Chagigah 7a (ז.) — the Talmud in English

1.

Pe’a

which a person is obligated to leave for the poor at the edge of his field has no prescribed minimum or maximum size. For the Torah says: “You shall not finish off the corner of your field when you reap,” and the Torah did not give it a measure [although the Sages gave it a minimum measure, so that one should not leave less than one-sixtieth of his field].

2.

And the first fruits,

which a person is obligated to bring from the first fruits of his field to the Temple and give to a priest, have no prescribed minimum or maximum measure. For the Torah says: “You shall take from the first of every fruit of the soil,” and the Torah did not give them a measure.

3.

And the appearance offering,

the burnt-offering of appearance, has no prescribed size or value [and below it will be explained that the Mishna’s statement also includes that the appearance in the Temple courtyard itself has no measure].

4.

And acts of kindness

performed with one’s body [Jerusalem Talmud].

5.

And Torah study,

as it is written: “And you shall contemplate it day and night” [Rabbi Shimshon of Sens].

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: We had thought to say,

in explaining what the Mishna says—that the appearance offering has no measure according to Torah law— that

the appearance offering has no maximum measure,

and one may bring as large an animal as he wishes,

but it does have a minimum measure

according to Torah law,

below,

so that one may not bring less than a ma’a of silver, because he had thought that the measure stated in our Mishna was mandated by Torah law.

Until Rabbi Oshaya the son of Rabbi [

the greatest of his generation]

came and taught,

that is, he explained the words of the Mishna:

The appearance offering has no measure

according to Torah law,

neither above nor below.

But the Sages said—

meaning, it was the Sages who said:

The appearance offering is one ma’a of silver, and the Festival peace-offering is two silver coins.

And we raised a difficulty concerning this:

What—

that is, how should one understand

“the appearance offering”

, which has no measure? Had the Mishna said “the appearance,” it would have implied that the appearance offering has no measure.

But since the Mishna used the term “appearance offering,” it implies that in addition to the offering, which has no measure with regard to its size and value, even the mitzva of appearing itself has no measure. One may perform it as many times as he wishes, fulfilling an additional mitzva each time he comes to the Temple courtyard.

Therefore, the Gemara raises a question: Must these additional appearances be accompanied by a burnt-offering of appearance, or are they merely appearances in the Temple courtyard?

Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish disagreed as to whether one must bring an offering with him for those additional appearances in the Temple courtyard:

Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

The intention of the Mishna is to say that there is no measure to

appearing in the Temple courtyard

alone, and one does not bring an offering for his additional appearances.

And Reish Lakish said: There is no measure to

appearing in the Temple courtyard

with an offering,

as those additional appearances must be accompanied by an offering.

The Gemara explains their dispute:

1.

At the beginning of the Festival,

on the first day of the Festival,

everyone—

both Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish—

agrees that they do not disagree, as the appearance in the Temple courtyard

must be

with an offering.

When they disagree—

Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish—

is with regard to the other days of the Festival.

2.

Wherever he came and brought an offering,

if, for his additional appearances, he brought an offering with him as a mandatory offering, even on the other days of the Festival,

everyone—

both Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish—

agrees that it is accepted from him,

and it is sacrificed as a burnt-offering of appearance.

When they disagree

are Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish:

when he came but did not bring an offering [

he appeared in the Temple courtyard but did not bring an offering]. That is, their dispute concerns whether one is obligated to bring an offering with him for additional appearances on the other days of the Festival.

For Rabbi Yoḥanan holds:

The intention of the Mishna is

appearing in the Temple courtyard

alone,

as whenever he comes, he need not bring an offering [

each time he comes, he is not obligated to bring an offering].

Reish Lakish said: Appearance in the Temple courtyard with an offering, for whenever he comes, he must bring an offering [each time he comes, he brings an offering; from the wording of Meiri it appears that this means one offering per day, and not several offerings on the same day].

Reish Lakish raised an objection to Rabbi Yoḥanan:

The Torah states:

“And they shall not appear before Me empty-handed”

. How can it be said, as you say, that one may appear without bringing an offering with him?!

