Commentaire sur Zevahim 14:1

פרת חטאת – the red heifer. It is stated there (Numbers 19:9): “[A man who is pure shall gather up the ashes of the cow and deposit them outside the camp in a pure place…]. It is for purification.”

Introduction The first three mishnayot of our chapter continue to deal with the prohibition of slaughtering an animal outside the Temple.

חוץ מגתה (outside of its marked-off space – the phrase also appears in Tractate Parah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 2) – the pile of wood on the altar in the Temple that are arranged like a vat (i.e., marked off space) that they make for it in the place that they slaughter it on the Mount of Olives opposite the entrance of the Temple (i.e., the Hall containing the golden altar). But if he slaughtered it outside of that place, it is invalid. But he is not liable for it because one can slaughter Holy Things outside [the Temple], for the All-Merciful exempted him since it is written (Leviticus 17:4): “and does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting [to present it as an offering to the LORD, before the LORD’s Tabernacle, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man: he has shed blood; that man shall be cut off from among his people.],” but since Scripture was strict to punish him that he did not bring it [to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting], one learns from it that while standing to bring it in [to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting] is what Scripture is speaking about.

If one slaughtered the hatat cow [the red heifer] outside its appointed place, and likewise if one offered the scapegoat [of Yom Kippur] outside, he is not liable, because it says, “And has not brought it unto the door of the Tent of Meeting,” (Leviticus 17:4): whatever is not eligible to come to the door of the Tent of Meeting, one is not liable on its account. The hatat cow (see Numbers 19:9) is burned and its ashes are placed into water which is then used to purify people from corpse impurity. None of this is performed inside the Temple. The scapegoat of Yom Kippur is brought to Azazel, a place in the wilderness, and there it is thrown off a cliff. Neither of these animals is sacrificed in the Temple. One who slaughters the heifer in the wrong place, or offers up the scapegoat outside the Temple is not liable. This is derived from the wording of the verse: one is liable for offering outside the Temple only animals that were supposed to be brought into the Temple (Tent of Meeting while in the desert).

כל שאינו ראוי לבוא – etc. that will not offer a sacrifice in the future.