Zevachim 112b (קיב:) — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Shimon says: For permanent blemishes, he is exempt 7 ,

but

for temporary blemishes,

since they will be fit for offering after some time, one who offers them outside

violates a negative commandment,

but Rabbi Shimon agrees that he is exempt from karet when acting intentionally and from a sin offering when acting unintentionally.

4.

Turtledoves that have not yet reached the proper age,

which are still young and are not yet fit for offering, since turtledoves are valid only when they are mature , or

young doves whose proper age has passed,

which are already mature and are no longer fit for offering, since young doves are valid only when they are young—and if he had already designated them as offerings

and offered them outside, he is exempt.

Rabbi Shimon says: For young doves whose proper age has passed, he is exempt,

but

for turtledoves that have not yet reached the proper age,

one who offers them outside violates

a negative commandment,

since they will be fit for offering after some time .

5.

One and its offspring,

where he slaughtered one of them and it is prohibited to offer the other on the same day, as it is stated, "You shall not slaughter it and its offspring on one day," and he transgressed and offered it outside; or where he offered outside an offering

that had not yet reached the proper time,

whose time to be offered had not yet arrived—for example, within seven days of its birth, or where the owners had not yet reached the time at which they could offer their offering [in the manner explained below]—in such a case, he is

exempt 10 .

Rabbi Shimon says: In this case he

violates

a negative commandment. Rabbi Shimon used to say: Any

offering

that is fit to come

to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting

after some time is subject to a negative commandment

when one offers it outside. However,

it does not carry

the punishment of

karet, and the Sages say: Anything that does not carry karet does not involve a negative commandment!

An offering that has not yet reached the proper time

which we learned above, that one who offers it outside is exempt, means

whether

it has not reached the proper time

in its own body,

because seven days have not passed since its birth ,

or

it has not reached the proper time

with regard to its owners,

because the time has not yet arrived for the owners of the offering to offer their sacrifice, in the following circumstances:

And what is an offering that has not yet reached the proper time with regard to its owners? A man or woman with a discharge,

who count seven clean days after their discharge ceases and bring their offerings on the eighth day,

and a woman who has given birth,

who brings her offering after forty days from the birth of a male and eighty days from the birth of a female,

and a leper,

who brings his offerings on the eighth day of his purification—

if they offered their sin offerings and guilt offerings [

in the case of a leper] before the stated time arrived ,

outside, they are exempt,

since these offerings are not yet fit to be offered as the obligation of their owners. This is a case of "an offering that has not yet reached the proper time with regard to its owners," since they are not yet fit to attain atonement; nor are these offerings fit as freewill offerings, since a sin offering and a guilt offering cannot be brought as freewill offerings.

But if they sacrificed

their burnt-offerings and peace-offerings

within the time

outside,

even though they do not count for the owners toward fulfilling their obligation, nevertheless

they are liable,

since they are fit to be sacrificed inside even before the proper time as voluntary offerings, for burnt-offerings and peace-offerings can be brought as voluntary offerings.

6.

One who offers

outside

the flesh of an external sin-offering,

or

the flesh of an asham,

or

the flesh

of other

most sacred offerings [

namely, the lambs of Shavuot], which are eaten by the priests and are not sacrificed upon the altar; and likewise one who offers

the flesh of lesser sanctity,

which is eaten by everyone,

or the remainder of the meal-offering of

the omer

the omer

after the handful has been removed,

or the two loaves

brought on the festival of Shavuot,

or the showbread, or the remainder of meal-offerings

left after the handful has been removed—he is exempt for offering them outside, because one is liable for offering outside only for something that is sacrificed upon the altar.

7. One who performs outside one of the following rites:

one who pours

oil onto the meal-offering,

one who mixes

the meal-offering’s fine flour with oil,

one who breaks

the meal-offering into pieces,

one who salts

the offering—for all offerings must be salted before they are offered upon the altar—

one who performs the waving

of the meal-offering,

one who brings

the meal-offering to the altar, since a meal-offering that requires bringing must be brought to the altar at the southwest corner,

one who arranges the Table

on which he arranged the showbread,

or one who prepares the lamps

17, or one who removes the handful

from the meal-offering,

or one who receives the blood

of the offering in a vessel—if he performs any of these

outside

the Temple courtyard,

he is exempt,

because the Gemara derives from a verse that one is liable for offering outside only for a rite that completes the service, after which no further rite remains. None of these is the completion of the service; another rite follows it.

And likewise,

there is no liability for it,

for these rites, for which one is exempt when performing them outside because they do not complete the service,

not because of being a non-priest

if a non-priest performed one of the above rites inside,

and not because of ritual impurity

if the priest performed them while he was ritually impure,

and not because of lacking the priestly garments

when they were performed by a priest who was missing one of the priestly garments,

and not because of not having washed the hands and feet

when the priest had not consecrated his hands and feet. Although each of these carries a penalty of death at the hand of Heaven, nevertheless, if they performed it as a rite that does not complete the service, then even though the object on which they performed the rite is disqualified, they are not liable to death, because the penalties for these rites were stated to apply when one performed a rite that completes the service.

Prohibitions and permissions of private altars

a.

Before the Tabernacle was erected—

private altars were permitted

for every individual to offer his offerings wherever he wished, on an altar that he erected,

and the service

performed upon them was carried out

by the firstborn.

b.

Once the Tabernacle was erected—

private altars were prohibited

and offerings could be brought only upon the altar in the Tabernacle,

and the service

in the Tabernacle was performed

by the priests 24.

