Comentario sobre Zevahim 2:1

כל הזבחים שקבל דמן זר – who is not a Kohen, it is disqualified. As it is written (Leviticus 22:2): “[Instruct Aaron and his sons] to be scrupulous about the sacred donations that the Israelite people consecrate to Me, lest they profane [My holy name, Mine the LORD’s],” teaches about the foreigner (i.e., non-Kohen) who transgressed, who profaned the Holy Things.

All sacrifices whose blood was caught by a: non-priest, an onen, a tebul yom, one lacking [priestly] vestments, one lacking sacrificial atonement, one who had not washed his hands and feet, an uncircumcised [priest]; an unclean [priest]; one who was sitting, one who was standing on utensils or on an animal or on another’s feet, are disqualified.
If [the priest] caught [the blood] with his left hand, it is disqualified. Rabbi Shimon declares it valid.
If the blood was poured out on to the pavement and [the priest] collected it, it is disqualified.
If [the priest] put it [the blood] on the ramp [to the altar], [or on the altar, but] not against its base; if he applied [the blood] which should be applied below [the scarlet line] above [it] or that which should be applied above, below, or that which should be applied within [he applied] without, or that which should be applied without [he applied] within, it is invalid, but does not involve karet.
Section one: This is a list of people who cannot receive the blood of a sacrifice in a vessel, or carry it to the altar, or sprinkle it on the altar. Note that the mishnah does not say that these people cannot slaughter the animal. The laws regarding slaughtering the sacrifice are less strict. I shall explain each category one at a time:
Non-priest: only priests can perform these activities.
An onen: Someone who had one of their close relatives die is considered an onen on the day of the death.
A tebul yom: This is the word for an impure person who has immersed in a mikveh but before the end of the day (before the sun sets after he was made pure). See Leviticus 22:7. Believe it or not, there is an entire tractate in Seder Toharot devoted to this subject.
One lacking [priestly] vestments: A regular priest must wear four garments and the high priest must wear eight garments (see Yoma 7:5). Without the proper attire, the sacrifice is invalid.
One lacking sacrificial atonement: In certain cases, when one’s period of impurity is over he must bring a sacrifice. If the priest has not brought the required sacrifice, he cannot take part in the sacrificial worship.
One who had not washed his hands and feet: See Exodus 30:19.
An uncircumcised [priest]: See Ezekiel 44:9.
An unclean [priest]: one must be ritually pure to offer sacrifices.
One who was sitting, one who was standing on utensils or on an animal or on another’s feet, are disqualified: the sacrificial procedure must be performed while standing on the floor of the Temple’s courtyard, not sitting or standing on something else.
Section two: According to the first opinion, the blood must be caught in one’s right hand. Rabbi Shimon says it can be caught in the left hand.
Section three: The blood has a very specific place upon which it must be poured. It cannot be poured on the floor of the Temple, or on the ramp leading up to the Temple. It must be applied to the base of the altar. Sometimes the blood must be poured on the lower part of the base, which was separated by a crimson line from the upper part, and sometimes it must be poured on the upper part. The important thing is that the blood is poured on the part appropriate to that sacrifice. If it is not, the sacrifice is invalid. Similarly, sometimes the blood must be poured on the altar inside the Sanctuary (the Hekhal) or even within the Holy of Holies, and at other times it must be poured on the outer altar. What again is essential is that the blood of each sacrificed is poured on the altar upon which it is supposed to be poured. If it is not, the sacrifice is invalid.
Although this sacrifice is invalid, one who eats of its flesh is not liable for karet (a biblical penalty of great severity) unlike one who eats of one of the sacrifices disqualified in mishnah two or three. In those cases, when the animal was sacrificed with the wrong intent, eating its flesh was punished by the serious penalty of karet.

אונן – a person who sustained a loss of one of the relatives that he is obligated to mourn over them, all the day of the death is called Onen/a mourner before the burial of a kinsman, and he is forbidden to eat Holy Things, but if he served (nevertheless) and profaned . Except for the High Priest who offers sacrifices as a mourner prior to the burial of a kinsman [one is normally obligated to mourn for].

וטבול יום – that his purification is not completed until [after] sunset, as it is written (Leviticus 22:7): “As soon as the sun sets, he shall be pure, [and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food].”

ומחוסר בגדים – a common priest who served with less than four [sets of] garments. And a High Priest who served with less than eight [sets of garments] and because he is lacking priestly garments (which renders the offerings he sacrifices unit, and he is punishable by death at the hands of Heaven – see Exodus 29:9 and Tractate Zevakhim 17b) is disqualified, and similarly someone wearing an excess of priestly garments is disqualified. And similarly, if there was something that interposes between the priest’s undercoat/כתונת and the undergarments/drawers, he is disqualified, for the All-Merciful stated (Leviticus 6:7): “[The priest shall dress in linen raiment,] with linen breeches next to his body,” so that there will be nothing that interposes between the clothing to his skin, but he does don/wear the phylacteries of the head because they are placed on his hair which are visible between the front plate/ציץ (worn by the High Priest across his forehead which is made of gold, extending from one ear to the other – see Exodus 28:36-38) and the priest’s turban/מצנפת.

