Gemara Clarity

Zevachim 40b

זבחים מ׳ ע״ב

Learn Zevachim 40b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Zevachim 40b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The rules of the inner sprinkling learned from the פסוק, and the dispute between רבי and רבי ישמעאל over how the יום הכפורים bull is included

Overview

The גמרא finishes reading lessons out of the words of the פסוק about sprinkling blood inside the היכל. 'בדם' teaches that the bowl must hold enough blood for dipping from the start, and 'וטבל' teaches that the כהן must truly dip and not wipe the sides of the bowl. The גמרא shows why both words are needed. It then explains that the words 'מזבח קטרת סמים' teach that no blood may be sprinkled on the inner altar until it has been inaugurated with incense. Next comes a ברייתא that supports רב פפא: רבי learns from the extra word ״לַפָּר״ that the bull of יום הכפורים follows all these rules. רבי ישמעאל disagrees. He says a קל וחומר already teaches this, and he reads the two 'bulls' in the פסוק as the community's bull and the כהן משיח's bull. The גמרא then asks which unlike offerings his קל וחומר starts from. It rejects two guesses and settles on the communal-mistake bull and the goat of יום הכפורים. It begins to spell out his argument, which finishes on the next amud.

Opening lines

אַמִּין שֶׁבָּאֶצְבַּע.

...a wart that is on the finger.

״בַּדָּם״ – שֶׁיְּהֵא בַּדָּם

'In the blood': that there should be in the blood

שִׁיעוּר טְבִילָה מֵעִיקָּרָא.

a measure for dipping from the outset.

״וְטָבַל״ – וְלֹא מְסַפֵּג.

'And he shall dip': and not wipe.

The steps (13)

  1. StatementLessons from 'in the blood' and 'and he shall dip'
  2. ResponseWhy the Torah needed the word 'in the blood'
  3. ResponseWhy the Torah needed the word 'and he shall dip'
  4. QuestionWhy call it 'the altar of sweet incense'?
  5. ResponseThe altar must first be inaugurated with incense
  6. ProofA ברייתא supports רב פפא: the יום הכפורים bull is included
  7. Statementרבי ישמעאל: a קל וחומר already teaches this
  8. Statementרבי ישמעאל's own reading of the two 'bulls'
  9. QuestionWhich offerings were 'not matched' to each other?
  10. RejectionFirst guess: the bull and goat of יום הכפורים, rejected
  11. RejectionSecond guess: the communal-mistake bull and the idolatry goats, rejected
  12. ResponseFinal answer: the communal-mistake bull and the יום הכפורים goat
  13. StatementSpelling out רבי ישמעאל's קל וחומר