Gemara Clarity

Zevachim 53b

זבחים נ״ג ע״ב

Learn Zevachim 53b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Zevachim 53b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The end of the dispute about leftover חטאת blood, and the משנה of the עולה: its holiness, how its blood is placed (רב and שמואל, and the תנאים), and why the southeast corner of the מזבח had no יסוד.

Overview

This amud opens by closing an earlier dispute with one last version: the school of רבי ישמעאל reports that רבי שמעון בן יוחי agrees with them that leftover blood of all חטאות goes to the western יסוד. A memory sign follows. Then a new משנה lists the laws of the עולה. The גמרא explains that the משנה calls the עולה קדשי קדשים because no פסוק says so outright. Next it asks how the 'two placements that are four' are done. רב says each corner gets two separate placements, and שמואל says each corner gets one gamma-shaped placement. A ברייתא shows the same argument between תנאים, and רבי ישמעאל learns four separate placements from the חטאת. The ברייתא explains that the עולה uses only two corners because it needs a יסוד, and the southeast corner had none. The גמרא traces this to the tribal border: that corner stood on a strip of יהודה's land, which בנימין longed for every day. The פסוק that proves this comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

תָּנָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught

כְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי אוֹמְרִים:

in line with Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, they say:

זֶה וָזֶה יְסוֹד מַעֲרָבִי.

Both this and that go to the western base.

וְסִימָנֵיךְ: מָשְׁכוּ גַּבְרֵי לְגַבְרָא.

And your memory sign: the men pulled the man.

The steps (15)

  1. StatementAnother version: both kinds of leftover blood go to the western base
  2. StatementThe laws of the burnt offering
  3. QuestionWhy call the burnt offering most holy?
  4. ResponseBecause the Torah never says it outright
  5. QuestionHow are the two placements done?
  6. Responseרב: place, then place again
  7. Responseשמואל: one placement shaped like a gamma
  8. ProofA ברייתא that matches שמואל's gamma-shape view
  9. Statementרבי ישמעאל compares the עולה to the חטאת
  10. ChallengeWhy not all four corners, like the חטאת?
  11. ResolutionThe עולה needs a corner with a יסוד
  12. QuestionWhy did the southeast corner have no יסוד?
  13. ResponseThat corner was not in בנימין's land
  14. ProofThe מזבח reached one אמה into יהודה's land
  15. ProofA strip of יהודה's land entered בנימין's portion, and בנימין longed for it