Talking Talmud

The principle that is learned from the details surrounding the dried figs, a specific example: when things are sold by number, they can't be nullified in a majority. With some dispute about when and whether the majority can actually nullify the figs, for example. Also, a mixture of sacrifices, where the process of offering them is different, and therefore there's no way to treat them strin...

More on the mixtures, and the unidentifiable element that was prohibited from benefit. With a strong question as to why the rule of negating the prohibited element in the majority that is not prohibited does not apply. Of course, it's a machloket - and contingent on the nature of the mixture, and whether the items can be counted and are sold individually. Plus, the comparison to a mishnah in O...

Chapter 8! And a new mishnah. On mixtures, when something that is prohibited for benefit is mixed with "regular" items (or, in these cases, animals) of the same kind - such that that which is prohibited for benefit cannot be identified, then the whole lot would need to be put to death. Or, depending on the nature of the prohibition, perhaps all animals put out to pasture until they got a...

A complicated daf.... with a textual comparison of biblical verses, focusing on the words "neveilah" and "treyfah" - both of which are now defined. With many categories and permutations of both, and each, when it comes to different kinds of animals. Plus, a more straightforward passage on the unusual terms of the birds with melikah, when the bird has a blemish, and then in comp...

More on the pinching of the bird - melikah. If done in ways that were considered inappropriate or incongruous (like, at night), then the melikah would be invalid, but without rendering anything impure - not even the clothing of the kohen. Plus, the newly introduced term of a "treyfah," but the definition is yet to come. How does the proper slaughter of a treyfah prevent the impurity that...

A new mishnah: When the bird is killed improperly in the context of sacrifices, it does not necessarily constitute a carcass, in terms of conveying impurity. Specifically, melikah vs. slaughtering. Note the question of maturity - including in terms of appearance - of the birds. The Gemara dives into how the phenomenon of melika makes the difference as far as the carcass of the bird is considered....

Bringing a burnt-offering from a bird can switch to be a sin-offering, if the procedure that is done is the sin-offering practice, instead of the burnt-offering practice. Plus, the queries of the Gemara on this with a contradictory case of two women who bring the burnt- and sin-offerings post childbirth, and what happens in the event of error or confusion.

Chapter 7! Opening, of course, with a new mishnah: Still, with regard to bird offerings, with all the proper details of a sin-offering for the offering to be valid. And then cases that changes an element, such that the sin-offering is incorrectly offered - whether in procedure or intent, the offerings are then invalid -- though not judged for karet. And likewise, the same review for the bird burnt...

When the kohen burns the bird on the altar, in its removed separate body parts, from crop to gizzard. Plus, the examples of when the intent was wrong or the placement was wrong, and so on - and when those errors in protocol invalidated the offering, distinguishing between the sin-offering and the burnt-offering. Also, If the kohen didn't remove the crop, or other parallel removings, then, with...

3 things were done on the altar above the red line - including libations of water and wine, and certain details of the bird olah (burnt-offering), and on the southeast corner. Also, specific directions or coordinates where the different parts of the offering must take place. Plus, a new mishnah! Specifically the details of the bird sin-offering. Including a vivid description of "melikah"...

Two new mishnayot! 1 - What is the proper place of the fistful of grain of the grain-offering? Defining "kimtzah" -- scooping up the meal. That kimtzah was tantamount to the act of slaughtering of an animal sacrifice, in terms of the details surrounding it (of course, it's not animal), like where in the courtyard the procedure could be done. 2 - The bird offering - and other procedur...

Building the Second Temple's altar - at which point, they already knew the outline of the building itself, but they weren't quite sure about the altar. How did the know? One suggestion is that the archangel Michael told them in a vision. Alternatively, the "ashes of Isaac" -- as seen in a vision -- were seen in the same place as the altar, namely, since that was also the location...

