Kommentar zu Keritot 4:2
כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאִם אָכַל חֵלֶב וְחֵלֶב בְּהֶעְלֵם אֶחָד אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא חַטָּאת אַחַת, כָּךְ עַל לֹא הוֹדַע שֶׁלָּהֶן אֵינוֹ מֵבִיא אֶלָּא אָשָׁם אֶחָד. אִם הָיְתָה יְדִיעָה בֵינְתַיִם, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהוּא מֵבִיא חַטָּאת עַל כָּל אַחַת וְאַחַת, כָּךְ הוּא מֵבִיא אָשָׁם תָּלוּי עַל כָּל אַחַת וְאֶחָת. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאִם אָכַל חֵלֶב וְדָם נוֹתָר וּפִגּוּל בְּהֶעְלֵם אֶחָד, חַיָּב עַל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, כָּךְ עַל לֹא הוֹדַע שֶׁלָּהֶן מֵבִיא אָשָׁם תָּלוּי עַל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד. חֵלֶב וְנוֹתָר לְפָנָיו, אָכַל אַחַד מֵהֶם וְאֵין יָדוּעַ אֵיזֶה מֵהֶם אָכַל. אִשְׁתּוֹ נִדָּה וַאֲחוֹתוֹ עִמּוֹ בַבַּיִת, שָׁגַג בְּאַחַת מֵהֶן וְאֵין יָדוּעַ בְּאֵיזוֹ מֵהֶן שָׁגָג. שַׁבָּת וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים וְעָשָׂה מְלָאכָה בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת וְאֵין יָדוּעַ בְּאֵיזֶה מֵהֶם עָשָׂה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מְחַיֵּב חַטָּאת, וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ פּוֹטֵר. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, לֹא נֶחְלְקוּ עַל הָעוֹשֶׂה מְלָאכָה בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, שֶׁהוּא פָטוּר, שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹמֵר, מִקְצָת מְלָאכָה עָשָׂה מֵהַיּוֹם, וּמִקְצָתָהּ לְמָחָר. וְעַל מַה נֶּחְלְקוּ, עַל הָעוֹשֶׂה בְּתוֹךְ הַיּוֹם וְאֵין יָדוּעַ אִם בְּשַׁבָּת עָשָׂה וְאִם בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים עָשָׂה. אוֹ עַל הָעוֹשֶׂה וְאֵין יָדוּעַ מֵעֵין אֵיזוֹ מְלָאכָה עָשָׂה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מְחַיֵּב חַטָּאת, וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ פּוֹטֵר. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, פּוֹטְרוֹ הָיָה רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אַף מֵאָשָׁם תָּלוּי:
So wie eine Person, die zweimal verbotenes Fett unter einem Zauber der Unwissenheit gegessen hat, nur für einen Chattat [ein Opfer, das zur Sühne der Sünde gebracht wird] haftet, haftet sie auch, wenn sie nicht bekannt sind [der Einzelne ist nicht sicher, ob er gesündigt hat] für nur einen Asham Talui . Wenn er sich in der Zwischenzeit [zwischen den beiden Handlungen, dass er gesündigt haben könnte] bewusst wurde, bringt er für jede [Handlung] einen eigenen Asham Talui mit , genauso wie er für jede [Handlung] einen eigenen Chattat mitbringen würde . Genau wie wenn man verbotenes Fett und Blut gegessen hat und Notar [ein Opfer, das unfähig wird, weil es nach der erlaubten Zeit nicht mehr konsumiert wird ] und Piggul [ein Opfer, das unfähig wird, weil der amtierende Priester es anbietet, während er es anbietet verbrauchen Sie es nach seiner erlaubten Zeit] unter einem Zauber der Unwissenheit, er haftet für [ein Chattat ] für jeden; Auch wenn sie nicht bekannt sind, bringt man für jedes [verbotene Essen] einen eigenen Asham Talui mit . [Wenn] verbotenes Fett und Notar [saßen] vor einem Individuum und er aß einen von ihnen, weiß aber nicht, welchen von ihnen er aß; [oder wenn] jemandes Niddah [eine Frau, die menstruiert hat und dadurch unrein ist], Frau und seine Schwester waren bei ihm in seinem Haus, und er hatte gedankenlos Beziehungen zu einem von ihnen und weiß nicht, mit wem er gedankenlos Beziehungen hatte; [oder wenn] Shabbat und Yom Kippur [an aufeinanderfolgenden Tagen fielen] und einer in der Abenddämmerung [zwischen den Tagen] Melakhah aufführte und nicht weiß, an welchem Tag er handelte: Rabbi Eliezer hält [ihn] für einen Chattat verantwortlich , aber Rabbi Yehoshua befreit [ihm]. Rabbi Yose sagte: Sie sind sich nicht einig, dass [eine Person], die Melakhah in der Abenddämmerung gemacht hat, ausgenommen ist, da ich sagen kann, dass er einen Teil der Melakhah an einem Tag und einen Teil am folgenden Tag durchgeführt hat. Worüber sind sie sich nicht einig? Über jemanden, der Melakhah während des Tages [selbst] gemacht hat, aber nicht weiß, ob er es am Schabbat oder am Jom Kippur getan hat; oder wo er [ Melakhah ] getan hat und nicht weiß, in welche Kategorie die Melakhah, die er getan hat [fällt]: Rabbi Eliezer hält ihn für einen Chattat verantwortlich , aber Rabbi Yehoshua befreit [ihn]. Rabbi Yehudah sagte: Rabbi Yehoshua befreit ihn sogar von einem Asham Talui
Bartenura on Mishnah Keritot
English Explanation of Mishnah Keritot
If in the meantime he became aware [of the possible sin] he is liable to a separate asham talui for each act, just as he would [in similar circumstances] be liable to a separate hatat for each act.
