Gemara Clarity

Zevachim 7b

זבחים ז׳ ע״ב

Learn Zevachim 7b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Zevachim 7b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

רבא's teachings about the עולה, and the sources that a פסח and a חטאת brought שלא לשמה are פסול.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an earlier point: a חטאת does not atone for a מצות עשה as its main job, but it does atone for it on the side. Then come several teachings of רבא. If an עולה was slaughtered שלא לשמה, its blood still may not be sprinkled שלא לשמה. An עולה brought by heirs after the owner died is ruined by שינוי קודש but not by שינוי בעלים, since there is no owner after death. רב פנחס disagrees and holds that the heir is a full owner. רבא also teaches that an עולה is a דורון, a gift to הקב"ה. A ברייתא of רבי שמעון supports this: the חטאת goes first like a lawyer, and the עולה follows as a gift. The גמרא then returns to the משנה and finds פסוקים showing that a פסח brought with the wrong intention, whether for the wrong type of קרבן or the wrong owner, is פסול. It shows this is essential and covers every עבודה, explains the word 'הוא' by contrasting פסח with אשם, and begins finding the sources for חטאת, starting with שחיטה and קבלה.

Opening lines

מִקִּיבְעָא לָא מְכַפְּרָא,

From its essence it does not atone,

מִקּוּפְיָא מְכַפְּרָא.

incidentally it does atone.

וְאָמַר רָבָא:

And Rava said:

עוֹלָה שֶׁשְּׁחָטָהּ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ –

A burnt offering that one slaughtered not for its sake –

The steps (35)

  1. ResolutionA חטאת atones for a positive מצוה only on the side
  2. StatementAfter a wrong-intent slaughter, do not sprinkle with wrong intent
  3. ProofFirst reason: a verse about keeping your word
  4. ProofSecond reason: one change does not justify more changes
  5. StatementAn עולה brought after the owner's death
  6. Statementרב פנחס: an offering still has an owner after death
  7. Questionרב אשי asks how far Rav Pinchas means this
  8. Responseרב פנחס: I mean it exactly
  9. Statementרבא: a burnt offering is a gift
  10. ProofProof that a burnt offering must be a gift
  11. ConclusionMemory aid for רבא's statements
  12. ProofA ברייתא supports רבא: רבי שמעון's question
  13. ChallengeThe question seems obvious: a חטאת atones
  14. ResolutionThe חטאת comes first like a lawyer, then the gift
  15. QuestionBack to the משנה: where do we learn this about the פסח?
  16. ResponseThe פסוק: every action must be for the sake of the פסח
  17. QuestionWhat about having the wrong owner in mind?
  18. ResponseA second פסוק teaches the rule about the owner
  19. QuestionIs this requirement essential?
  20. ResponseThe פסוק 'וזבחת פסח' makes it essential
  21. Challengeרב ספרא says this פסוק is needed for something else
  22. Proofרב נחמן's teaching: a leftover פסח becomes a שלמים
  23. Resolutionרב ספרא assigns each verse a new job
  24. QuestionWhat about the other sacrificial services?
  25. ResponseOnce it was revealed for one, it was revealed for all
  26. Rejectionרב אשי rejects the 'revealed' reasoning
  27. Responseרב אשי's source: 'This is the law of the burnt offering'
  28. ProofA ברייתא includes בכור, מעשר and פסח
  29. ProofAll offerings are compared to peace offerings: correct intention is a מצוה
  30. ProofThe Paschal offering is like peace offerings: no difference between slaughter and the other rites
  31. QuestionThen why is the word 'it is' needed?
  32. Response'It is' teaches that intention is essential for the Paschal offering but not for the guilt offering
  33. QuestionWhat is the source for חטאת?
  34. ResponseThe פסוק requires slaughtering for the sake of a חטאת
  35. QuestionWhat is the source for collecting the blood?