Zevachim 89a (פט.) — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

Every

sacrifice

that is more frequent,

which is offered more often

takes precedence

over

over its fellow

for offering [and for eating].

The Mishna explains which sacrifices take precedence over their fellows because of their greater frequency:

On Shabbat that coincides with Rosh Hodesh,

the additional offerings of Shabbat precede the additional offerings of Rosh Hodesh.

On Rosh HaShana, which is also Rosh Hodesh,

the additional offerings of Rosh Hodesh precede the additional offerings of Rosh HaShana.

And the source of the rule that the more frequent takes precedence is derived from what

is stated

in the passage concerning the additional offerings: "

Besides the morning burnt offering, which is the burnt offering of the daily offering, you shall perform these

the additional offerings] ,"

and it indicates that the daily offering is performed before the additional offering because the daily offering is more frequent than the additional offering.

Gemara:

The Gemara discusses:

From where do we know

that everything more frequent than its fellow takes precedence?

The Gemara objects: What is the question

“From where do we know?”

The answer to this question is found in the words of the tanna in the Mishna,

as he states the reason,

for the principle that the more frequent precedes the less frequent is derived from the verse

“Besides the morning burnt offering,

you shall perform these [the additional offerings]”!?

The Gemara explains: The question “From where do we know?” means

perhaps

perhaps from the verse “the morning burnt offering” we can derive only that

the daily offerings precede the additional offerings because they are frequent,

the daily offerings being offered every day, and therefore their frequency is significant enough to make them precede the additional offerings. But

as for additional offerings compared with additional offerings,

although neither is offered every day, but one is more frequent than the other,

from where do we know

that the principle also applies to them, so that when one additional offering is more frequent than another additional offering, the more frequent one takes precedence?

The Gemara now brings the answer to the question, “From where do we know that additional offerings that are more frequent precede additional offerings that are less frequent?”:

Rabbi Ila said: For the verse says

concerning the additional offering of the Festival of Passover,

“Like these you shall perform each day, for seven days.”

This verse is stated after the words, “Besides the morning burnt offering, you shall perform these.” And we expound:

these

the additional offerings shall have the same law as

these,

those mentioned above. The verse teaches that just as the daily offerings precede the additional offerings [as is derived from the verse, “Besides the morning burnt offering, you shall perform these”], so too the additional offerings themselves precede one another when one is more frequent than the other.

The Gemara is puzzled:

But this

verse “like these” is not superfluous for purposes of exposition, since

it is needed for its own purpose,

to teach that on each of the seven days of Passover an additional offering is to be offered, as on the first day.

The Gemara answers:

If so,

if the verse came only for this purpose,

let it write, “These you shall perform each day”

alone. Why does it say “like these”? Rather, it certainly comes to teach that “these” shall be like “these.”

The Gemara objects: Perhaps the verse needed to say “like these” because

if it had written, “These you shall perform each day for the seven days,” I would have said

that

these,

the seven sheep mentioned in the passage, would be divided

among the seven days,

one sheep for each day. Therefore, the verse says “like these,” to teach that on each of the seven days the seven sheep are to be offered; in truth, the verse did not come to yield an additional exposition.

The Gemara answers: Even if it had said only “these,” we would know that seven sheep are to be offered each day, since “these you shall perform

each day,” is written,

which implies that all these seven sheep are to be performed on each of the seven days. Necessarily, then, the verse’s statement “like these” comes for the exposition stated above.

The Gemara objects:

Still,

if not for “like these,”

say

that the verse should be understood as follows:

“These,”

the sacrifices mentioned in the passage, “you shall perform

each day”

the first day.

But

“seven days,” on

the other days,

he shall offer “food of an offering, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord,” and

I would not know how much

he should offer on them. Therefore, “like these” was written, so that we would necessarily explain its meaning as: Just as they offer on the first day, so shall they offer on each of the seven days. In truth, the verse did not come to teach that “these” shall be like “these”?

The Gemara answers: Even without “like these,” we would know that on each of the seven days they should offer all the sacrifices mentioned in the passage, because

the verse says, “you shall perform,”

and we derive from this:

All the performances shall be identical.

