Commentary for Zevachim 14:3
מְחֻסַּר זְמָן, בֵּין בְּגוּפוֹ בֵּין בִּבְעָלָיו. אֵיזֶה הוּא מְחֻסַּר זְמָן בִּבְעָלָיו. הַזָּב, וְהַזָּבָה, וְיוֹלֶדֶת, וּמְצֹרָע, שֶׁהִקְרִיבוּ חַטָּאתָם וַאֲשָׁמָם בַּחוּץ, פְּטוּרִין. עוֹלוֹתֵיהֶן וְשַׁלְמֵיהֶן בַּחוּץ, חַיָּבִין. הַמַּעֲלֶה מִבְּשַׂר חַטָּאת, מִבְּשַׂר אָשָׁם, מִבְּשַׂר קָדְשֵׁי קָדָשִׁים, מִבְּשַׂר קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים, וּמוֹתַר הָעֹמֶר, וּשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם, וְלֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, וּשְׁיָרֵי מְנָחוֹת, הַיּוֹצֵק, הַבּוֹלֵל, הַפּוֹתֵת, הַמּוֹלֵחַ, הַמֵּנִיף, הַמַּגִּישׁ, הַמְסַדֵּר אֶת הַשֻּׁלְחָן, וְהַמֵּטִיב אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת, וְהַקּוֹמֵץ, וְהַמְקַבֵּל דָּמִים בַּחוּץ, פָּטוּר. אֵין חַיָּבִין עָלָיו לֹא מִשּׁוּם זָרוּת, וְלֹא מִשּׁוּם טֻמְאָה, וְלֹא מִשּׁוּם מְחֻסַּר בְּגָדִים, וְלֹא מִשּׁוּם רְחוּץ יָדַיִם וְרַגְלָיִם:
"Before its time" [can refer to] either an animal [which is too young] or its owner [who brings the sacrifice too soon]. What [are cases where] the owner [acts] before his time? A <i>Zav</i> [a man suffering from gonorrhea], or a <i>Zavah</i> [a woman with a menstrual-type flow occurring at a time other than her normal period], or a woman who has given birth, or a <i>Metzora</i> [one rendered severely impure from an unsightly skin disease. Upon recovery and purification he must bring offerings], who offer their <i>chata'ot</i> [offerings generally brought to expiate sin] or their <i>Ashamim</i> [offerings generally brought to alleviate guilt] [too early] outside [the Temple], are exempt. But [if they offer] their <i>Olot</i> [offerings that are entirely burnt] or their <i>Shelamim</i> [offerings whose various parts are consumed by its owners, the Kohanim and the fire on the altar] outside [the Temple precincts] they are liable. One who offers up meat from a <i>Chatat</i>, [or] meat from an <i>Asham</i>, [or] meat from a <i>Kodshai 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], [or] meat from a <i>Kodashim Kalim</i> [sacrifices of a lesser degree of sanctity; they may be slaughtered anywhere in the Temple courtyard and consumed by most anyone, anywhere in Jerusalem], or if [he offered] the remainder of the <i>Omer</i> [the special barley offering offered on the sixteenth of <i>Nisan</i> which permits grain harvested in the last year to be eaten], or the <i>Shtei HaLechem</i> [two leavened loaves of wheat brought as offerings on Shavuot which permitted using the new grain for holy offerings], or the <i>Lechem HaPanim</i> [twelve specially shaped unleavened loaves offered each Shabbat on the golden table in the Temple], or the remainders of the meal-offerings, [or] one who pours [oil onto a meal-offering], [or] one who mixes [the flour with the oil], [or] one who breaks [the meal-offering into pieces], [or] one who salts [an offering], [or] one who waves [an offering], [or] one who [brings the meal-offering to the altar], [or] one who arranges the table [with the <i>Lechem HaPanim</i>], or one who prepares the candles [of the <i>Menorah</i> - the Temple candelabrum], or one who takes the handful [of flour from a meal-offering], or one who receives the blood outside [the Temple precincts], is exempt. He is not liable due to his <i>Zarut</i> [not belonging to the priestly class], nor due to his impurity, nor due to his lack of [priestly] garments, nor because he has [not] washed [his] hands or feet.
Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
English Explanation of Mishnah Zevachim
[If they offered] their olah or their shelamims outside [before their time], they are liable.
One who offers up flesh of a hatat, or flesh of an asham, or flesh of most holy sacrifices, or flesh of less holy sacrifices; or the remainder of the omer, or the two loaves, or the showbread, or the remainder of meal-offerings;
Or if he pours [the oil on to the meal-offering], or mingles [it with flour], or breaks up [the meal-offering cakes], or salts [the meal-offering], or waves it, or presents it; or sets the table [with the showbread], or trims the lamps, or takes out the fistful, or receives the blood; [If he does any of these] outside, he is exempt.
One is also not liable for any of these acts on account of not being a priest, or uncleanness, or lack of [priestly] vestments, or the non-washing of hands and feet.
This is the final mishnah that deals with the prohibition of sacrificing an animal outside the Temple (take a deep breath, we’re almost there).
Section one: At the end of yesterday’s mishnah, we learned that if someone sacrifices an animal outside the Temple before that animal is eight days old he is not liable because that animal could not be sacrificed on the altar. This section explains that “before time” refers not only to animal but also to a person who is not yet obligated to bring an animal to the Temple. There are several such categories of people: the zav or zavah, a man or woman with unusual genital discharge, bring expiatory sacrifices after having been pure for eight days (Leviticus 15:14, 29). A woman after childbirth brings a sacrifice after a set amount of time, depending upon whether the child is male or female (Leviticus 12:6). A metzora, a person suffering some sort of skin affliction, brings his sacrifices after eight days of purity (Lev 14:10). In all of these cases, if a person offered up the hatat or the asham outside the Temple that he/she would have to bring at the end of that period, they are exempt because they had not yet become liable to bring those sacrifices to the Temple.
However, if someone who is liable to bring a shelamim or an olah offers it up outside the Temple before the prescribed time has arrived, for instance if a nazirite offers up his shelamim before his naziriteship is complete, or if a zav or a zavah brings his/her olah before the eight days are over, he is liable. This is because a person can always voluntarily bring an olah or a shelamim, even without being liable for one. Since this olah or shelamim could be brought inside the Temple and put on the altar, one who brings it outside the Temple is liable. In contrast, a hatat and an asham can only be brought by someone obligated to bring such a sacrifice, and therefore if someone is not obligated and he offers one outside the Temple he is exempt.
Section three: Sections three and four teach that liability is incurred for offering up a sacrifice outside the Temple only if it was an animal, or a part thereof, that could have been put on the altar. Section three contains a list of parts of animals or other parts of sacrifices that are eaten by priests or non-priests. Since these are eaten and not sacrificed, one who offers them up outside of the Temple is not liable.
Section four: One is liable for offering up a sacrifice outside the Temple but not for performing other parts of the worship service. The first set of these are directly taken from Leviticus 2 which discusses preparing the minhah (meal-offering). Then the mishnah proceeds to note other types of work done in the Temple, such as arranging the showbread on the table, trimming the wicks of the menorah, taking a fistful of the minhah offering, and receiving blood from an animal’s neck.
The general rule is that one is liable only for an act of the sacrificial service which is the completion of that sacrifice, such as burning the animal on an altar. Since all of these acts are merely preparatory, one is not liable for performing them outside the Temple.
Section five: The mishnah now adds that just as one is not liable for performing one of these acts outside the Temple, so too several other prohibitions are not transgressed. If a non-priest does one of these acts, he is not liable for death (by the hands of heaven), as he would be had he actually offered a sacrifice (see Numbers 18:7). An impure priest is also not liable, nor is a priest who is not wearing the prescribed clothing or has not washed his hands and feet. In all of these cases, the act done by the priest (or non-priest) is invalid, but nevertheless he is not liable for having done so.