Chagigah 2a (ב.) — the Talmud in English

Israel were commanded to fulfill three positive mitzvot on each of the three pilgrimage Festivals, and these are: A. The mitzva of appearance, which includes appearing in the Temple courtyard and bringing an appearance offering. As it is stated: “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.” B. The mitzva of the Festival peace offering: As it is stated: “Three pilgrimage Festivals shall you celebrate for Me in the year.” Most of the expressions of “celebration” stated in the Torah concerning the pilgrimage Festivals refer to the Festival peace offering. C. The mitzva of rejoicing: As it is stated: “And you shall rejoice on your Festival.” And it is stated: “And you shall slaughter peace offerings, and eat there, and rejoice before the Lord your God.” The mitzva of appearance stated in the Torah is that one appear before the Lord in the Temple courtyard on the first day of the Festival, and offer an “appearance burnt offering.” One who comes to the courtyard during the Festival and does not bring an appearance burnt offering violates a prohibition, as it is stated: “And they shall not appear before Me empty-handed.” One who did not appear before the Lord in the Temple courtyard on the first day of the Festival continues to fulfill the obligation by appearing on any of the seven days. And if he appeared in the courtyard on the first day of the Festival but did not bring an offering with him, he continues to fulfill the obligation and brings the appearance burnt offering during any of the seven days. The Festival offering stated in the Torah is that one offer a peace offering [as a Festival offering] on the first day of the Festival. One who did not bring his Festival offering on the first day of the Festival continues to fulfill the obligation and brings it during any of the seven days. The rejoicing stated in the Torah with regard to the pilgrimage Festivals is that a person bring a peace offering from his non-sacred funds [or from his second-tithe funds], so that he will have meat to eat to satiety. For there is no rejoicing on a Festival except with meat. Mishna:

All are obligated

on the three pilgrimage Festivals

in the

mitzva of

appearance

in the Temple courtyard and in bringing an appearance burnt offering [Tosafot in their understanding of Rashi],

except for:

One who is deaf-mute.

It will be explained in the Gemara whether this refers to one who is both unable to hear and unable to speak, because he lacks intellectual capacity; or whether it refers even to one who can speak but cannot hear, or who can hear but cannot speak.

One who is deranged and a minor.

Since they lack intellectual capacity, they are exempt from all the mitzvot.

One whose sexual organs are covered

[whose genital organs are covered by skin]. This is derived from what the Torah states: “All your males shall appear,” rather than “male.”

And one who is hermaphroditic.

A person who possesses both male and female sexual organs.

“Andro” means male in Greek, and “gynos” means female [Arukh]. He too is derived from the expression “your males.”

And women.

For the Torah states: “All your males shall appear.”

Furthermore, the mitzva of appearance is a positive mitzva whose fulfillment is time-bound. And women are exempt from every positive mitzva whose fulfillment is time-bound.

And non emancipated slaves.

Since their status with regard to the mitzvot is equivalent to that of a woman.

And according to Ravina in the Gemara, our Mishna comes to exempt even one who is half slave and half free, as it is stated: “Before the Lord, the Master” — one who has only one master is included; this one, who also has another master, is excluded. Therefore, we taught “who are not emancipated,” to include one who was partially but not completely emancipated.

Likewise, those who cannot walk on their feet without support and assistance are exempt from the mitzva of appearance. And they are:

the lame, the blind, the sick, the elderly, and one who cannot ascend on his feet

for other reasons [as will be explained in the Gemara].

This exemption is derived from what the Torah states: “Three pilgrimage Festivals shall you celebrate for Me in the year.” The meaning of “pilgrimage Festivals” is: one who is fit to ascend on his feet is obligated to ascend; this excludes one who cannot ascend using his feet, but only with the aid of a support.

And the Mishna explains:

Who is the minor

who is exempt from appearance, and whom the Sages nevertheless did not obligate his father to train

Every

minor

who cannot “ride on his father’s shoulders and ascend

with him

from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount.

Once he reaches this measure, however, he is included in the rabbinic mitzva of training with regard to appearance,

the statement of Beit Shammai.

But

those

of Beit Hillel say

a different measure:

Anyone who cannot “hold his father’s hand and ascend from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount”

on his feet is still exempt from appearance, and there is no need to train him in this. Only once he reaches this measure is he required to appear by virtue of the rabbinic law of training. The reason we do not require training him in the mitzva of appearance before this measure is

as it is stated: “Three pilgrimage Festivals

shall you celebrate for Me in the year,” and everyone who cannot ascend on his feet is excluded by the word “pilgrimage Festivals.” Since, if he were an adult and unable to walk on his feet, he would be exempt from the mitzva of appearance, when he is a minor as well there is no law of training [Rashi. See additional explanation in the notes].

Beit Shammai say:

The offering

of appearance

must be worth at least

two

silver coins,

while

the offering

of the Festival offering

must be worth at least

one silver coin.

