Zevachim 34b
זבחים ל״ד ע״ב
Learn Zevachim 34b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.
Open Zevachim 34b in Gemara Clarity
Topic
When a flawed blood service creates שירים, and when blood becomes דחוי
Overview
The amud opens by closing an earlier discussion: a ברייתא refutes ריש לקיש. The גמרא then asks when a flawed blood service turns the rest of the blood into שירים. רבי יוחנן says only a service done with intent for outside its time or place does this, because only such a service can make the offering פיגול. Three versions of the question follow. One asks about an unfit person, one asks about a cup of disqualified blood, and one asks about an unused valid cup, which ties into a dispute between the רבנן and רבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון. Next, the גמרא explains why the משנה needs three cases: an unfit person, the left hand, and a non-sacred vessel. It then asks why the blood is not דחוי in these cases. רבינא says the משנה follows חנן המצרי, who holds there is no דחוי. רב אשי says anything a person can fix himself is not דחוי, and רב שייא backs רב אשי from רבי יהודה's own rulings. The amud ends with the חכמים challenging רבי יהודה's ruling about sprinkling a cup of mixed blood, and his reply continues on the next amud.
Opening lines
וּפָסוּל.
and it is disqualified.
תְּיוּבְתָּא דְּרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ!
This is a refutation of Reish Lakish!
תְּיוּבְתָּא.
It is indeed a refutation.
וְכוּלָּן שֶׁקִּיבְּלוּ כּוּ׳.
And all of them that collected, etc.
The steps (30)
- Conclusionריש לקיש's view is refuted
- QuestionDoes an unfit person's service turn the rest of the blood into leftovers?
- ResponseOnly time or place intent creates leftovers
- Questionרב זביד's version: the question was about a disqualified cup
- ResponseThe cup follows the same rule as the unfit person
- Questionרב ירמיה's version: does one cup make the other cup rejected or leftover?
- Responseרבה: this is a known dispute
- ProofThe ברייתא sets up two פסוקים side by side
- StatementPlacements from all four cups: all the leftover blood goes to the base
- StatementAll four placements from one cup: only that cup goes to the base
- Statementרבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון: all four cups go to the base
- ChallengeBut another verse says only 'its blood'
- Resolutionרב אשי: 'its blood' excludes the blood left in the neck
- StatementQuoting the משנה: a fit priest handed the blood to an unfit person
- StatementWhy the unfit-person case alone would not be enough
- StatementWhy the left-hand case alone would not be enough
- ConclusionThe non-sacred vessel case alone would not teach the others, so all are needed
- ChallengeShouldn't the blood become permanently rejected?
- ResolutionThe משנה follows חנן המצרי, who does not hold of rejection
- ProofA ברייתא showing that חנן המצרי does not hold of rejection
- ResolutionAnything a person can fix himself is not rejected
- Statementרב שייא says רב אשי's answer is more reasonable
- ProofProof that רבי יהודה holds of rejection: the goats of יום הכיפורים
- ProofYet רבי יהודה says what is in one's power to fix is not rejected
- ConclusionConclusion: anything in one's power to fix is not rejected
- StatementThe full ברייתא: why fill one cup from the mixed blood
- ChallengeThe חכמים object: the mixed blood was not received in a vessel
- QuestionHow could the חכמים know that?
- ResponseRather, the חכמים meant: perhaps it was not received in a vessel
- Resolutionרבי יהודה begins his answer