He said—

that is, he replied—

to him,

Rabbi Yoḥanan replied to Reish Lakish:

At the beginning of the Festival

alone did the Torah prohibit coming empty-handed. But on the other days of the Festival, one may appear in the Temple courtyard; if he wishes, he brings an offering, and if he does not wish, he need not bring one.

Again,

he raised an objection

Reish Lakish raised to Rabbi Yoḥanan from a beraita:

“And they shall not appear before Me empty-handed”

, as stated by the Torah, means

with animals sacrificed as offerings,

animals slaughtered with a knife.

You say that it means with animal offerings, or perhaps it means with birds

, which are killed by pinching with a fingernail,

or

with

meal-offerings?

It is not so.

For

the matter follows a logical derivation: The mitzva of the Festival peace-offering was stated

in the Torah,

the Festival peace-offering,

which is a peace-offering intended

for

the eating of

an ordinary person, and the mitzva of

the

appearance offering

was stated in the Torah, which is a burnt-offering intended for the eating of

the Most High.

For the Torah says: “They shall not appear before My face empty-handed,” implying: I ask you to bring an offering for My needs [Rashi].

Just as the Festival peace-offering, which is stated for the ordinary person,

is with

animal offerings,

as the verse says: “You shall not leave the fat of My Festival-offering until morning,” indicating that the Festival peace-offering consists of animals whose fat is burned on the altar,

so too the appearance offering, which is stated for the Most High,

is with

animal offerings,

and not with birds or meal-offerings.

The beraita continues and explains:

And what are these animal offerings?

It must be that the reference is to

burnt-offerings!

You say burnt-offerings, or perhaps it means peace-offerings?

Your answer is:

The matter follows a logical derivation,

as the reference is specifically to burnt-offerings:

The Festival peace-offering was stated for

the needs of

an ordinary person, and the appearance offering was stated for

the needs of

the Most High,

as the Torah says: “They shall not appear before My face empty-handed,” implying: I ask you to bring an offering for My needs [Rashi].

Just as the Festival peace-offering, which is stated for the ordinary person,

he celebrates

with that which is fit for him,

as the Festival peace-offering is a peace-offering eaten by its owners,

so too the appearance offering, which is stated for the Most High, is with that which is fit for Him,

as he offers it entirely as a burnt-offering for the sake of God.

And the matter follows logically

that he should bring a burnt-offering that is entirely burned for God:

So that

your table should not be full

on the Festival with all kinds of delicacies,

while your Master’s table—

the Holy One, blessed be He—

is empty.

We have therefore learned that it is forbidden to appear empty-handed, and this presents a difficulty to Rabbi Yoḥanan.

He said—

he replied—

to him,

Rabbi Yoḥanan replied to Reish Lakish: The beraita is speaking

at the beginning of the Festival,

when even in my view one is obligated to appear with an offering.

Again,

Reish Lakish raised an objection to Rabbi Yoḥanan,

from that which was taught in a beraita:

Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda says: The three pilgrimage Festivals

—the three times—

in the year when Israel was commanded to ascend on the pilgrimage: on the Festival of Matzot, on the Festival of Shavuot, and on the Festival of Sukkot,

and they do not appear

when they are

partial [

the Gemara explains this below],

because it is stated: “All your males.”

And they do not appear

when they are

empty-handed,

without an offering,

because it is stated: “And they shall not appear before Me empty-handed.”

This beraita also presents a difficulty to Rabbi Yoḥanan, since we have learned that they do not appear empty-handed?!

He said—

he replied—

to him,

Rabbi Yoḥanan replied to Reish Lakish: This beraita too is speaking

at the beginning of the Festival.

And now,

Rabbi Yoḥanan raised an objection to Reish Lakish:

It is written:

“He shall appear”

[with a ḥiriq], “every one of your males,” implying that he shall see God; and we read it as:

“He shall be seen”

[with a tzere], implying that God shall see him. We expound both the written form and the reading together, to teach you:

Just as I

see you

without charge, so too you

see Me

without charge.

