Shevuos 8a

שבועות ח׳ ע״א

Shevuot 8a

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Topic

What the inner goat of יום כיפור atones for, and how רבי יהודה and רבי שמעון learn it

Overview

The גמרא keeps asking which sins the inner goat of יום כיפור could atone for. It first shows that some cases of גילוי עריות and שפיכות דמים are not covered by death, by a קרבן, or by גלות. Examples are a sin done on purpose with no warning, or by accident without ever finding out. Then it quotes the ברייתא: רבי יהודה learns from 'מִטֻּמְאוֹת' that the goat covers only טומאת מקדש וקדשיו, the one טומאה the תורה set apart with a lenient sliding-scale קרבן. The גמרא tests other cases one by one: עבודה זרה, a יולדת, a מצורע and an impure נזיר. Each is rejected, either because its special rule is strict or because its קרבן is for impurity, not sin ('לכל חטאתם'). רבי שמעון learns the same limit straight from the goat's own פסוק. The גמרא then explains how each תנא reads the rest of that פסוק about the blood service in the היכל. Finally it asks why a פסוק is needed to exclude someone who knew at the beginning and at the end. It begins answering with a case where he found out just before sunset, and that answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (32)

1. ChallengeWhat case of forbidden relations is left for the goat to atone for?
2. ResolutionOn purpose without warning, or by accident without finding out
3. ChallengeWhat case of murder is left for the goat to atone for?
4. ResolutionSame answer: no warning, or never found out
5. ResolutionOr: accidental killers who are not sent into exile
6. Statementרבי יהודה limits the goat to defiling the Temple and its sacrifices
7. QuestionIn what way did the Torah set it apart?
8. ResponseIt brings a sliding-scale offering
9. ChallengeIdol worship is also set apart, so why not that?
10. ResolutionSet apart to be lenient, not to be strict
11. ChallengeMaybe the goat atones for a woman after childbirth
12. ResolutionThe goat covers sins, not impurities
13. ChallengeWhat about the view that a יולדת is a sinner?
14. Resolutionרבי שמעון learns it from the goat's own פסוק
15. ChallengeMaybe the goat atones for a מצורע
16. ResolutionSame answer: sins, not impurities
17. ChallengeWhat about the view that a מצורע is a sinner?
18. ResolutionThe נגע atones for the sin, and the קרבן lets him back into the community
19. ChallengeMaybe the goat atones for an impure נזיר
20. ResolutionSins, not impurities
21. ChallengeWhat about the view that a נזיר is a sinner?
22. Resolutionרבי אלעזר הקפר holds like רבי שמעון
23. StatementGoing back to רבי שמעון's words in the ברייתא
24. Challengeרבי שמעון's reading sounds right, so why does רבי יהודה disagree?
25. Resolutionרבי יהודה needs that פסוק for how the blood is sprinkled
26. ResolutionWhere רבי שמעון learns the היכל service
27. ResolutionWhy רבי יהודה needs both phrases
28. Resolutionרבי שמעון reads 'same animals' from 'וכן יעשה' itself
29. StatementThe ברייתא limits what the goat atones for
30. QuestionWhich case is left out?
31. ChallengeHe brings his own קרבן anyway
32. ResolutionFinding out just before sunset