Most sacred offerings

that were offered in the Tabernacle

were eaten within the curtains

surrounding the Tabernacle,

and lesser sanctity offerings

in the Tabernacle were eaten

throughout the camp of Israel

that is, within the area where Israel dwelled under their standards.

c.

They came to Gilgal

after crossing the Jordan and erecting the Tabernacle there—

private altars became permitted

for each individual to offer upon them, in addition to the altar in the Tabernacle, which was called the “great altar” or the “public altar”.

Most holy offerings

that were offered in the Tabernacle at Gilgal

were eaten within the curtains

[but at a private altar they did not offer most holy offerings that were eaten, because only vows and freewill offerings were brought at a private altar, and therefore they did not bring a sin-offering or a guilt-offering there, as these do not come as vows or freewill offerings. Rather, only a burnt-offering, which is not eaten, was offered there].

And lesser sanctified offerings

both those offered on the altar in the Tabernacle and those offered at a private altar were eaten

anywhere,

for the sanctity of the Israelite camp was annulled once they no longer camped around the Tabernacle as they had in the wilderness.

d.

They came to Shiloh

after fourteen years of conquering and dividing the Land of Israel, and erected the Tabernacle there—

private altars became prohibited

for offering upon them.

And there was not

for the Tabernacle at Shiloh

a ceiling

of boards,

but

it consisted of

a stone structure below, with the curtains

of the Tabernacle that had been in the wilderness spread

above

29, and it was the “resting place,”

mentioned in the Torah: “For you have not yet come to the resting place,” teaching that you were permitted to offer at private altars until you came to the resting place, and from then on you would be prohibited. This verse refers to Shiloh, for at that time they had ceased conquering and dividing the land; therefore private altars became prohibited during the period of the Tabernacle at Shiloh.

Most holy offerings

that were offered at Shiloh

were eaten within the curtains, whereas lesser sanctified offerings and the second tithe

that had now become obligatory, following the conquest and division of the land, were eaten

within sight of

any place from which Shiloh could be seen.

e.

They came to Nob

after the destruction of Shiloh and established the Tabernacle there; and when Nob was destroyed, they came to

Gibeon

and established it there. At both places,

private altars became permitted.

Most holy offerings

that were offered there in the Tabernacle

were eaten within the curtains.

Lesser sanctified offerings

and the second tithe were eaten

in all the cities of Israel,

for wherever one was, one could make an altar and offer lesser sanctified offerings upon it.

f.

They came to Jerusalem

and built the Temple—

private altars became prohibited, and there was no longer

for private altars

any permission. And it was the “inheritance”

mentioned in the Torah: “For you have not yet come ... to the inheritance,” teaching that once you come to the inheritance, private altars become prohibited. This verse refers to Jerusalem, whose Temple sanctity endures forever, like an inheritance that endures forever.

Most holy offerings are eaten within the curtains

within the wall of the Temple courtyard, which occupied the location of the curtains in the Tabernacle.

Lesser sanctified offerings and the second tithe

are eaten

within the wall

of Jerusalem.

All the offerings

the sacrifices

that one consecrated during a time when private altars were prohibited and offered during a time when private altars were prohibited outside, these

violate

a positive commandment

of “and they shall bring them to the Lord,” meaning inside,

and a prohibition

of “Beware lest you offer ...”

and are liable to karet

because of the prohibition against slaughtering offerings outside.

If one consecrated them when private altars were permitted and offered them outside when private altars were prohibited,

for example, if one consecrated an animal as an offering during the period of Gilgal or the period of Gibeon and waited until Shiloh or Jerusalem, then offered it outside Shiloh or outside the courtyard in Jerusalem,

these

violate

a positive commandment and a prohibition, but there is no liability for karet.

If one consecrated them when private altars were prohibited and offered them when private altars were permitted,

for example, if one consecrated an animal while the Tabernacle was standing and refrained from offering it until the Tabernacle was destroyed, then offered it at a private altar,

these violate a positive commandment.

For from the time one consecrated them, one became obligated by the positive commandment “and they shall bring them to the Lord,” and since one waited until it was no longer possible to fulfill it, one nullified the positive commandment.

There is no prohibition

and no karet, since the prohibition and karet were stated with regard to the time of offering, and at that point offering at a private altar was permitted.

And these

are the

offerings,

the sacrifices that

are offered in the Tabernacle

specifically and not at a private altar, even during the period when private altars are permitted:

Offerings that

are presumed to have been

consecrated for the Tabernacle,

and these are:

communal offerings,

which presumably were consecrated in order to be offered in the Tabernacle and therefore

are offered in the Tabernacle

specifically.

And individual offerings

may be offered

at a private altar,

for they are presumed to have been consecrated in order to be offered at a private altar. This applies when they were consecrated without specification; however,

individual offerings that were consecrated

explicitly in order

to

offer them in the

Tabernacle,

these

must be offered in the Tabernacle

and not at a private altar, for it is prohibited to change what one vowed, as it is stated: “You shall observe and fulfill what has crossed your lips, just as you vowed”.

And if one offered them at a private altar,

one is

exempt

from the punishment of karet and the prohibition against slaughtering offerings outside, since private altars are currently permitted.

And what is the difference between a private altar

during the period when private altars are permitted

and a public altar

during the period of permission—which was the altar in the Tabernacle at Gilgal and at Nob and Gibeon? In which laws do they differ?