זבחים 89:1 — Soncino English Talmud

MISHNAH. WHATEVER IS MORE CONSTANT THAN ANOTHER TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER THE OTHER. THE DAILY OFFERINGS PRECEDE THE ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS; THE ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS OF THE SABBATH PRECEDE THE ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS OF NEW MOON; THE ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS OF NEW MOON PRECEDE THE ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS OF NEW YEAR; FOR IT IS SAID, [YE SHALL OFFER THESE] BESIDE THE BURNT-OFFERING OF THE MORNING, WHICH IS FOR A CONTINUAL BURNT-OFFERING. GEMARA. Whence do we know it? [You ask] Whence do we know it: surely he [the Tanna] states the reason, viz., ‘BESIDE THE BURNT-OFFERING OF THE MORNING’? — Perhaps only the daily-offerings precede the additional offerings, because they are constant; how do we know that additional-offerings [precede] [less frequent] additional-offerings? — Said R. Elai, Because Scripture states, Like these ye shall offer daily, for seven days: [instead of] ‘these’, ‘like these’ [is written]. But this is required for its own purpose? — If so, let [Scripture] write, ‘These ye shall offer daily’. If it wrote, ‘These ye shall offer daily for seven days’, I would think [that] these [are offered] in the seven days? — ‘Daily’ is written. Yet I might still interpret. These [ye shall offer] for the day, but on the remaining days I could not know how many? — Scripture says, Ye shall offer, [which implies] that all your offerings must be alike. Abaye said: [We learn it] from that very text. For if so, let Scripture say ‘beside the burnt-offering of the morning’, and then be silent; why state, which is for a continual burnt-offering? To teach that that which is more constant takes precedence. MISHNAH. WHATEVER IS MORE SACRED THAN ANOTHER PRECEDES THAT OTHER. THE BLOOD OF A SIN-OFFERING PRECEDES THE BLOOD OF A BURNT-OFFERING, BECAUSE IT PROPITIATES. THE LIMBS OF A BURNT-OFFERING PRECEDE THE EMURIM OF A SIN-OFFERING, BECAUSE IT [THE FORMER] IS ENTIRELY FOR [ALTAR] FIRES. A SIN-OFFERING PRECEDES A GUILT-OFFERING, BECAUSE ITS BLOOD IS SPRINKLED ON THE FOUR HORNS AND ON THE BASE. A GUILT-OFFERING PRECEDES A THANKSOFFERING AND A NAZIRITE'S RAM, BECAUSE IT IS A SACRIFICE OF HIGHER SANCTITY. A THANKSOFFERING AND A NAZIRITE'S RAM PRECEDE A PEACE-OFFERING, BECAUSE THEY ARE EATEN ONE DAY [ONLY] AND REQUIRE [THE ACCOMPANIMENT OF] LOAVES. A PEACE-OFFERING PRECEDES A FIRSTLING, BECAUSE IT REQUIRES FOUR [BLOOD] APPLICATIONS, LAYING [OF HANDS]. DRINK-OFFERINGS, AND THE WAVING OF THE BREAST AND THE THIGH. A FIRSTLING PRECEDES TITHE, BECAUSE ITS SANCTITY IS FROM THE WOMB, AND IT IS EATEN BY PRIESTS. TITHE PRECEDES BIRD[-OFFERINGS]. BECAUSE IT IS A SLAUGHTERED SACRIFICE, AND PART OF IT IS MOST SACRED, [VIZ.,] ITS BLOOD AND EMURIM. BIRDS PRECEDE MEAL-OFFERINGS, BECAUSE THEY ARE BLOOD SACRIFICES. A SINNER'S MEAL-OFFERING PRECEDES A VOTIVE MEAL-OFFERING, BECAUSE IT COMES ON ACCOUNT OF SIN. A SIN-OFFERING OF A BIRD PRECEDES A BURNT-OFFERING OF A BIRD; AND IT IS LIKEWISE WHEN HE DEDICATES THEM.26^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ

^ᵃnote:Lit., ‘continual’ offerings — the daily burnt-offerings.
^ᵇnote:Which were sacrificed on Sabbaths, Festivals, and New Moons.
^ᶜnote:When the Sabbath and New Moon concurred, similarly the other cases.
^ᵈnote:Num. XXVIII, 23. ‘These’ are the additional festival offerings, whilst ‘beside the burnt-offering of the morning’ implies that that had already been offered, having preceded the additional offerings.
^ᵉnote:Since even the more frequent additional offerings are not really constant, perhaps we disregard their greater frequency.
^ᶠnote:Ibid. 24.
^ᵍnote:He interprets: like those which are mentioned in the preceding verse: as in those the more frequent take precedence, so in these (the festival additional-offerings) the more frequent take precedence.
^ʰnote:To teach that an additional offering must be brought every day of the festival.
^ⁱnote:If that is its only purpose.
^ʲnote:Not ‘like these.’
^ᵏnote:I.e., the seven he-lambs specified in Num. XXVIII, 19 are not offered each day but spread over the seven days.
^ˡnote:Which precludes that interpretation.
^ᵐnote:Sc. the first day.
^ⁿnote:If Scripture did not write, like these.
^ᵒnote:The offerings on each day (including the first) must be the same. Hence ‘like’ is unnecessary for that purpose, and so intimates precedence.
^ᵖnote:Cited in the Mishnah.
^ᵠnote:If its teaching applies only to the daily offerings.
^ʳnote:In all cases. For that reason ‘continual’ is emphasized.
^ˢnote:If both are ready for sprinkling at the same time.
^ᵗnote:It makes atonement where kareth is involved.
^ᵘnote:For burning.
^ᵛnote:Whereas of the guilt-offering only two applications are made, and not on the horns; nor is the blood poured out on the base (Rashi).
^ʷnote:It is born sacred.
^ˣnote:Whereas a bird requires melikah; slaughtering is considered higher.
^ʸnote:Even in lesser sacrifices these possess the same sanctity as the most sacred sacrifices, since they belong to the altar. In the case of a bird only the blood possesses that sanctity, but there are no emurim.
^ᶻnote:When a man dedicates the two birds (v Lev. V, 7) he first dedicates the one for sin-offering and then the one for burnt-offering.