Therefore, “like these” comes to teach that “these” shall be like “these.”

Abaye said:

As for your question of how we know that one additional offering precedes another,

we learn it from the verse itself.

We learn this because

if so,

if you say that only the daily offerings precede the additional offerings,

let the verse say, “Besides the morning burnt offering,” and be silent,

and say no more.

“Which is the burnt offering of the daily offering”

which the verse adds and says,

why do I need it?

For it is obvious that the morning burnt offering is the daily offering. Rather, the verse comes

to say that this one, which is more frequent,

even among other sacrifices, such as one additional offering compared with another,

takes precedence!

Mishna:

Everything

that is

more sacred

than another

takes precedence

over

over its fellow.

The following are the things that precede their fellows because of their superior sanctity:

The blood of a sin offering takes precedence

to be sprinkled upon the altar

over the blood of a burnt offering,

when both sacrifices have been slaughtered and their blood is ready for sprinkling,

because

the blood of the sin offering

effects acceptance

[atones] for the unwitting violation of offenses punishable by karet, and its atonement is greater than that of a burnt offering, which atones only for the violation of a positive mitzva.

The limbs of a burnt offering take precedence

to be burned upon the altar

over the fats of a sin offering,

when the blood of both has already been sprinkled and they are ready to be burned,

because

the burnt offering

is entirely consumed on the altar fire,

and its sanctity is therefore greater with regard to burning.

A sin offering takes precedence over a guilt offering,

both with regard to sprinkling and with regard to burning,

because its blood

of the sin offering

is placed

in four separate placements

on the four horns

of the upper part of the altar,

and

the remainder of its blood is poured

onto the base

which is located at the floor of the altar. Whereas the blood of a guilt offering is sprinkled on the altar below the red line, in two placements that are four, and the law requiring its remainder to be poured out was not stated explicitly in the Torah [although its law is likewise that it be poured onto the base].

The guilt offering precedes the thanksgiving offering and the nazirite ram, because the

guilt offering

is a most sacred offering,

whereas the thanksgiving offering and the nazirite ram are offerings of lesser sanctity.

The thanksgiving offering and the nazirite ram precede peace offerings because they are eaten for only one day

whereas peace offerings are eaten for two days.

And they require loaves,

for forty loaves are brought together with the thanksgiving offering, and twenty loaves with the nazirite ram. A peace offering, however, does not require loaves at all.

Peace offerings precede the firstborn because they require the presentation of four

two that are four] of their blood on the altar, whereas the firstborn requires only one presentation. Peace offerings also require

leaning, libations, and the waving of the breast and thigh.

The firstborn, however, requires none of these.

The firstborn precedes the animal tithe

because

the

firstborn

is sanctified from the womb and is eaten by kohanim.

The animal tithe, by contrast, is not sanctified from the womb and is eaten by its owners.

The animal tithe precedes the

bird

offerings because it is a sacrifice,

as it is slaughtered with a knife, whereas a bird is killed by melika, with the hand. Sacrifices are more significant, as all offerings are sacrifices.

And it contains

in the animal tithe

a most sacred offering,

meaning that it contains two elements that are a portion of the Most High, for

its blood and sacrificial portions

are offered on the altar, unlike the bird sin offering, from which only its blood is offered on the altar. [And since the animal tithe precedes the bird sin offering, all the more so does it precede the bird burnt offering, since the bird sin offering precedes the bird burnt offering, as will be explained below] .

Bird offerings precede meal offerings because

the birds

are a type of blood offering,

and atonement achieved through blood is more significant than atonement achieved through the burning of the meal offering’s handful [which is the element corresponding to the blood of the sacrifice].

The sinner’s meal offering precedes the voluntary meal offering because it is brought

to atone

for a sin,

and therefore its sanctity is greater.

The bird sin offering precedes the bird burnt offering [

the Gemara derives this from a verse].

And likewise,

the bird sin offering precedes the bird burnt offering

when it is consecrated.

When one sets aside two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, he should consecrate the sin offering first.