ד חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים בָּאִין בְּטֻמְאָה וְאֵינָן נֶאֱכָלִין בְּטֻמְאָה. הָעֹמֶר, וּשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם, וְלֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, וְזִבְחֵי שַׁלְמֵי צִבּוּר, וּשְׂעִירֵי רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים. הַפֶּסַח שֶׁבָּא בְטֻמְאָה, נֶאֱכָל בְּטֻמְאָה, שֶׁלֹּא בָא מִתְּחִלָּתוֹ אֶלָּא לַאֲכִילָה:
4 Five things (i.e., offerings) come (i.e., may be offered) in uncleanliness, but are not eaten in uncleanliness. [There are no other communal offerings eaten (by the Cohanim) but these. And a communal offering overrides uncleanliness, this being derived from Pesach, in respect to which it is written (Numbers 9:2): "in its appointed time," and which overrides uncleanliness in an instance where the majority of the congregation is unclean, viz. (Numbers 9:10): "A man, if he become unclean" — a man is subject to postponement (until the second Pesach), but the populace is not subject to postponement. And in respect to communal offerings it is written (Numbers 29:39): "These shall you offer unto the L rd in your appointed times," just as it is written in respect to the Pesach, "in its appointed time." Our Mishnah apprises us that even though they are sacrificed in uncleanliness to satisfy the communal requirement, they are not eaten in uncleanliness. The reason we have "Five things" and not "Communal offerings" is to exclude all of the festival offerings, which are like communal offerings in that they come "in a crowd," in a gathering of fellows for the festival; yet they do not override uncleanliness, just as they do not override the Sabbath.] (The five things:) the omer, the two breads, the show-bread, the congregational peace-offerings [the atzereth (Shavuoth) lambs, there being no other congregational peace-offerings], and the Rosh Chodesh goats. [The festival goats are not mentioned, for since we are apprised of the congregational peace-offerings, which are types of payment and which are not eaten in uncleanliness, the same applies to all other types of payment. The only reason we must be apprised of the Rosh Chodesh goats is that "appointed time" is not written in that regard, so that we might think they do not override uncleanliness. For all of the communal offerings are derived from "appointed time," it being written in respect to all of them: "These shall you offer to the L rd in your appointed times."] The Pesach which comes in uncleanliness is eaten in uncleanliness; for it came in the beginning only for eating. [When the essential mitzvah of the Pesach was given, it was given only for eating, viz. (Exodus 12:4): "a man according to his eating." And when the Torah permitted bringing it in uncleanliness viz. (the derivation): "a man is subject to postponement, but not the populace," it did so in respect to eating.]