Just as one is liable to separate hatats if he ate, in one spell of unawareness, forbidden fat and blood and piggul and notar, so, too, when the transgression is in doubt, he is liable to an asham talui for each different act.
[If both] forbidden fat and notar lay before a person and he ate one of them but does not know which;
Or if his menstruant wife and his sister were with him in his house and he has sex unwittingly with one of them and does not know with which,
Or if Shabbat and Yom Kippur [followed each other] and he did forbidden work at twilight and does not know on which day: Rabbi Eliezer declares him liable to a hatat; But Rabbi Joshua exempts him.
Rabbi Yose said: they did not dispute about a person that did work at twilight, for he is certainly exempt, for I may assume that part of the work was done on the one day and part on the following day.
About what did they dispute? About one who did work during the day itself but he did not know whether he did it on Shabbat or on Yom Kippur, or if he did work and did not know what manner of work he did: Rabbi Eliezer declares him liable to a hatat; But Rabbi Joshua exempts him. Rabbi Judah said: Rabbi Joshua exempts him even from an asham talui.
Today’s mishnah deals with two issues. The first part deals with multiple sins performed in one spell of unawareness. The second part deals with cases where a person definitely sinned, but he is not sure which of two possible sins he committed.
Section one: If a person eats many pieces of helev (forbidden fat) during one period of unawareness, for instance, he didn’t know that what he was eating was helev, or he didn’t know that helev was prohibited, he is liable for only one hatat. This counts as one sin, since it was done in one period of unawareness. Similarly, if in one period of unawareness he is not sure if he ate helev or something else, he is liable for only one asham talui, even if he did the act multiple times.
Section two: If in between sessions of eating something that might or might not be helev he finds out that it is perhaps helev, he is liable for an asham talui for each session. For instance he sits down to dinner and eats. Then his wife tells him, “Honey, that fat you just ate might have been helev.” He is now liable for an asham talui. If the same thing happens the next night, he is liable for two asham talui’s. This is the same rule that applies to cases where he knows that what he ate was helev he is obligated for one hatat for each period of unawareness.
Section three: If one eats foods that carry different prohibitions, one is liable for a hatat for each prohibition, if he knows he transgressed, and an asham talui for each transgression, if he is not sure that he transgressed. I.e. she sits down to dinner and when she is done her husband tells her, “Dear, you might just have eaten helev, blood and notar (remnant).” She is liable for three asham talui’s. If he said, “Dear, you ate helev, blood and notar,” she is liable for three hatats.
Sections 4-6: The second half of the mishnah is patterned after mishnah one. In that case, the person might have transgressed or he might not have transgressed. In the cases mentioned here he definitely transgressed, but he doesn’t know which transgression he did what forbidden food did he eat, which forbidden woman did he have sex with or what day did he do the forbidden labor on?
Rabbi Eliezer says that since he definitely did a forbidden act, he must bring a hatat, even though he is not sure what he actually did. We can see that Rabbi Eliezer adopts a more realistic approach one who certainly sins must bring a hatat.
Rabbi Joshua says that since he doesn’t know what he actually did, he is exempt. This seems to me to be more of a “nominal” approach. Since we cannot find a legal category under which to place his sin, we cannot make him liable.
Section seven: Rabbi Yose says that even Rabbi Eliezer would agree that if one does a sin at twilight between Shabbat and Yom Kippur he is exempt, because he might not have transgressed at all. It is possible that he did half of the prohibited labor on Shabbat and half on Yom Kippur, in which case he did not perform a forbidden labor on either day.
Rather the debate was over one who simply does not know whether he did the labor on Shabbat or on Yom Kippur, or knows that he performed a forbidden labor, but doesn’t know which labor it was. In this case Rabbi Eliezer makes him liable, for her certainly transgressed, even though we can’t find a legal category under which to place his transgression.
Section eight: Finally, Rabbi Judah explains that when Rabbi Joshua exempted him, he exempted him even from the asham talui. An asham talui is brought only in a case where a person might have sinned. Since this person definitely sinned, he cannot bring an asham talui. He is left without any sacrifice to bring.