Commento su Zevahim 6:2
חַטַּאת הָעוֹף הָיְתָה נַעֲשֵׂית עַל קֶרֶן דְּרוֹמִית מַעֲרָבִית. בְּכָל מָקוֹם הָיְתָה כְשֵׁרָה, אֶלָּא זֶה הָיָה מְקוֹמָהּ. וּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָיְתָה אוֹתָהּ הַקֶּרֶן מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת מִלְּמַטָּן, וּשְׁלשָׁה מִלְמַעְלָן. מִלְּמַטָּן, חַטַּאת הָעוֹף וְהַהַגָּשׁוֹת וּשְׁיָרֵי הַדָּם. מִלְמַעְלָן, נִסּוּךְ הַמַּיִם וְהַיַּיִן וְעוֹלַת הָעוֹף כְּשֶׁהִיא רַבָּה בַמִּזְרָח:
Il Chattat [offerte portate a espiare il peccato] di un uccello fu eseguito nell'angolo sud-ovest [dell'altare]. È valido [se fatto] in qualsiasi luogo, ma quello era il suo [corretto] posto. Quell'angolo serviva [come posizione per] tre servizi sotto [il punto medio dell'altare] e serviva [come posizione per] tre servizi sopra [il punto medio dell'altare]. [Eseguito in questo angolo] sotto [i punti medi erano]: Il Chattat dell'uccello, la presentazione [di Menachot ] e [il versamento di] i resti [di sangue sacrificale]. [Eseguito in questo angolo] sopra [il punto medio erano]: [Il versamento della] libagione del vino, [il versamento della] libagione dell'acqua e [la procedura di] Olah [un'offerta che è completamente bruciata] di un uccello quando c'erano troppi [sacrifici portati] ad est [angolo dell'altare].
Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
חטאת העוף היתה נעשית בקן מערבית דרומית 0 because that the meal-offering of a sinner is called a sin-offering, as it is written regarding the meal-offering of a sinner (Leviticus 5:11): “he shall not add oil to it or lay frankincense on it, for it is a purification (i.e., sin) offering.” And it implies also that a sin-offering is called a meal-offering, for a sin-offering turns into a meal-offering for the poorest of the poor, and the meal-offering we found that it requires offering in the southwestern corner, as it is written (Leviticus 6:7): “[And this is the ritual of the grain offering:] Aaron’s sons shall present it before the LORD, in front of the altar,” which direction is it that is “before the LORD” and” in front of the altar?” It would say that this is the southwestern direction, for “before the LORD” is westward, and the “front of the altar” is the south, for there was the inclined plane leading to the altar, and just as the meal-offering requires bringing near in the southwestern corner, even the sin-offering of fowl, its Divine service is in the southwestern corner. And the sprinkling of its blood is the essence of its Divine service.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zevachim
Introduction
Our mishnah begins to deal with bird offerings. There are two types of bird offerings: the hatat and the olah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
מכל מקום היתה כשרה – for the pinching of the bird’s head.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zevachim
The hatat of a bird was sacrificed by the southwest horn [of the altar]. The sacrifice of a bird consists of plucking off its head and then sprinkling its blood on the altar. These were both done on the southwest horn (or corner) of the altar.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
אלא זה היה מקומה – for the sprinkling of its blood. And such is how they explain it in the Gemara (see Talmud Zevakhim 63b).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zevachim
It is valid [if done] in any place, but this was its [particular] place. The mishnah notes that this is where the bird hatat was supposed to be done, but it didn’t have to be done there. If it was done elsewhere it is still valid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
מלמטה – below the red line (i.e., a line painted in red encircling the Temple altar at precisely half its height – because the blood of animal sin-offerings and birds brought as burnt-offerings were 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).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zevachim
That horn served for three things below, and three things above: Below: for the hatat of the bird, For the presenting [of meal-offerings]. And for the residue of the blood. There were six sacrificial actions performed on this corner of the altar, three of which were performed above the crimson line in the middle of the altar and three below. The bird hatat, the main topic of our mishnah, was performed below the line. The minhah (meal) offerings were presented, meaning drawn near, to the altar, at this corner, below the line. Also, the residue of the blood from animal sacrifices was poured out on the southern base (yesod) at this corner (see above 5:3).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
הגשות – [bring near] of meal offerings (see Tractate Menahot, Chapter 5, Mishnah 5) prior to their taking a fistful of the meal offerings, as it is written (Leviticus 2:6): “[When you present to the LORD a grain offering that is made in any of these ways, it shall be brought to the priest] who shall take it up to the altar.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Zevachim
Above: for the pouring out of wine and water, and for the olah of a bird when there was too much on the east. There were three actions above the line at this corner. The first two are the libations, liquids poured out onto the altar. There are two such libations. The water libation which occurs only on Sukkot (see Sukkah 4:9) and the wine libation, which was done frequently as an accompaniment to animal sacrifices. In addition, usually the bird olah was done on the southeastern corner of the altar. But if there were too many bird olahs and the southeastern corner became busy, they would offer the extra on the southwestern corner.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
ושיירי הדם (see Tractate Zevakhim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 3) – of the outer sin offerings, he would pour [the remnants of the blood] to the southern foundation, as we derived in the chapter [five of Tractate Zevakhim, Mishnah 3 – Talmud Zevakhim 53a].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
ניסוך המים – on the holiday of Sukkot (see Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 9).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
והיין – on each day, for there were the pits by the side of the altar into which the remainder of the libations were poured (see also Tractate Meilah, Chapter 3, Mishnah 3 and Talmud Meilah 11a) and it was not possible to offer libations other than there.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
ועולת העוף כשהיא רבה במזרח – for he essence of its place was in the southeastern corner, because it was close to the place of the ashes to throw there its crop (of the bird) and its feathers, as it is written (Leviticus 1:16): “[He shall remove its crop with its contents,[ and cast it into the place of the ashes, [at the east side of the altar].” But when it is abundant there, that there are many Kohanim in that corner engaged with burnt-offerings, but there isn’t space for this to stand on the surrounding ledge (i.e., five cubits above the altar’s base, six cubits from the ground. It was one cubit wide on all sides surrounding the altar.) for the burnt-offering of fowl was done above, when he came to the southwestern corner, where even it was close to the place of the ashes more than the other two corners, for the place of the ashes was near the ramp in the eastern side of the ramp and to the south of the altar.
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