But Beit Hillel say

the opposite:

The appearance offering is worth one silver coin, and the Festival offering is worth two silver coins.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: All are obligated in appearance.

The Gemara explains the wording of the Mishna, “All are obligated in appearance”:

“All”

to include what

[whom does this expression come to include]?

The Gemara explains:

To include one who is half slave and half free,

[a slave who belonged to two partners, one of whom emancipated his share], to obligate him in appearance.

But according to Ravina, who says: One who is half slave and half free is exempt from appearance

[and he explained the latter clause of our Mishna, “who are not emancipated,” to mean that all who are not completely emancipated are exempt from appearance] —

“All” to include what?

We learned below, 9a: One who did not celebrate [who did not bring a Festival offering] on the first day of the Festival celebrates throughout the entire Festival.

The same law applies to one who did not appear in the Temple courtyard on the first day of the Festival: he has the opportunity to make it up during all seven days, and he then appears in the courtyard and brings an offering with him [Turei Even].

The amoraim below, 9a, disagree concerning the nature of making up the Festival offering during all seven days; the same applies to appearance:

Rabbi Yohanan holds: All of them are “compensation for the first day.” There is an obligation in its own right only on the first day, while the other days compensate for it.

Rabbi Oshaya, however, holds: “All of them are compensation for one another.” That is, each day independently generates an obligation and is not connected to the obligation or exemption of the days preceding it. If one became obligated on the first day, the days following it are compensation for that obligation. If he was exempt on the first day and became obligated on another day, the days following the day on which he became obligated are compensation for that obligation [Rashi below].

And we explain “all”

to include

one who was

lame on the first day

of the Festival and was exempt on that day from the mitzva of appearance,

and became healed

[he became whole like any other person]

on the second day.

He is obligated to appear on the second day, and if he did not appear on the second day, he is obligated to appear on another day and bring an offering with him [and we do not say: Since he was exempt on the first day from appearance, he is no longer obligated, because there is no compensation for one who was never obligated].

We nevertheless raise an objection:

This works according to the one who says: All

—the seven days—are

compensation for one another,

for according to him anyone who was exempt on the first day becomes obligated on the second.

But according to the one who says: All of them are compensation for the first day,

and according to him one who was exempt on the first day has no opportunity to make it up, if so:

“All”

to include what?

And we explain:

To include one who is blind in one eye,

to obligate him in appearance.

For a blind person is exempt from the mitzva of appearance only because he cannot walk independently without assistance, and his exemption is based on the statement “pilgrimage Festivals.” Therefore, if he is blind in only one eye, he is obligated to make the pilgrimage.

And

our Mishna

is not in accordance with this tanna,

who exempts even one who is blind in only one eye and can walk independently.

As it is taught in a baraita: Yohanan ben Dehavai says in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: One who is blind in one eye is exempt from appearance,

since

it is stated:

“Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord, the Master” —

This word, without the received vocalization, is read

“yir’eh”

[with a hiriq], meaning that a person will come to the courtyard and see the Divine Presence there.

But according to the received vocalization, we read it

“yera’eh”

[with a tzere], meaning that a person must bring himself to the courtyard so that he will be seen there by the Divine Presence.

And both readings are expounded, teaching you:

Just as He comes

the Holy One, blessed be He,

to see

you

[that is, “yera’eh,” according to the meaning of the received vocalization, whereby a person comes to be seen by the Holy One, blessed be He],

so

the Holy One, blessed be He,

comes to be seen

by you, through your seeing Him [that is, “yir’eh,” according to the meaning of the verse without the received vocalization].

Just as “to see

you” [“yera’eh”] is, as it were,

with both eyes

of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is perfect sight,

—

so too, to be seen

by a person,

with both eyes

of the person who comes to see. This excludes one who does not see with both eyes, who is exempt from appearance.

And if you wish, say

to explain what our Mishna says, “all”:

Actually, as they said initially,

that it comes to include one who is half slave and half free, to obligate him in appearance.

And as for Ravina’s difficulty ,

which was that he said this to explain the latter clause of our Mishna, which comes to teach that even one who is half slave and half free is exempt from appearing at the Temple on a pilgrimage festival .

There is no difficulty.

Because:

Here—

the latter clause, which exempts one who is half slave and half free, was stated

in accordance with the first Mishna,

before Beit Hillel retracted their position. At that time, they held that the master was not compelled to free him, and therefore he was exempt from appearing at the Temple on a pilgrimage festival.

Here—

the first clause, which obligates one who is half slave and half free to appear at the Temple on a pilgrimage festival, was stated

in accordance with the later Mishna,

after Beit Hillel retracted their position and conceded to Beit Shammai, who had said that the master is compelled to free him and make him a free man.

Since the master is obligated to free him, he is already considered, from now on, as though he had been freed, and he is obligated to appear at the Temple on a pilgrimage festival.

As we learned: One who is half slave and half free

must

work for his master one day and for himself one day; this is the statement of Beit Hillel

Beit Shammai said to them: