Shevuot

FOR A RITUALLY CLEAN MAN WHO ATE HOLY FOOD THAT HAD BECOME UNCLEAN. R. MEIR SAYS: ALL THE GOATS [EXCEPT THE ‘INNER’] HAVE EQUAL POWERS OF ATONEMENT FOR TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAWS OF UNCLEANNESS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TEMPLE1 AND HOLY FOOD THEREOF.2 NOW, R. SIMEON HOLDS THAT THE NEW MOON GOATS BRING ATONEMENT FOR A CLEAN MAN WHO ATE UNCLEAN HOLY FOOD; AND THE FESTIVAL GOATS ATONE FOR TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF UNCLEANNESS WHERE THERE WAS NO KNOWLEDGE EITHER AT THE BEGINNING OR AT THE END; AND THE ‘OUTER’ GOAT OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT FOR TRANSGRESSION OF THESE LAWS WHERE THERE WAS NO KNOWLEDGE AT THE BEGINNING BUT THERE WAS KNOWLEDGE AT THE END. THEY3 [THEREFORE] SAID TO HIM: ‘IS IT PERMITTED TO OFFER UP THE GOAT SET APART FOR ONE DAY ON ANOTHER?’4 HE REPLIED ‘YES!’ THEY [HOWEVER] ARGUED WITH HIM: ‘SINCE THEY ARE NOT EQUAL IN THE ATONEMENT THEY BRING, HOW CAN THEY TAKE EACH OTHER'S PLACE?’ HE REPLIED: ‘THEY ARE ALL AT LEAST EQUAL [IN THE WIDER SENSE] IN THAT THEY ALL BRING ATONEMENT FOR TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAWS OF UNCLEANNESS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TEMPLE AND HOLY FOOD THEREOF.’ R. SIMEON B. JUDAH SAID IN HIS NAME:5 THE NEW MOON GOATS BRING ATONEMENT FOR A CLEAN PERSON WHO ATE UNCLEAN HOLY FOOD; THE FESTIVAL GOATS, IN ADDITION TO BRINGING ATONEMENT FOR SUCH A CASE, ATONE ALSO FOR A CASE WHERE THERE WAS NO KNOWLEDGE EITHER AT THE BEGINNING OR AT THE END; THE ‘OUTER’ GOAT OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT, IN ADDITION TO BRINGING ATONEMENT FOR BOTH THESE CASES, ATONES ALSO FOR A CASE WHERE THERE WAS NO KNOWLEDGE AT THE BEGINNING BUT THERE WAS KNOWLEDGE AT THE END. THEY ACCORDINGLY ASKED HIM: ‘IS IT PERMITTED TO OFFER UP THE GOAT SET APART FOR ONE DAY ON ANOTHER?’ HE SAID, ‘YES!’ THEY [FURTHER] SAID TO HIM: ‘GRANTED THAT THE DAY OF ATONEMENT GOAT6 MAY BE OFFERED UP ON THE NEW MOON, BUT HOW CAN THE NEW MOON GOAT BE OFFERED UP ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT TO BRING ATONEMENT FOR A TRESPASS THAT IS NOT WITHIN ITS SCOPE?’ HE REPLIED: ‘THEY ARE ALL AT LEAST EQUAL [IN THE WIDER SENSE] IN THAT THEY ALL BRING ATONEMENT FOR TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAWS OF UNCLEANNESS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TEMPLE AND HOLY FOOD THEREOF. FOR WILFUL TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAWS OF UNCLEANNESS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TEMPLE AND HOLY FOOD THEREOF, THE ‘INNER’ GOAT OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT TOGETHER WITH THE DAY OF ATONEMENT ITSELF BRING FORGIVENESS.7 FOR OTHER TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE TORAH, LIGHT AND GRAVE, WILFUL AND UNCONSCIOUS, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE, THOSE PUNISHABLE BY KARETH8 AND THOSE PUNISHABLE BY DEATH IMPOSED BY THE COURT — FOR ALL THESE THE SCAPEGOAT9 BRINGS ATONEMENT TO ISRAELITES, PRIESTS, AND THE ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST. WHAT [THEN] IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISRAELITES, PRIESTS, AND THE ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST?10 — [NONE], SAVE THAT THE BULLOCK11 BRINGS ATONEMENT TO THE PRIESTS FOR TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAWS OF UNCLEANNESS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TEMPLE AND HOLY FOOD.12 R. SIMEON SAYS: JUST AS THE BLOOD OF THE GOAT THAT IS SPRINKLED WITHIN THE VEIL BRINGS ATONEMENT FOR ISRAELITES, SO THE BLOOD OF THE BULLOCK BRINGS ATONEMENT FOR PRIESTS; AND JUST AS THE CONFESSION OF SINS PRONOUNCED OVER THE SCAPEGOAT BRINGS ATONEMENT FOR ISRAELITES, SO THE CONFESSION PRONOUNCED OVER THE BULLOCK BRINGS ATONEMENT FOR PRIESTS.13 GEMARA. Now, the Tanna has just ended the treatise Makkoth; why does he study Shebu'oth?14 — Because he learned:15 For rounding the corners of the head16 the penalty of lashes is incurred twice, once for each corner; knowledge at the end, or no knowledge either at the beginning or at the end; and for a clean man who ate unclean holy food. had been offered in its place, is it permissible to offer it up on a festival or new moon? however, brings atonement both to Israelites and priests for all other transgressions. for other transgressions, he contends that the scapegoat is for Israelites only; the sprinkling of the blood of the ‘inner’ goat (attended by no confession) brings atonement to Israelites for transgressions connected with uncleanness; the confession over the scapegoat (attended by no blood sprinkling) brings atonement to Israelites for other transgressions. Similarly, the sprinkling of the blood of the bullock brings atonement to priests for transgressions connected with uncleanness; and the confession over the bullock brings atonement to them for other transgressions; v. 13b. seq. that the Tanna studies them in this order?