2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day.

Zevachim 92

For me, one of the most vivid scenes in Macbeth is when his mother is scrubbing her hands saying, “out damned spot.” Some stains really never come out. Especially blood. Perhaps that’s why the daf wants us to wash any blood from our sin offerings right away, so they won’t set.

In the case of the blood of a sin offering designated for presentation that was sprayed on a garment, that garment requires laundering, as is stated with regard to a sin offering: “And when any of its blood shall be sprinkled on a garment, you shall launder that on which it shall be sprinkled in a sacred place” (Leviticus 6:20).

If we are truly to let go of guilt, we need to deal with our misdeed immediately. We need to change our ways, our clothes, and try to sid ourselves of the stain of sin . . . good luck.

Zevachim 91

Okay, sometimes I feel the daf is a reflection of my day. Today, I had a bris and the daf talks about circumcision (as a frequent mitzvah, meaning it’s mentioned 13 times in Genesis, or that babies are born every day, or, as the Or Same’aḥ argues, once a person is circumcised he remains in that state for his entire life and thereby lives in constant fulfillment of this mitzva).

It’s also the first night of Hanukkah and the daf starts discussing if oil can be offered in the Temple as a voluntary offering and the assumptions we can make it we see oil in the Temple.

Tonight is a holiday where we proudly shine light. Where we consume oil to remember the miracle of the oil.

One miracle I have is that Jewish text always speaks to me. May that be a iracle you experience as well. Happy Hanukkah!

Zevachim 90

Today’s daf continues to prioritize sacrificial offerings. It reminds us just how many sacrifices might be brought in a day. Those for the day, for sins, for births, for thanks, and the list goes on and on. While it focuses most on the Selena of what to do when a more frequent sacrifice is brought at the same time as a higher order sacrifice (it’s left undecided, the Rambam later rules it’s up to the priest to decide), what I find as my gem is how this scene is so like synagogue today. We all come with our own offerings. Some are happy, some in mourning, some praying for healing of a loved one, some lost… all in one space, all together. Our sanctuary overflows with our offerings.

Zevachim 89

Today’s daf asks a question: if multiple sacrifices are brought, in what order should they be sacrificed? (The same rule applies to the question of if one can only afford one sacrifice but need to bring multiple, which should they prioritize?)

What it teaches gives us a deep lesson.

MISHNA: Any offering that is more frequent than another precedes the other offering. Therefore, the daily offerings precede the additional offerings, which are sacrificed only on certain days. When Shabbat and the New Moon coincide, the additional Shabbat offerings precede the additional New Moon offerings. Likewise, the additional New Moon offerings precede the additional New Year offerings.

While this is talking about sacrifices, it teaches us something that is still relevant to how we serve God today. The every day things have priority. It’s not the holidays, or sporadic moments, it’s the daily showing up, the daily doing, the daily prayers and mitzvahs that really matter. They are the priority. They are what will bring us closer to God. Even more than the big events.

Zevachim 88

What does what you wear say about you? On our daf today, we learn that every piece of the priest’s clothing atones for a certain kind of sin.

I will paste the entire section below, but here is a summary for those who don’t want to get into the weeds:

The tunic, which covers most of the priest’s body, atones for killing.
The pants atone for forbidden sexual relations.
The turban, worn on the head, atone for haughtiness.
The belt, wound about the body and worn over the heart, atones for “sins of the heart” – improper thoughts
The breastplate atones for errors in judgment.
The ephod atones for idolatry.
The robe atones for evil speech.
The High Priest’s crown atones for arrogance.

That’s a lot for one outfit to do!!

And Rabbi Inini bar Sason says: Why was the passage in the Torah that discusses offerings (Leviticus, chapters 1–7) juxtaposed to the passage that discusses the priestly vestments (Leviticus, chapter 8)? It was juxtaposed to tell you that just as offerings effect atonement, so too, priestly vestments effect atonement. The tunic atones for bloodshed, as it is stated with regard to the brothers of Joseph after they plotted to kill him: “And they killed a goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood” (Genesis 37:31). The trousers atone for forbidden sexual relations, as it is stated with regard to fashioning the priestly vestments: “And you shall make them linen trousers to cover the flesh of their nakedness” (Exodus 28:42). The mitre atones for the arrogant. From where is this derived? Rabbi Ḥanina says: It is logical that an item that is placed at an elevation, i.e., on the head of a priest, shall come and atone for the sin of an elevated heart. Rabbi Inini bar Sason continues: The belt atones for thought of the heart. The Gemara elaborates: The belt atones for the sins occurring where it is situated, i.e., over the heart. The breastplate of the High Priest atones for improper judgments, as it is stated: “And you shall make a breastplate of judgment” (Exodus 28:15). The ephod of the High Priest atones for idol worship, as it is stated: “And without ephod or teraphim” (Hosea 3:4), meaning that when there is no ephod, the sin of teraphim, i.e., idol worship, is found. Therefore, it may be inferred that if there is an ephod, there is no sin of idol worship. The robe of the High Priest atones for malicious speech. From where is this known? Rabbi Ḥanina says: It is logical that an item that produces sound, i.e., the robe, which has bells, shall come and atone for an evil sound. And the frontplate of the High Priest atones for brazenness. This is derived from the fact that with regard to the frontplate it is written: “And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead” (Exodus 28:38), and with regard to brazenness it is written: “And you had a harlot’s forehead” (Jeremiah 3:3).

Image from https://www.thetabernacleman.com/post/unveiling-the-sacred-garments-of-the-jewish-high-priest-part-1-exodus-28-by-dr-terry-harman

Zevachim 87

Today’s daf concerns two ideas: 1) what needs to be burned before midnight and what burns all night long, and 2) if the space above the altar sanctifies int he same way as the altar. It can all feel detached from our reality today. This inspired me to want to share a teaching from the Sefat Emet who looks at all aspects of sacrifice as metaphors for our soul’s connection to God.

