Meilah

[The verse], and he shall take thereout his handful of the fine flour thereof, and of the oil thereof with all the frankincense thereof,1 is to exclude the case where there was not the full quantity of fine flour, oil and frankincense?2 — I will tell you. There it is written [again] ‘and the remainder’ which is superfluous.3 The father of Samuel raised an objection to R. Huna: Both in the case of the sin-offering of a bird and in that of the burnt offering of a bird if the neck was pinched or the blood drained out while purposing an act outside the proper place, the offering is invalid but one is not liable to the penalty of extinction; if while purposing an act beyond its proper time, it is piggul, and one is liable to extinction.4 It states at all events, ‘the blood drained out’.5 — He raised this objection and he himself answered it: It is to be understood in a disjunctive sense.6 [To revert to] the [above] text: The School of R. Ishmael taught: ‘If there remained of the blood’.7 But has not the School of R. Ishmael taught elsewhere:8 ‘The remnant is indispensable’. and R. Papa explained that they9 differed as to whether the draining out of the blood of a sin-offering of a bird was indispensable? — There are two [contradictory traditions of] Tannaim as to what was the view of R. Ishmael. MISHNAH. THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO THE BURNT-OFFERING OF A BIRD FROM THE MOMENT OF ITS DEDICATION. WITH THE PINCHING OF ITS NECK IT BECOMES SUSCEPTIBLE FOR UNFITNESS THROUGH CONTACT WITH A TEBUL YOM, OR ONE WHO STILL REQUIRES ATONEMENT’, OR BY REMAINING OVERNIGHT. ONCE ITS BLOOD HAS BEEN DRAINED OUT,10 IT IS SUBJECT TO [THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF] PIGGUL, NOTHAR AND DEFILEMENT, AND THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO IT UNTIL [THE ASHES HAVE BEEN] REMOVED [FROM THE ALTAR] TO THE PLACE OF THE ASHES.11 THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO THE BULLOCKS WHICH ARE TO BE BURNT AND THE HEGOATS WHICH ARE TO BE BURNT12 FROM THE MOMENT OF THEIR DEDICATION. ONCE SLAUGHTERED THEY BECOME SUSCEPTIBLE FOR UNFITNESS THROUGH CONTACT WITH A TEBUL YOM OR ‘ONE WHO STILL REQUIRES ATONEMENT’, OR BY REMAINING OVERNIGHT. ONCE THEIR BLOOD HAS BEEN SPRINKLED THEY ARE SUBJECT TO [THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF] PIGGUL, NOTHAR AND DEFILEMENT, AND THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO THEM EVEN WHILE THEY ARE AT THE PLACE OF THE ASHES SO LONG AS THE FLESH HAS NOT BEEN CHARRED TO CINDERS. THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO A BURNT-OFFERING FROM THE MOMENT OF ITS DEDICATION. ONCE SLAUGHTERED IT BECOMES SUSCEPTIBLE FOR UNFITNESS THROUGH CONTACT WITH A TEBUL YOM OR ONE WHO STILL REQUIRES ATONEMENT’, OR BY REMAINING OVERNIGHT. ONCE ITS BLOOD HAS BEEN SPRINKLED IT IS SUBJECT TO [THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF] PIGGUL, NOTHAR AND DEFILEMENT. THE LAW OF SACRILEGE DOES NOT APPLY TO THE SKIN,13 BUT IT APPLIES TO THE FLESH UNTIL [THE ASHES] HAVE BEEN REMOVED TO THE PLACE OF THE ASHES. THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO BURNT- AND SIN-OFFERINGS AND TO PEACE-OFFERINGS OF THE CONGREGATION FROM THE MOMENT OF THEIR DEDICATION. ONCE SLAUGHTERED THEY BECOME SUSCEPTIBLE FOR UNFITNESS THROUGH CONTACT WITH A TEBUL YOM OR ‘ONE WHO STILL REQUIRES ATONEMENT, OR BY REMAINING OVERNIGHT. ONCE THEIR BLOOD HAS BEEN SPRINKLED THEY ARE SUBJECT TO [THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF] PIGGUL, NOTHAR