Gemara Clarity

Yoma 59b

יומא נ״ט ע״ב

Learn Yoma 59b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Yoma 59b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Is there מְעִילָה (misuse of הקדש) with the leftover blood of קרבנות, and the source in the Torah for saying there is none

Overview

The גמרא first clarifies the earlier dispute about מעילה in the leftover blood of קרבנות, which flowed out to the נחל קדרון and was sold to gardeners. It says that dispute is only about a rabbinic rule. By Torah law, everyone agrees there is no מעילה in this blood. The גמרא then asks for the Torah source and gives three answers. עולא learns it from the word 'לָכֶם', the blood is 'yours.' דבי רבי שמעון learn it from 'לְכַפֵּר', the blood was given for כפרה and not for מעילה. רבי יוחנן learns it from 'הוּא', so blood before כפרה has the same status as blood after כפרה. The גמרא challenges him: maybe the comparison should go the other way, giving מעילה at both stages. It answers with a general rule: once an item's מצוה is done, there is no מעילה. The עמוד ends by attacking that rule with the case of תרומת הדשן, and the answer comes on the next עמוד.

Opening lines

עַד כָּאן לָא פְּלִיגִי

They only disagree up to here (i.e., the dispute is limited)

אֶלָּא מִדְּרַבָּנַן,

only regarding rabbinic law,

אֲבָל מִדְּאוֹרָיְיתָא

but by Torah law

אֵין מוֹעֲלִין בָּהֶן.

one does not commit misuse with them.

The steps (8)

  1. StatementThe dispute is only rabbinic; by Torah law there is no מעילה in blood
  2. QuestionWhat is the source that blood has no מעילה?
  3. Responseעולא learns it from the word 'לָכֶם'
  4. Responseדבי רבי שמעון learn it from 'לְכַפֵּר'
  5. Responseרבי יוחנן learns it from 'הוּא': before כפרה is like after כפרה
  6. ChallengeWhy not compare in the opposite direction?
  7. ResolutionGeneral rule: once the מצוה is done, there is no מעילה
  8. ChallengeChallenge from תרומת הדשן