall take one he-lamb as a guilt-offering to be waved to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of fine flour mixed with oil as a meal-offering, and a log of oil.") "And if he is poor": By this I might think that if he became poorer than he was (when he incurred responsibility for the offering), such as one who possessed one hundred manah who was reduced to fifty manah (— I might think that such a one could be called "poor" and not liable for a rich man's offering). It is, therefore, written "and his hand cannot attain." If "and his hand cannot attain," (I might think that) if he had the means but could not readily find (the needed sheep — I might think that such a one could bring a poor man's offering). It is, therefore, written "and he is poor" — so that both verses are necessary, lacking which we would not know (the halachah).
[ב] "הוא" – ולא נודריו. לפי שבערכים עני שהעריך את עשיר – נותן ערך עני, יכול אפילו עני שאמר קרבנו של מצורע זה עלי והיה מצורע עשיר יביא קרבן עני? ת"ל "הוא" – ולא נודריו. 2) "and if he is poor": he and not its vowers. Because since in valuations, a poor man who takes upon himself a rich man's valuation, gives a poor man's valuation, I might think that even a poor man who said: "The offering of this leper is upon me (to give"), if the leper were rich, (I might think) he brings a poor man's offering; it is, therefore, written "he", and not its vowers.
[ג] רבי אומר, אומר אני אף בערכים כן! וכי מפני מה עני שהעריך את העשיר נותן ערך עני? שאין העשיר חייב כלום. אבל עשיר שאמר ערכי עלי ושמע עני ואמר מה שאמר זה עלי – נותן ערך עשיר! אף זה, הואיל והוא חייב בשלש בהמות ובקש איש זה לפטרו לפיכך הוא מביא קרבן עשיר. עשיר והעני או עני והעשיר – נותן ערך עשיר. 3) Rebbi says: I say that it is thus with vows too. And why is it that a poor man who takes upon himself a rich man's valuation gives a poor man's valuation? For the rich man (in that instance) has no obligation. But if a rich man said: "My valuation is upon me (to give"), and a poor man heard it and said: "What that man said is upon me," he gives the valuation of a rich man. Here, too, since he is obliged to bring three beasts, and the other wished to exempt him, he brings the offering of a rich man. If he were rich and became poor, or poor and became rich, he gives the valuation of a rich man.
[ד] "ולקח כבש אחד אשם" מה ת"ל "אחד"? זו שאל רבי עקיבא את ר' נחמיה מה ת"ל "אחד"? אמר לו, זה מביא מהשג יד ומטמא מקדש מביא מהשג יד: מה מטמא מקדש מביא שניים תחת אחת אף זה יביא שניים תחת אחת והעולה תעלה חובה. אמר לו ר' עקיבא ממקום שבאת! זה מביא מהשג יד ומטמא מקדש מביא מהשג יד. מה מטמא מקדש מביא שנים תחת כפרתו אף זה יביא שנים תחת כפרתו! אמר לו אם לאו מה אתה מקיימו? אמר לו: זה מביא מהשג יד ובערכים מביא מהשג יד. מה בערכים מביא כל השג ידו אף זה יביא כל השג ידו… ת"ל "אחד". 4) "then he shall take one he-lamb as a guilt-offering": R. Akiva asked R. Nechemiah: What is the intent of "one"? He answered: This one (the leper) brings according to his means and one who atones for sanctuary uncleanliness brings according to his means. (I might think that) just as the latter brings two birds (a sin-offering and a burnt-offering) instead of one (ewe-lamb) as a sin-offering, so, this one (the leper) brings two (birds) instead of the (ewe-lamb) sin-offering, (one for a sin-offering; the other for a burnt-offering), and the beast burnt-offering, (for which the rich man brings a he-lamb for a burnt-offering) is binding (also upon the poor man to bring, so that he will have to bring two he-lambs, one for a guilt-offering and one for a burnt-offering.) It, therefore, must be written "one he-lamb as a guilt-offering," (and not more.) R. Akiva said to him: From "the place that you come" (that he must bring two, I can deduce that he brings only one, viz.) This one (the leper) brings from his means, and the sanctuary defiler brings from his means. Just as the latter brings two for (the sin-offering, which is) his atonement (and he need bring nothing more), so this one (the leper), need bring only (these) two (birds) for his atonement, (and nothing more)! He answered: If not (as I say), how do you satisfy it ("one he-lamb as a guilt-offering")? He answered: This one (the leper) brings from his means and in valuations one also brings from his means (viz. [Vayikra 27:8]: "According to the means of the vower shall the Cohein valuate him.") (I might think that) just as there he brings whatever he can attain, so this one brings whatever he can attain, (so that if he can attain two birds and two sheep he should bring them); it is, therefore, written "one" (he-lamb. Even if he can attain two sheep, he brings only one he-lamb as a guilt-offering, and two birds, one as a burnt-offering; the other, as a sin-offering).
