[Offerings of]<i> Kodshei kodashim</i> [sacrifices of the highest degree of sanctity, they may be slaughtered only on the north-west corner of the altar, and consumed only within the Temple compound by male priests, or burnt entirely.] that were slaughtered in the south [of the Temple Courtyard] one is liable for <i> me'ilah</i> [misuse of consecrated property].[Here are some examples]. If they were slaughtered in the south [side], but their blood was gathered in the north [side]; if they were slaughtered in the north, but their blood was gathered in the south; if they were slaughtered during the day, and their blood was sprinkled at night; [if they were slaughtered] at night, and their blood was sprinkled during the day; or one slaughtered them [with the intent to eat it] after its [designated] time or outside its [permitted] place, one is liable for <i> me'ilah</i>. Rabbi Yehoshua said a general rule: Any [offering] that had even a brief period of time when it was permitted to the <i>kohanim</i> [priests], is not liable for <i> me'ilah</i>. [However] anything which did not have a brief period of time when they were permitted to the <i>kohanim</i>, one is liable for <i> me'ilah</i>. What is it [an example of a sacrifice] that had a brief permitted time to the <i>kohanim</i>? If it was left past its [permitted] time, or which became <i>tamei</i> [defiled], or went out [was removed from the Temple Courtyard]. What is it [an example of a sacrifice] that did not have a brief permitted time to the <i>kohanim</i>? If it was slaughtered [with the invalid intent to eat it] beyond its [designated] time or outside its [permitted] place, or an invalid one [<i>kohen</i>] gathered and sprinkled its blood.
Bartenura on Mishnah Meilah
קדשי קדשים ששחטן בדרום – even though that their law is to be slaughtered in the north [part of the Temple courtyard] (see Tractate Zevakhim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 1), do not say that is like the one that is strangled (see Talmud Meilah 2a) for they were like Holy Things that died when they left the realm of religious sacrilege according to the Written Torah, that it comes to tell us that Holy Things/sacrifices that died are not worthy at all. But the south [part of the Temple courtyard] assuming that it is not appropriate for the Holy of Holies but is appropriate for offerings of lesser sanctity, therefore, they commit religious sacrilege with them, but a person who benefits from them the equivalent of a perutah/penny brings the sacrifice for religious sacrilege. But not only that they were slaughtered in the south and their blood was received In the north that one commits religious sacrilege because the essence of Divine service in the north is [according to law], and from the received tradition and onward, it is the commandment of the priesthood, but even if they were slaughtered in the north and the received their blood in the south, even though tha t the essence of the Divine service is in the south not according to the law, even so, they commit religious sacrilege through them.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Meilah
Introduction
Our mishnah discusses cases where the laws of sacrilege apply to animals despite the fact that the sacrifice was disqualified.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Meilah
וזרק דמו בלילה – even though that night is not the time of offering [of the sacrifice), one commits religious sacrilege with them
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Meilah
Most holy sacrifices which were slaughtered on the south side [of the altar], the law of sacrilege [still] applies to them. Most holy sacrifices must be sacrificed on the north side of the altar (Zevahim 5:1-5). If they are sacrificed on the south side, they are disqualified. Nevertheless, if a person derives benefit from them he has committed sacrilege and must bring a sacrifice, make restitution and bring the added fifth. Despite the fact that these are disqualified sacrifices, they still retain their holiness.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Meilah
בלילה וזרק דמן ביום – his all the more so that one is committing religious sacrilege, because he sprinkled [the blood] during the day, which is the essence of Divine service. But it is taught “this but one doesn’t have to state that.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Meilah
If they were slaughtered on the south side and their blood received on the north or [slaughtered] on the north side and their blood received on the south, or if they were slaughtered by day and [their blood] sprinkled during the night or [slaughtered] during the night and [their blood] sprinkled by day, or if they were slaughtered [with the intention of eating the flesh] beyond its proper time or outside its proper place, the law of sacrilege still applies to them. This section contains a list of other actions that disqualify a sacrifice. A most holy sacrifice must be slaughtered and have its blood received on the north side. It must be slaughtered and have its blood received during the day. The intention of the one performing the sacrifice must be to eat it in its proper time and place. However, if the sacrifice is disqualified, it is still subject to the laws of sacrilege.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Meilah
או ששחטן – [slaughtered them] in the north , and he thought about eating them outside of their time which is פיגול/an offering disqualified by improper intention which is punishable by extirpation/כרת , or outside of their place which is disqualified which does not have [punishment of] extirpation, one commits religious sacrilege through them.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Meilah
Rabbi Joshua stated a general rule: whatever has at some time been permitted to the priests is not subject to the law of sacrilege, and whatever has at no time been permitted to the priests is subject to the law of sacrilege. Which is that which has at some time been permitted to the priests? [Sacrifices] which remained overnight or became defiled or were taken out [of the Temple Court]. Which is that which has at no time been permitted to the priests? [Sacrifices] that were slaughtered [with the intention of eating its flesh] beyond its proper time or outside its proper place, or [the blood of which] was received by the unfit and they sprinkled it. Rabbi Joshua has a different rule as to when the laws of sacrilege apply to a disqualified sacrifice. If the sacrifice was at one time edible by priests, then these laws do not apply. This is the case if the blood was spilled on the altar in the correct fashion, but then the sacrifice was disqualified by becoming remnant, impure or by being taken out of the Temple. In these cases the meat was permitted and then became forbidden. However, if the meat was never permitted, such as the cases in section one, or a case where someone unfit either received the blood in a vessel or poured the blood onto the altar, in all of these cases the laws of sacrilege do apply, as we taught in sections one and two.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Meilah
כלל אמר ר' יהושע כל שהיה לה שעת היתר לכהנים – even though it once again became disqualified and they are not permitted to eat them, nevertheless, we don’t commit religious sacrilege with them.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Meilah
שלנה – after sprinkling, or that it became defiled or that went outside of the courtyard after the sprinkling [of the blood], even though that it is not appropriate for the Kohanim, since it had one hour of availability to [for use[ prior to being left overnight, we don’t commit religious sacrilege with it, for we don’t call it “God’s holy things,” for it was appropriate for the Kohanim.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Meilah
ושקבלו פסולים וזרקו את דמה (the blood of which disqualified men have received or tossed) – the ineligible had received its blood, even though that those that sprinkled/tossed it were fit, or that those who sprinkled it were disqualified, even though who received it were fit. But if after the disqualified had received the blood and sprinkled it, the fit [priests] returned and received the rest of the lifeblood (i.e., the last blood that exits before the animal is dead -which is about one-fourth of a LOG – see Tractate Zevakhim, Chapter 3, Mishnah 1 ) and sprinkled it, thereby the sprinkling by the fit is makes inappropriate use of sacred property, but permits the meat to the Kohanim, there isn’t religious sacrilege. And these words refer to the rest of the disqualified, other than those who are ritually impure, but someone ritually impure who received the blood and sprinkled it, even though the fit returned and received the rest of the lifeblood [of the animal] and sprinkled it, the meat did not have a period of availability [for use by the Kohanim] and one commits religious sacrilege, for the ritually impure, since is appropriate for the Divine Service of the community, as the sacrifice of the community postpones the ritual defilement, when he he tossed the blood, the rest of he blood became remnants, and furthermore, the tossing by the fit of the blood is not an inappropriate use of sacred property to permit the meat, and among the disqualified, you don’t have an individual who makes the blood of the remnants other than the ritually impure alone.
