Comentario sobre Zevahim 10:5

קודמות לאשמות – if he was liable for a sin-offering and a guilt-offering and brings them the sin-offering precedes, as it is taught in the Mishnah (Tractate Zevakhim, Chapter 10, Mishnah 2): “that its blood is placed on the four on the four corners [of an altar] and on the foundation.”

All hatats in the Torah precede ashams, except the asham of a metzora (one with a skin, because it comes to make [a person] fit. As we learned in mishnah two of this chapter, the hatat takes precedence over the asham because its blood is sprinkled on all four corners of the altar, whereas the blood of the asham is sprinkled on only two corners. There is one exception to this rule and that is the asham of the metzora (Leviticus 14:14). The blood of this asham is placed on the ear, thumb and large toe of the metzora and it purifies him from his skin affliction. This makes him fit to participate in rituals which require purity. The metzora also brings a hatat and this sacrifice is also required in order for him to be purified from his affliction. However, since it is the blood from the asham and not the blood of the hatat that is placed on his body, it takes precedence.

מפני שהוא בא להכשיר – [because it renders fit] the leper to Holy Things and to enter into the Sanctuary, therefore, it is of importance/value regarding him, that his spiritual purity is dependent upon it.

All ashams of the Torah must be two-year olds and [two] silver shekels in value, except a nazirite’s asham and the asham of a metzorah, for they are a year old, and need not be [two] silver shekels in value. The mishnah now begins to discuss some general principles with regard to the asham. The Torah describes most ashams as being “rams.” In order to be a ram the animal must be at least two years old. The asham must also be worth at least two silver shekels. In describing the asham brought for illegal trespass of Temple property Leviticus 5:15 states that it must be worth “shekalim” which is the plural of “shekel.” The minimum number of a plural is two, and therefore the asham ram must be worth at least two shekels. There are two exceptions to this rule: the asham brought by the nazirite and the asham brought by the metzora. When it comes to the nazirite’s asham, Numbers 6:12 says that he must “bring a lamb (keves) in its first year as an asham.” The same word “keves” is used in Leviticus 14:12 with regard to the metzora’s asham, and hence we can learn that it too is one year old, and not two. If a two-year old ram is worth two shekels, then a one year old lamb is not worth two shekels (at least not usually). Therefore, the rabbis waive the requirement that these ashams, which are lambs and not rams, must be worth two silver shekels.

ובאים בכסף שקלים – as it is written (Leviticus 5:15): “[When a person commits a trespass, being unwittingly remiss about any of the LORD’s sacred tings, he shall bring as his penalty to the LORD a ram without blemish from the flock;] convertible into payment in silver by the sanctuary weight, [as a reparation/guilt offering],” as a guilt-offering for misuse of consecrated articles (i.e., restoring its value to the Temple, pay an additional fifth, and bringing this offering) and it brings an uncertain guilt-offering (i.e., brought by one who is uncertain as to whether he committed a sin that required a sin-offering).and a guilt-offering for robbery (i.e., when he denies that he owes someone money, takes a false oath to support his claim, and later admits his guilt. To atone for his misdeed, he returns the money, pays the wronged party an additional fifth of the sum, and sacrifices this offering) as an analogy [with the words]"ערכך" "ערכך" (see Leviticus 5:15: “convertible/כערכך into payment in silver by the sanctuary weight” and Leviticus 5:18): “”He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, or the equivalent/בערכך, as a reparation – i.e., guilt – offering.”) and the guilt-offering for a handmaiden designated to become the wife of one selected by her master/שפחה חרופה we derive [in an analogy] by "איל" "איל" (i.e., the ram of reparation offering – as in Leviticus 19:21: “But he must bring to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, as his reparation offering to the LORD a ram/איל of reparation offering” and Leviticus 5:15: “he shall bring as his penalty to the LORD a ram/איל without blemish from the flock.”).

חוץ מאשם נזיר ואשם מצורע – as it is written concerning them (Numbers 7:14): “[As his offering to the LORD he shall present:] one male lamb in its first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; one ewe lamb in its first year, without blemish, for a purification offering; one ram without blemish for an offering of well-being.” For since a ram of two years of age is for two Sela, a lamb one year old is not for two Sela.