[ה] "לתנופה לכפר" – וכי יש תנופה מכפרת?! אם כן למה נאמר "לתנופה לכפר"? אלא ללמד שאם עשה לתנופה שירי מצוה כאילו לא כפר. "ועשרון סולת אחד" – מלמד שכל עשרון ועשרון טעון לוג כדברי חכמים. ר' נחמיה ור' אליעזר בן יעקב: אפילו מנחה של ששים עשרון אין לה אלא לוגה שנאמר "למנחה ולג שמן". 5) "to be waved to make atonement": Now does waving make atonement? (Is it not blood that atones?) If so, what is the intent of "to be waved to make atonement"? To teach that if he renders waving the "remnant" of a mitzvah (i.e., if he does not wave), it is as if he does, and yet, does not, atone. "and an issaron (a tenth of an ephah) of fine flour": We are hereby taught that each issaron requires a log (of oil), according to the sages. R. Nechemiah and R. Eliezer b. Yaakov say: Even a meal-offering of sixty issaron requires only one log, it being written "as a meal-offering and a log of oil."
[ו] "ולוג" מה ת"ל? שהיה בדין שיביא שליש לוג – מה מצינו בעשיר שהוא מביא שלשה עשרונים ומביא לוג א' אף עני שהוא מביא עשרון א' יביא שליש לוג… ת"ל "ולוג שמן". 6) "and a log": What is the intent of this? (i.e., We have already learned [in respect to the rich man] that a log is brought.) I might reason that he should bring a third of a log, viz.: Just as the rich man, who brings three esronim (of fine flour) brings one log (of oil), so, the poor man, who brings one issaron, should bring a third of a log; it is, therefore, written "and a log of oil."
[ז] "ושתי תרים או שני בני יונה" – שנים הוא מביא ואינו מביא ארבעה. 7) (Vayikra 14:22) ("And two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, such as his means suffice for; and one shall be a sin-offering, and the other, a burnt-offering.") "And two turtle-doves or two young pigeons": He brings two and not four.
[ח] הלא דין הוא: זה מביא מהשג יד ויולדת מביאה מהשג יד. מה יולדת מביאה א' תחת א' אף זה יביא א' תחת א'. 8) (Why is a verse needed for this?) Does it not follow (that he should bring only two, viz.: He (a leper) brings what he can afford, and a woman after childbirth brings what she can afford. Just as she brings one (bird) for one (beast), so he brings one for one.
[ט] או כלך לדרך זה: זה מביא מהשג יד ומטמא מקדש מביא מהשג יד. מה מטמא מקדש מביא שנים תחת א' אף זה יביא שתים תחת א'. 9) Or, go in this direction: He brings what he can afford and one who defiles the sanctuary brings what he can afford. Just as the latter brings two for one, (two turtle-doves, a sin-offering and a burnt-offering, for the ewe-lamb sin-offering that he brings if he is rich), he (the leper), too, should bring two for one.
[י] נראה למי דומה: דנים מחוסר כפורים מן מחוסר כפורים ואל יוכיח מטמא מקדש שאינו מחוסר כפורים… או כלך לדרך זה: דנים קרבן שנוהג באיש כבאשה מקרבן שנוהג באיש כבאשה ואל יוכיח קרבן יולדת שאינו נוהג באיש כבאשה… ת"ל "שתי תרים או שני בני יונה" – שנים הוא מביא ואינו מביא ארבעה 10) Let us see whom he (the leper) most resembles. We derive one lacking atonement (a leper) from one lacking atonement (a woman after childbirth), and this is not to be refuted by the defiler of the sanctuary, who does not lack atonement, (the offering not coming to cleanse him, but who when he is cleansed of his tumah may eat consecrated food, even if he has not brought the offering). Or, go in this direction: We derive an offering which obtains with man and woman alike (that of a leper) from an offering which obtains with man and woman alike (that of a defiler of the sanctuary), and this is not to be refuted by the offering of a woman after childbirth, which does not obtain with a man as it does with a woman. It is, therefore, written "two turtle-doves or two young pigeons" — he brings two and not four.
