Chullin 21b (כא:) — the Talmud in English

Why does an animal sin-offering not come

except from

unconsecrated funds,

because

it cannot be purchased with second-tithe funds,

and

it may be sacrificed only

during the day

and not at night,

and

its service may be performed only

with the priest's right hand,

as all these laws are derived from verses that indicate that they apply to an animal sin-offering.

So too, the bird burnt offering—

may come only from unconsecrated funds, during the day, and with his right hand.

But,

perhaps you will say: If we derive the law from an animal sin-offering, we should also derive an additional matter:

Just as there

its slaughter is

with most of the two signs

and it is unnecessary to cut through all the signs,

so too here,

in the bird burnt offering, its melika should be

with most of the two signs

alone?

The verse states

with regard to a bird burnt offering brought as a freewill offering: “

And he shall pinch off

its head,

and he shall burn

it on the altar.” Scripture thereby juxtaposes melika to burning on the altar, to say:

Just as with burning on the altar,

they burn

the head separately and

the

body separately,

so too

he shall perform the melika in this manner, so that

the head is separate and the body is separate.

That is, he must cut through both signs completely, and not merely most of them.

Rabbi Yishmael says: “According to the law”

stated with regard to the bird burnt offering means

according to the law of the bird sin-offering,

which is written in the passage immediately before the law of the bird burnt offering. And it is reasonable that the phrase “according to the law” refers to it.

Just as with the bird sin-offering,

its melika is

opposite

the

nape, so too the bird burnt offering is opposite the nape,

as the expression “opposite the nape” is stated in the Torah only with regard to the bird sin-offering, and we derive the law for the bird burnt offering from it.

But,

perhaps you will say: If we derive the law from the bird sin-offering, we should also derive an additional matter:

Just as there he pinches off

only one sign,

and does not sever

the head from the body, but leaves them joined

by one sign,

that is, by means of the second sign, which is not pinched off, as it is stated with regard to the bird sin-offering: “And he shall not sever it,”

so too here,

in the bird burnt offering,

does he pinch off one sign and not sever it by the other sign?

The verse states

with regard to the bird burnt offering: “

And they shall bring it,”

which indicates that its melika differs from that of the bird sin-offering.

Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, says: “According to the law”

means

according to the law of the bird sin-offering.