When the Tabernacle was in Shilo, the altar seems to have been made of stones, and not the copper that Moshe made. But if that's the case, how was there unceasing use of the same altar from Moshe to Shlomo (Moses to Solomon)? The Gemara, of course, attempts to resolve that contradiction to the satisfaction of both claims (no ceasing of the fire on the altar from Moses to Solomon and the ostens...

Using a textual comparison to connect the outer altar of Moses with that of Ezekiel - or alternatively interpreted to connect the outer altar of Moses with that of the inner altar of Moses. This inference raises the question of how far that kind of interpretation can go - in light of the specific measurements of these altars: is the altar a "vessel," or not? Plus, the question of whether the court...

If the altar is damaged, the offerings that were slaughtered there - where the damaged altar is - are invalid. Of course, the question then arises, what about the order of operations? Did the offering's slaughter take place before or after the damage to the altar? Also, what happens to an animal that has been rendered disqualified? For example, what if the altar were fixed? Would the offering...

Chapter 6! With a new mishnah - Is the status of the altar as if it's fully in the north, or only on the northerly portion of the altar itself? Keep in mind that being slaughtered in the north is essential to the sacrifice - namely, for it to be valid. At least, for the kinds of offerings that must be slaughtered in the north to be valid. One solution to the dispute, of course, is the fact tha...

Starting with the last mishnah (on the bottom of 56:) - the offerings of the first-born, the tithes, Passover sacrifice, and more... in terms of what is eaten by whom. Starting with the first-born and the tithing - where the Gemara finds a source for the details and time frame of these offerings. The sages in these discussions are earlier - Tannaim, not Amoraim - and Rabbi Tarfon himself is a kohe...

The dimensions of the courtyard are key for determining where a person becomes liable for being impure in the courtyard. Plus, the impact on where the slaughtering can be done for kodshei kodshim and kodshei kalim. Also, when the sunset has begun, the blood can no longer before offered on the altar for that same day.

We have 3 mishnayot today - with one at the very bottom of the previous daf. 1. The guilt-offerings (ashamot) together with the peace-offerings, but with a focus on the former - the mishnah delineates the terms of where to slaughter the offering, where to bring the blood, and so on. 2. The mishnah specifies "kodshim kalim," the less holy of the offerings, where the terms were a little mo...

The southeast corner of the altar didn't have a base - but what does that mean? Was there no physical base or does it mean that the base there couldn't be used for the blood? Perhaps it's because of the divide in the property in the portions of Yehudah and Binyamin - where the sacrifice had to be done in Yehudah's portion. Also, the selection of David and Samuel of the place on the...

2 mishnayot! On sin-offerings - the procedure of how the slaughter, blood, altar, and eating the portions of the offering were all handled. This itemization includes the route the kohen would take on ascending the altar and walking around it (on the top) for the sake of putting the blood on the corners of the altar, with two views on how precisely those placements that needed to happen. Plus, a di...

More on the pouring the remaining blood after sprinkling on the base of the altar.... And the way to conclude the requirements regarding this blood - via logical inference instead of biblical text making the point. The concern being whether this pouring would disqualify the offering, though it seems that everyone agrees that it will not. Which raises the question as to the blood of a bird offering...

Exegetical prowess: "binyan av" - learning the narrow case from a more general case. This category is added to the others: gezerah shavah, kal va-chomer, and hekesh. And the Gemara uses a baraita about disqualified blood as learned from a "binyan av" to probe whether it could then be applied to another binyan av. But that would mean deriving a law regarding that which was impro...

More on rabbinic interpretation of the biblical text and the rules about how that works - by means of gezarah shavah, kal va-chomer, hekesh. What happens when the sages themselves aren't sure that they're inferences and analogies work in the derivation of halakhot? When can logic triumph over textual inference?

Shifting focus to the guilt-offering (the "asham"), and the fact that it too is to be slaughtered in the northern part of the Temple courtyard - along with the blood collection and sprinkling and so on. And, again, the details are derived from the Torah's verses and inferences from one verse to another. Also, the guilt-offering slaughtered by the person who is coming off tzara'at...