ומחוסר כפורים (lacking atonement – who must bring a sacrifice to complete it) – as for example, the man or woman with a flux (i.e., זב וזבה ), the leper and the woman who gave birth that completed their purification but had [yet] brought their sacrifices. And we find that the All-Merciful wrote regarding a woman who gave birth (Leviticus 12:8): “The priest shall make expiation on her behalf, and she shall be pure,” it follows that until here, she is impure. And the same law applies to all of the ret of those who are impure who require a sacrifice, that they [remain] in their state of impurity until they bring their atonement as regards partaking of Holy Things and to come to the Sanctuary.

ושלא רחוץ ידים ורגלים – because it is stated regarding the sanctification of the hands and feet that it is a law for all times, and it is stated regarding the raiment of the priesthood as a law for all times, just as concerning the raiment of the priesthood, if he served lacking priestly garments (see Exodus 29:9: “And gird both Aaron and his sons with sashes. And so they shall have priesthood as their right for all time.”), it is disqualified, even if he served without washing his hands and feet, he is disqualified. And the other of sanctifying his hands and feet: He doesn’t stand nor does he sit, but he reclines, and he places his right hand on top of his right foot and his left hand on top of his left foot, and rubs his feet with his hands when he is sanctifying [himself]. But he is not permitted to sanctify [himself] in the basin (i.e., laver for the priests in the Temple court) itself, but rather from the water that comes out from it, as it is stated (Exodus 30:19): “And let Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet [in water drawn] from it,” but not in it, and all of the waters are fit for sanctification, and even if they are not fresh waters.

וערל – if he served, he is disqualified, as it is written in Ezekiel (44:9): “Let no alien, uncircumcised in spirit and flesh, [enter My sanctuary],” an analogy of words in close proximity is made between ערל/uncircumcised and בן – נכר/alien, just as an alien if he served is disqualified, so too is the case of the uncircumcised.

יושב – as it is written (Deuteronomy 18:5): “[For the LORD your God has chosen him and his descendants, out of all of your tribes], to be in attendance/לעמוד לשרת (literally, “to stand to serve”) [in the name of the LORD for all time],” that there should not be service other than while standing.

עומד על גבי כלים – since the floor of the Temple courtyard sanctifies, and the sacred vessels sanctify the thing that comes in contact with them, jus as sacred vessels require that thee is nothing that interposes between it and sacred vessels, even the floor, there should not be a thing that interposes between it and the floor. And needless to say utensils that are not a kind of flesh/meat definitely interpose, bu even the animal which is a kind of meat/flesh, and needless to say, the animal which is not a kind of human being, but rather even the feet of his colleague which are a kind of human being interposes.

קבל בשמאלו פסל – as it is written (Leviticus 4:25): “The priest shall take with his finger some of the blood of the purification offering and put it [on the horns of the altar of burnt offering],” which teaches that he the reception of the blood nor the putting it [on the horns of the altar of burnt offering] should be other than with the right [hand], for it is derived from the [law of the] leper, as it is written concerning it (Leviticus 14:16): “And the priest shall dip his right finger [in the oil that is in the palm of his left hand and sprinkle some of he oil with his finger seven times before the LORD].”

ור"ש מכשיר – he holds that this Biblical verse is expounded in back of him and not in front of/before him, therefore, the finger of “and put it” (Leviticus 4:25) as it is written refers to in back of him, and not as “[the priest] shall take” (ibid.,) which is written in front of him. But the Rabbis hold that this Biblical verse is expounded [both] in front of him/before him and in back of him, for when it is written, “with his finger,” it refers to both, to the taking that is before him/in front of him and to the putting which is in back of him. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

נשפך על הרצפה – for the blood was not received in a vessel.

ואספו – as it is written (Leviticus 16:14): “He shall take some of the blood of the bull [and sprinkle it with his finger over the cover on the east side],” what is “from some of the blood of the bull?” If you might think , and even from part of the blood, but it is written (Leviticus 4:18): “and all the rest of he blood he shall pour out [at the base of the altar of burnt offering],” so we see that he receives all of the blood, but rather it is called, that he takes blood from the bull, from the bull he will receive it, but not from the ground. For they deduct one letter from this word and add it to another word and expound upon it.

נתנו על הכבש שלא כנגד היסוד פסול – but nevertheless the owners have been expiated/forgiven, but the meat is not eaten. For the All-Merciful stated regarding the blood (Leviticus 17:11): “and I have assigned it to you for making expiation for your lives upon the altar,” since the blood arrived to he altar, the owners were expiated/forgiven.

נתן את הנתנים למטה – from the red line/חוט הסיקרא (a line painted in red encircling the Temple altar at precisely half its height. This marking was necessary because the blood of animal sin-offerings and birds brought as burnt offerings was sprinkled on the upper portion of the altar, above the red line, whereas the blood of all other sacrifices was sprinkled on the lower portion, below the red line), which encircled the altar in the middle. And the blood which was placed in the five upper cubits which are above from the red line are called “placed above” and those that were placed in the five lower cubits which are below from the red line are called “placed below.”

הניתנים בפנים – that their bloods required sprinkling on the golden altar.

בחוץ – on the outer altar.

פסול – and they are forbidden for consumption.

ואין בו כרת – a person who eats from the meat of the Holy Things that whose blood was disqualified in these disqualified things, but he is not punished with extirpation.