Daf 85 — Zevachim 85 Summary

Zevachim 85 – Good Morning Raboisai Summary of Reb Eli Stefansky’s Shiur Review — Items Placed on the Mizbeach That Do Not Come Down The Mishnah previously listed many items that, although pasul , if placed on the Mizbeach, remain there ( לֹא יֵרֵד ), based on the principle: “ ַ כָּל הָּעֹולֶה עַל גַבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּח — לֹא יֵּרֵּד .” But Rabbi Yehuda added three items that must come down ( יֵרֵד ): 1. שְחָּטָּה בַלַיְלָּה — Shechting at night 2. שְחִּיטָּה בִּפְנִּים — Shechting inside the Heichal 3. הֹוצָּאַת הַשְחִּיטָּה לַחּוץ — Taking the shechted animal out and bringing it on a private altar Today’s daf explains why these three are different from all the other pesulim. Case 1 — Shechting Inside the Heichal, Then Bringing It Outside The Gemara introduces the pasuk: “ ֹו וְאֶל־פֶתַח אֹהֶל מֹועֵּד לֹא הֱבִּיא ” I mplying improper shechting leads to מַחֲֹלקֶת הַחּוץ (liable for offering outside). Rabbi Yehuda holds: If you shechted inside the Heichal — a forbidden place — then carried it outside and offered it elsewhere → Chayav Kares . Because the shechita happened “in connection to kedusha” — even though it was invalid. But the Gemara challenges this logic using a bird . The Powerful Kashya From a Bird Korban A bird is never shechted; its avodah is melika (thumbnail cutting). Case: • Someone shechts a bird inside the Beis HaMikdash (invalid — birds are never shechted). • Then brings it outside as a korban. Halacha: Patur — no Kares. But — but! — if someone shechts the bird outside , and then offers it outside → Chayav Kares ! Thus: • Shechting inside = lenient • Shechting outside = strict This contradicts Rabbi Yehuda’s rule that internal shechita should not be worse than external shechita. Answer — Shechita of a Bird in the Mikdash Is Not Shechita at All Rashi explains: “ מִּקְדָּל קַקְלֵּי ” — slaughtering a bird in the Beis HaMikdash is considered killing , not halachic shechita. It therefore has zero connection to kedusha . But shechting an animal at night is different: • Night shechita is invalid only as an Avodah • But shechting animals at night is considered halachic shechita everywhere else in the world So: • Bird - shechita in the Azarah → inherently invalid • Night - shechita → valid everywhere except the Mikdash Thus the kal vachomer does not apply. The Massive Nafka Mina Between Kodshei Kodashim & Kodshim Kalim Ulla gives a halacha so fundamental that Reb Eli said: “If you only remember this one point, it’s worth the entire shiur.” Kodshei Kodashim: • Become holy at shechita • Example: Chatas, Asham, Olah • Before Zerikas HaDam → full me’ilah applies Kodshim Kalim: • Become fully holy only at the Zerika • Before Zrika → NO me’ilah • After Zrika → their Emurim become Kodshei Kodashim This explains the entire next sugya. Emurim of Kodshim Kalim Placed on Mizbeach Before the Zrika Case: • Emurim (kidneys, fats, diaphragm) of a Kodshim Kalim animal • Placed on the Mizbeach before the Zerika happened Should they be removed? Gemara’s Kal vachomer: • Blood that spilled on the floor cannot be used in Avodah • Yet, if mistakenly placed on the Mizbeach → Lo Yered • So emurim before Zrika should also be Lo Yered The Gemara rejects: That case was Kodshei Kodashim , which are fully holy already. Kodshim Kalim are not holy yet (until Zrika). But the Gemara responds: The Mishnah explicitly includes Korban Pesach , which is Kodshim Kalim. Answer: The Pesach in the Mishnah is Pesach sh’lo lishmah — It is no longer a true "Pesach" but becomes a Shlamim , and its law is different. Thus, Pesach cannot be used as proof. Back to the Dead/Alive Animal Case Mishnah: • A live animal brought on the Mizbeach → Yered (take it down). • A dead animal → seemingly Lo Yered . Gemara suggests: Maybe all shechted animals (even Kodshim Kalim) never come down. Gemara rejects: No — “ כולן הבאין חיים יורדין ” refers only to live ba’alei mumin. Shechted animals depend on category: • Kodshei Kodashim → Lo Yered • Kodshim Kalim → Yered What Does the Cataract Case Add? We saw earlier: Rebbi Akiva allowed a ba’al mum cataract animal on the Mizbeach: • A cataract is not a disqualifying mum for birds , • Therefore middas haTorah : if already on the altar → Lo Yered. But only if it became a mum after being sanctified . If it had the cataract before sanctification , then: It cannot become a korban — it is Bedek HaBayis, never Mizbeach. New Chiddush — What About an Olah Korban That Is Female ? Normally: • A Korban Olah must be male • A female animal is 100% invalid But the Gemara says: Even Rebbi Akiva agrees: A female Olah that was placed on the Mizbeach must come down . Why? Because unlike a cataract: • A female is not valid even for birds • There is no “precedent” of permissibility to extend • Therefore it has no shaas hakosher This distinction only makes sense because: • Birds also must be male or female depending on species requirements • But a cataract isn’t a mum by birds • A female offering is a mum across species Nirba — Can a Bird Become Invalid by Bestiality? The Gemara here addresses a wild question: Can a person be “rivea” a bird? Is bestiality possible halachically with fowl? If not, a bird can never be nirba . Yet a Beraisa explicitly lists: • Nirba • Ne’evad • Esnan • Mechir • Tumtum • Androgynous as invalid even for birds. Proof: Nirba is an issue for birds. Thus by extension: • Nirba in animals → must come down • Except in cases where birds are lenient, which informs Rabbi Akiva’s position. Rav Chanina Segan Kohanim — How They Removed Animals He testified: “My father used to remove ba’alei mumin from the Mizbeach.” Why mention his father? • To teach how they removed them — not by lifting , which is disrespectful, but by tilting/kicking to let them fall. Two purposes: 1. Lo levayesh the owner (avoid embarrassing him) 2. Halachic rule — items that fall off after being singed may be returned → but only if they are of the type that normally belongs on the Mizbeach. This leads into the next Mishnah. Final Sugya — Returning Singed Items to the Mizbeach Two categories: A. Items normally offered on the Mizbeach (e.g., emurim, meat of Kodshei Kodashim) • If they fell off after being singed , → They may be returned . B. Items never brought on the Mizbeach (e.g., sinews, horns, hooves) • Even if singed, they may NOT be returned . The Gemara reconciles the two versions: • The Reisha addresses things that normally belong (so singed = return). • The Seifa addresses things that never belong (so even singed = do not return). This closes the sugyah. Takeaway – Zevachim 85 • Shechting a bird in the Mikdash is not shechita ; it is killing → no kedusha connection. • Kodshei Kodashim become holy at shechita , Kodshim Kalim only at Zrika — critical distinction for me’ilah and “lo yered.” • Emurim of Kodshim Kalim placed before Zrika → Lo Yered , but me’ilah still applies . • Cataract = light mum (valid for birds) → Lo Yered after hektesh. • Female Olah = absolute mum → Yered. • Nirba applies even to birds → proven from explicit Beraisa. • Rabbi Chanina Segan HaKohanim shows how kohanim avoided disrespect and embarrassment when removing mum animals. • Singed items return only if they are in the category of offerings normally burned on the Mizbeach. לעילוי נשמת אמי מורתי רות בת הרב מנחם מנדל