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Kereisos 2a

כריתות ב׳ ע״א

Keritot 2a

Learn Kereisos 2a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The opening משנה of מסכת כריתות: the list of the thirty-six sins in the Torah that carry the punishment of כרת, and which קרבנות are brought for them.

Overview

The amud opens מסכת כריתות with a משנה listing thirty-six sins in the Torah that are punished with כרת. The list starts with forbidden relationships (עריות). It moves on to sins against ה׳ like עבודה זרה and חילול שבת, then sins involving the מקדש and קדשים, and forbidden foods. It ends with two positive מצוות, קרבן פסח and מילה, where the כרת comes from not doing them. The משנה then gives a general rule for these sins. Done on purpose they bring כרת, done by mistake a קרבן חטאת, and when he is unsure if he sinned at all, an אשם תלוי. רבי מאיר says the only exception is one who makes the מקדש or its קדשים impure, who brings a קרבן עולה ויורד instead. The חכמים disagree and leave out the מגדף as well, because the פסוק about the חטאת speaks of one who does an action, and blasphemy is only speech.

Opening lines

מַתְנִי׳ שְׁלֹשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ כָּרֵיתוֹת בְּתוֹרָה:

MISHNA: There are thirty-six cases of karet in the Torah:

הַבָּא עַל הָאֵם,

One who has relations with his mother,

וְעַל אֵשֶׁת אָב, וְעַל הַכַּלָּה,

or with his father's wife, or with his daughter-in-law,

הַבָּא עַל הַזָּכוּר, וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה,

one who lies with a male, or with an animal,

The steps (6)

  1. StatementThirty-six כרת sins: the list of forbidden relations
  2. StatementThe list continues: sins against ה׳, the מקדש, and forbidden foods
  3. StatementThe list ends: פסח, יום כיפור, the holy oil and incense, and two positive מצוות
  4. StatementThe general rule: כרת, חטאת, or אשם תלוי
  5. StatementThe exception: impurity in the מקדש and קדשים uses a sliding-scale offering
  6. StatementThe blasphemer is also left out of the קרבן rule