AND DEFILEMENT. THE LAW OF SACRILEGE THEN NO LONGER APPLIES TO THE FLESH,13 BUT APPLIES TO THE EMURIM UNTIL THE ASHES ARE REMOVED TO THE PLACE OF THE ASHES. THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO THE TWO LOAVES OF BREAD14 FROM THE MOMENT OF THEIR DEDICATION. ONCE THEY HAVE FORMED A CRUST IN THE OVEN THEY ARE SUSCEPTIBLE FOR UNFITNESS THROUGH CONTACT WITH A TEBUL YOM OR ‘ONE WHO STILL REQUIRES ATONEMENT’, AND THE [FESTIVAL] OFFERINGS15 CAN THEN BE OFFERED. ONCE THE BLOOD OF THE LAMBS HAS BEEN SPRINKLED THEY [THE LOAVES] ARE SUBJECT TO [THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF] PIGGUL, NOTHAR AND DEFILEMENT, AND THE LAW OF SACRILEGE NO LONGER APPLIES TO THEM. THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO THE SHEWBREAD16 FROM THE MOMENT OF ITS DEDICATION. ONCE IT HAS FORMED A CRUST IT BECOMES SUSCEPTIBLE FOR UNFITNESS THROUGH CONTACT WITH A TEBUL YOM OR ‘ONE WHO STILL REQUIRES ATONEMENT’, AND MAY BE ARRANGED UPON THE TABLE [OF THE SANCTUARY]. ONCE THE CENSERS OF INCENSE17 WERE OFFERED IT IS SUBJECT TO [THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF] PIGGUL, NOTHAR AND DEFILEMENT, AND THE LAW OF SACRILEGE NO LONGER APPLIES TO IT.18 THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES TO MEAL-OFFERINGS FROM THE MOMENT OF THEIR DEDICATION. ONCE THEY HAVE BECOME SACRED BY BEING PUT IN THE VESSEL [OF MINISTRY] THEY BECOME SUSCEPTIBLE FOR UNFITNESS THROUGH CONTACT WITH A TEBUL YOM OR ‘ONE WHO STILL REQUIRES ATONEMENT’, OR BY REMAINING OVERNIGHT. ONCE THE HANDFUL19 HAS BEEN OFFERED THEY ARE SUBJECT TO [THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW OF] PIGGUL, NOTHAR AND DEFILEMENT, AND THE LAW OF SACRILEGE NO LONGER APPLIES TO THE REMNANT,20 BUT IT APPLIES TO THE HANDFUL UNTIL ITS ASHES HAVE BEEN REMOVED TO THE PLACE OF THE ASHES. GEMARA. It was stated: If one has made use of the ashes of the tappuah21 which was on the altar, Rab says he has not transgressed the Law of Sacrilege, and R. Johanan says he has transgressed. Both agree that before the separation of the ashes22 the Law of Sacrilege still applies to them, they differ as to what is the case after the separation of the ashes. Rab says the Law of Sacrilege no longer applies to them, since the prescribed ceremony23 has already been performed with them; but R. Johanan holds, since it is written: And the priest shall put on his linen garments . . .24 as priestly garments are necessary, it proves that they [the ashes] still maintained their sacredness. We have learnt: THE LAW OF SACRILEGE APPLIES25 UNTIL THE ASHES HAVE BEEN REMOVED TO THE PLACE OF THE ASHES. This presents a difficulty on the view of Rab. — Rab would tell you: [The meaning is]: Until it is fit for removal to the place of the Ashes.26 offering must be whole. In other words, the remainder is indispensable. meal-offering is thus an exception and based on a special text. burnt-offering only, in which case the blood is not sprinkled upon the altar and the draining takes the place of the sprinkling and is therefore rightly indispensable. is indispensable or not by the High Priest for communal transgression and for idolatry, and those offered on the Day of Atonement. place of the sprinkling of the blood prescribed for animal sacrifices. Cf. Men. XI. and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. This is taken to prove that the depositing of the ashes is: part of the ceremony. The ashes are still sacred before this is done.