Sefat Emet, Leviticus, Tzav 13:4, “Regarding the verse “This is the law of the burnt offering…” – a perpetual fire shall remain burning… This is the ultimate purpose of man’s service [of God]. Every day, a new illumination descends upon those who serve the Lord, as it says “and the priest shall kindle wood every morning…” This is a renewal of His goodness every day. It is an expression of love, a gift from the supreme kindness. However, an impression from this light must remain in one’s heart all day and night without being extinguished.”

Let’s try to keep it burning!

Zevachim 86

Today’s daf makes me feel seen.

We are told that ashes are removed from the altar at night. Therefore, every day, performing the removal at the rooster’s crow is sufficient. On Yom Kippur, due to the weakness of the High Priest, who must perform the entire Temple service on that day, they would hasten to remove the ashes from midnight.

Yes. You get it daf. Yom Kippur is a hard day for everyone. But for those leading the service, it’s often one of no sleep and standing on your feet all day long hoping your voice and knees don’t give out.

The daf reminds us that leaders have feelings too, have needs too, and also need to be tended to. We can shift things a little in anticipation of the very humanness of those we work with and encounter.

Zevachim 85

We learn most by what we witness. Perhaps the next best way to learn is by stories.

On our daf today, the gemara asks why the mishnah taught a story and what we can learn from it.

The mishna teaches: Rabbi Ḥanina, the deputy High Priest, says: My father would reject blemished animals from upon the altar. The Gemara asks: What is Rabbi Ḥanina teaching us? What can we learn from this story?

We can learn two things, 1) The Gemara answers: If you wish, say that Rabbi Ḥanina teaches us an incident, to express that this halakha was not only stated theoretically but applied practically as well. 2) And if you wish, say instead: What is the meaning of the term: Would reject? It means that he would remove blemished animals from the altar in a backhanded manner, i.e., privately rather than publicly, so as not to disgrace the honor of the altar.

How much did we learn by watching our parents? By watching our friends and colleagues? Here, Hanina teaches what he learned from watching his dad, sharinf=g those lessons with us today . . .

Zevachim 84

What’s “the price of a dog”?

On yesterday’s daf we learned about sacrifices that somehow were placed upon the altar and once there, the priest realized it was not fit to be sacrificed. We learned that once they were elevated onto the altar, they cannot be brought down, and they will be sacrificed.

Today, the daf clarifies this ruling and limits it to only specific sacrifices. Steinsaltz explains, “According to the Mishna, problems with the sacrifice like being left overnight, becoming ritually defiled or having been taken out of the Temple precincts, will all invalidate the korban, but if such an invalid korban were placed on the altar, it will be sacrificed.” However, there are certain sacrifices that will be rejected even if they were elevated, including: And these are the offerings whose disqualification did not occur in sanctity: An animal that copulated with a person, and an animal that was the object of bestiality, and an animal that was set aside for idol worship, and an animal that was worshipped as a deity, and an animal that was given as payment to a prostitute or as the price of a dog, and an animal born of a mixture of diverse kinds, and an animal with a wound that will cause it to die within twelve months [tereifa], and an animal born by caesarean section, and blemished animals. Rabbi Akiva deems blemished animals fit in the sense that if they ascended they shall not descend. Rabbi Ḥanina, the deputy High Priest, says: My father would reject blemished animals from upon the altar.

Now, I know there is a lot to unpack here, but what does “the price of a dog” mean?

For this, we have to go to Deuteronomy 23: 18-19, “No Israelite woman shall be a prostitute, nor shall any Israelite man be a prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a whore or the pay of a dog into the house of your God Adonai in fulfillment of any vow, for both are abhorrent to your God Adonai.”

We can see that the “price of a dog” refers to payment to a male prostitute.

Why do I like this? During ancient times, prostitution was not rejected by the religious, it was a cult practice of the Canaanite peoples! Deuteronomy 23:17 and mentions of male and female “shrine prostitutes” (kedeshim/kedeshoth) in 1 Kings 14:24 and 2 Kings 23:7 – this is what Deuteronomy warns us against. As opposed to the surrounding religions that had cult prostitutes, Judaism rejected the practice. While the non-Israelite temple may have been a place someone could “make a donation to the temple” and get the privilege of having sex with one of these cult prostitutes, our faith rejected the idea of religious leaders profiting off of sex to the extent that even money, or animals, oils, incense, etc. earned through illicit sex was not welcome as. gift to the Temple. \

We are also a week away from Chanukah, and this passage reminds me that, if we think it’s hard to compete with Christmas as Jews celebrating Chanukah – imagine how hard competition was to get people to go to our services when they literally got to have sex in the other temples! (funny, and sad)

Zevachim 83

The daf continues to discuss mistakes the priests might make when offering sacrifices. Today’s daf discusses bringing an animal sacrifice upon the alter and quickly realizing the animal was not “fit.”

The altar sanctifies only items that are suited to it. Rabbi Yehoshua says: Any item that is suited to be consumed by the fire on the altar, e.g., burnt offerings and the sacrificial portions of other offerings, which are burned on the altar, if it ascended upon the altar, even if it is disqualified from being sacrificed ab initio, it shall not descend.

So, as long as the animal was a sheep, ram, or other animal that might have been okay to be sacrificed, you leave it. It might not have been good enough in the beginning to be chosen for the offering, but once it’s on the altar it’s holy and you don’t remove it.

This reminds me of Yoma 69b when we learned that while a human king won’t use vessels that are not perfect, God only uses imperfect vessels.

None of us are “good enough” to serve God, but once we offer ourselves we become holy, kosher vessels.