From here it follows that there are times when one is not obligated to bring an offering, presenting a difficulty to Reish Lakish, who said that every time one appears, he brings an offering with him.

Because of this difficulty, the Gemara explains their dispute differently:

Rather, wherever he came but did not bring an offering [

he appeared in the Temple courtyard but did not bring an offering with him],

everyone—

both Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish—

agrees that he enters, appears, and leaves [

he appears and leaves], as according to everyone he is not obligated to bring an offering with him, since the Torah says: “Just as I appear without charge, so too you appear without charge.”

When they disagree is when he came and brought an offering,

when he had already appeared once and brought an offering as a burnt-offering of appearance: if he comes another time and wishes to offer an additional offering as a burnt-offering of appearance, is this offering accepted from him and sacrificed as a burnt-offering of appearance?

Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

Our Mishna—“These are the matters that have no measure … the appearance offering”—speaks of

appearing in the Temple courtyard.

And it maintains that only

appearing in the Temple courtyard has no measure.

As for the offering,

the burnt-offering of appearance,

it does have a measure,

and they do not accept a burnt-offering of appearance from him unless he brings it merely as a voluntary offering.

And Reish Lakish said: The “appearance offering” mentioned in our Mishna means

appearing in the Temple courtyard with an offering!

And the Mishna teaches

that even an offering has no measure,

and he may bring burnt-offerings to sacrifice them as burnt-offerings of appearance every time he appears in the Temple courtyard.

and he may bring burnt offerings and offer them as appearance offerings each time he appears in the courtyard.

He raised an objection

to Reish Lakish: It is written:

“Make rare

and restrain

your foot from your friend’s house”

[from the house of your beloved, the Holy One, blessed be He, who called Israel “His friends,” as it is stated: “For the sake of my brothers and friends”]. This teaches you: Do not bring mandatory offerings to the house of the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond the obligation prescribed by the Torah [Mar’ei HaSadeh]?!

And we answer:

There,

the verse “Make rare and restrain your foot from your friend’s house” is speaking

of sin-offerings and guilt-offerings,

teaching that one should not sin and thereby become obligated to bring sin-offerings and guilt-offerings. But with regard to a burnt-offering of appearance, one may bring as many as he wishes, and it has no measure.

And

this is in accordance with Rabbi Levi,

who explained the verse in this manner:

Rabbi Levi raised a contradiction [

he posed the contradiction between the verses]:

It is written: “Make rare and restrain your foot from your friend’s house”,

implying that one should not increase mandatory offerings.

And it is written: “I shall enter Your house with burnt-offerings”,

implying that one may bring many burnt-offerings?!

Rabbi Levi explains that

there is no difficulty:

Here—

“Make rare and restrain your foot from your friend’s house”—

refers to sin-offerings and guilt-offerings.

Here—

“I shall enter Your house with burnt-offerings”—

refers to burnt-offerings,

of appearance,

and peace-offerings,

of the Festival peace-offering, as it is written: “I shall enter Your house.” And this refers to the pilgrimage [Mar’ei HaSadeh].

It was likewise taught in a beraita: “Make rare and restrain your foot from your friend’s house”—

the verse is speaking of sin-offerings and guilt-offerings.

You say that it refers to sin-offerings and guilt-offerings, or perhaps it refers to burnt-offerings and peace-offerings?

When it says: “I shall enter Your house with burnt-offerings; I shall pay You my vows,” burnt-offerings and peace-offerings are already mentioned.

How, then, do I understand “Make rare and restrain your foot from your friend’s house”?

The verse is speaking of sin-offerings and guilt-offerings!

The Master said:

And they do not appear as partial groups:

Rav Yosef thought to say [

to explain it]: It teaches you that

one who has ten sons

should not have five ascend today and five tomorrow [

one who has ten sons should not have half of them ascend today and half tomorrow; rather, he should have all of them ascend at once].