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Zevachim 26a

זבחים כ״ו ע״א

Learn Zevachim 26a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Zevachim 26a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Parts of a קרבן or a כהן outside the proper area, hanging in the air during שחיטה and קבלה, and blood put in the wrong place

Overview

This amud finishes רבי אמי's ruling about a קרבן whose legs stick out past the edge of the עזרה. The גמרא rereads the ruling twice: first it is about cutting before or after קבלה, and then the cut goes only through the flesh down to the bone, so there is no בעל מום. The גמרא then tries to learn two rules from it: that blood soaked into the limbs counts as blood, and that meat of קדשים קלים leaving before זריקה is פסול. Both proofs are pushed off. A ברייתא about where קדשי קדשים and קדשים קלים are slaughtered and collected gives a new proof for the second rule, but that proof is pushed off too. Next, אבוה דשמואל questions שמואל about an animal partly outside the עזרה and about an animal or a person hanging in the air during שחיטה or קבלה, and he corrects most of שמואל's answers. אביי and רבא each sum up these hanging cases, and רבא's summary replaces אביי's. רבי זירא rules that a כהן must be fully inside, even his hair. A new משנה then teaches that blood put in the wrong place on the מזבח is פסול, but there is no כרת.

Opening lines

שָׁחַט וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָתַךְ – פְּסוּלָה.

If he slaughtered and afterward cut off the legs, it is disqualified.

חָתַךְ וְאַחַר כָּךְ שָׁחַט – כְּשֵׁרָה?!

If he cut off the legs and afterward slaughtered, it is fit?!

בַּעַל מוּם קָא מַקְרִיב!

He is offering a blemished animal!

אֶלָּא אֵימָא: חָתַךְ וְאַחַר כָּךְ קִיבֵּל – כְּשֵׁרָה,

Rather, say: if he cut and afterward collected the blood, it is fit,

The steps (28)

  1. StatementSlaughtering first, then cutting, disqualifies the offering
  2. ChallengeCutting first would make the animal blemished
  3. ResolutionReread the rule as being about the timing of קבלה
  4. ChallengeA blemish before קבלה also disqualifies, says רבי זירא
  5. ResolutionThe cut only goes down to the bone
  6. ProofTrying to learn that blood soaked into the limbs counts as blood
  7. RejectionMaybe the problem is the fat, not the blood
  8. ProofTrying to learn that קדשים קלים meat leaving before זריקה is פסול
  9. RejectionMaybe רבי אמי was talking about קדשי קדשים
  10. ProofA ברייתא on where קדשי קדשים must be slaughtered and collected
  11. Proofקדשים קלים that jerk outside are פסול, so meat that leaves before זריקה is פסול
  12. RejectionMaybe the ברייתא only means the parts burned on the מזבח
  13. QuestionAn animal inside with its legs outside
  14. ResponseThe whole animal must be inside
  15. QuestionSlaughtering an animal hanging in the air
  16. RejectionThe animal must be slaughtered on the side of the altar
  17. QuestionThe slaughterer is hanging in the air
  18. RejectionOnly the slaughter must be on the side, not the slaughterer
  19. QuestionCollecting the blood while hanging in the air
  20. RejectionHanging in the air is not a normal way to serve
  21. QuestionAnimal hanging while the blood is collected
  22. RejectionThe 'side of the altar' rule covers only שחיטה
  23. Statementאביי sums up the hanging cases
  24. Challengeרבא: if the air counts as inside, the air should count as north too
  25. Conclusionרבא's own summary of the hanging cases
  26. QuestionA כהן inside whose hair sticks outside
  27. ResponseThe כהן must be fully inside
  28. Statementמשנה: blood placed in the wrong spot