Many lose faith in God because so many horrible things happen in life. And yet, Aaron lost two of his sons in one moment as they were serving God, and he did not lose faith. where is the allusion to the fact that God would be sanctified through Nadav and Avihu? The Gemara replies: AsContinue reading “Zevachim 115”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Zevachim 114
There was a 440-480 year gap between the Mishkan in the desert and the building of Temple in Jerusalem. The daf has been discussing what sacrifice looked like during those years. It’s discussed private altars, the altar in Jerusalem, and what can be offered in what place. But there was one altar between the twoContinue reading “Zevachim 114”
Zevachim 113
Today’s daf is so interesting! I am pasting the entire passage I want to focus on, but here is an easier to understand summary: The Gemara debates whether the Flood in Noah’s time happened in the Land of Israel. They argue based on the same verse in Ezekiel—Rabbi Yoḥanan reads it as a rhetorical question,Continue reading “Zevachim 113”
Zevachim 112
As we learned on yesterday’s daf, the prohibition against bringing sacrifices in places other than the Tabernacle in the desert or the Temple in Jerusalem was relaxed during times when neither the Tabernacle nor the Temple were standing. The Mishna on today’s daf discusses this idea in greater depth. Until the Tabernacle was established, private altars were permitted and the sacrificial serviceContinue reading “Zevachim 112”
Zevachim 111
A perfect gem for the new year and following through on resolutions (and which might need to wait). On our daf, the Rabbis explore the laws of nesakhim—wine libations that accompany certain sacrifices. At first glance, the discussion is technical, focused on sacrificial geography and ritual detail. But beneath the surface, the debate opens intoContinue reading “Zevachim 111”
Zevachim 110
In Mishnah Sukkot 4:9 The Rabbis explain that the water libation was offered as a supplication to God to provide rain in the upcoming year. Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:2 teaches that on Rosh Hashanah all the inhabitants of the world come before God for judgment, and on Sukkot, God determines how much rain will fallContinue reading “Zevachim 110”
Zevachim 109
Today’s daf largely discusses the burning of incense and what amount outside the sanctuary is a violation and what amount burned inside the sanctuary by someone who is inappropriate to offer this sacrifice burns it. You will see part of the discussion below. My gem comes after, and it’s the recipe for incense. GEMARA: TheContinue reading “Zevachim 109”
Zevachim 108
Today’s gem reminds me of the game “would you rather” where you have to pick between two options (often both being terrible). Here the rabbis are explaining that on some ways one way of sinning is worse than another way while in others the opposite is true. There is a greater stringency with regard to slaughteringoutsideContinue reading “Zevachim 108”
Zevachim 107
If Zevachim 106 teaches that we can’t perform acts of idol worship even when we don’t believe in idols, Zevachim 107 offers a striking parallel: we can’t perform Temple rituals outside the Temple—even with the purest intentions. The Talmud insists that offerings belong in a specific place. Sacrificial acts done elsewhere don’t become neutral justContinue reading “Zevachim 107”
Zevachim 106
When “Nothing” Becomes Something: In Zevachim 106, the Talmud discusses the worship of Mercury, a form of idolatry that required almost nothing at all—just tossing a stone onto a pile while passing by. No prayer, no intention, no sense of meaning. And that’s exactly what worried the rabbis. They understood that actions don’t need intentionContinue reading “Zevachim 106”
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 