[יא] "אשר תשיג ידו" (פסוק כב), "מאשר תשיג ידו" (פסוק ל), "את אשר תשיג ידו" (פסוק לא) 11) (Why the three-fold) "such as his means suffice for" (Vayikra 14:22), "from what his means suffice for" (Vayikra 14:30), "What his means suffice for" (Vayikra 14:31)?
[יב] "אשר תשיג ידו" מה ת"ל? שיכול אימתי אני אומר יביא קרבן עני – בזמן שהוא עני מתחלתו. היה עשיר והעני מנין? ת"ל "אשר תשיג ידו" 12) "such as his means suffice for": What is the intent of this? I might think: When does he bring a poor man's offering? When he was poor from the beginning. Whence do I derive the same for one who was rich and became poor afterwards? From "such as his means suffice for."
[יג] "מאשר תשיג ידו" מה ת"ל? שיכול אימתי אני אומר יגמור כעני בזמן שהתחיל בעני. הביא את אשמו עשיר והעני מנין? ת"ל "מאשר תשיג ידו" "את אשר תשיג ידו" מה ת"ל? שיכול אימתי אני אומר יגמר כעשיר בזמן שהתחיל מבעשיר. הביא אשמו עני והעשיר מנין? ת"ל "את אשר תשיג ידו". 13) What is the intent of "from what his means suffice for"? I might think: When do I say that he concludes with the poor man's offering? When he began with the poor man's offering; but if he brought his guilt-offering when rich and became poor thereafter, whence do I derive (that he may complete the offerings as a poor man)? From "from what his means suffice for." What is the intent of "What his means suffice for"? I might think: When do I say that he completes as a rich man? When he began as a rich man; but if he brought his guilt-offering when poor and became rich thereafter, whence do I derive (that he completes as a rich man)? From "What his means suffice for."
[יד] יכול אפילו הביא קרבנו עני והעשיר יגמר בעשיר? ת"ל "את האחד חטאת ואת האחד עולה" – ממין חטאת תביא עולה. "על המנחה" – שתקדים מנחת בהמה לחטאת העוף 14) I might think that even if he brought the sin-offering when poor and thereafter became rich, he completes as a rich man. It is, therefore, written (Vayikra 14:31) "one, a sin-offering; the other, a burnt-offering" — Of the type of the sin-offering, bring the burnt-offering. (Vayikra 14:31) "on the meal-offering": (This implies that) the beast meal-offering precedes the bird sin-offering.
[טו] יכול אף יולדת שהביאה קרבן עניה והעשירה תגמר כעניה? ת"ל "זאת" 15) (Vayikra 14:32) ("This is the law for him with a plague-spot of leprosy whose means do not suffice in his cleansing") I might think that a woman who brought a sin-offering when poor and thereafter became rich, completes as a poor woman; it is, therefore, written "This" (to exclude the above).
[טז] "תורת אשר בו נגע צרעת" – מלמד שעני שהביא קרבן עשיר – יצא. יכול אף עשיר שהביא קרבן עני יצא? ת"ל "זאת". "תורת אשר בו נגע צרעת" – מלמד שאדם מביא על ידי בנו ועל ידי בתו ועל ידי עבדו ושפחתו קרבן עני ומאכילו בזבחים. יכול אף ע"י אשתו יביא קרבן עני? ת"ל "זאת", דברי ר' יהודה. אמר ר' יהודה, לפיכך אם פטרה – אינו חייב בה, שכן היא כותבת לו "ואחראין די אייתין לי עלך מן קדמת דנא". 16) "the law for him with a plague-spot of leprosy": We are hereby taught that if a poor man brought the offering of a rich man, it is valid. I might think that if a rich man, likewise, brought the offering of a poor man, it is valid; it is, therefore, written (to exclude this): "This is the law, etc." "for him with a plague-spot of leprosy, etc.": We are hereby taught a man may bring a poor man's offering for his son, for his daughter and for his manservant and maidservant, and feed them from the sacrifices. I might think that he could also bring a poor man's offering for his wife; it is, therefore, written "This." These are the words of R. Yehudah. For R. Yehudah says: A man brings a rich man's offering for his wife, and, similarly, all of her offerings for which she is liable. For thus does she write to him (in the receipt of her kethubah): "And your previous obligations to me, etc." (viz. Bava Metzia 104a)