Comentário sobre Zevachim 8:10
הַנִּתָּנִין מַתָּנָה אַחַת שֶׁנִּתְעָרְבוּ בַנִּתָּנִין בְּמַתָּנָה אַחַת, יִנָּתְנוּ מַתָּנָה אֶחָת. מַתַּן אַרְבַּע בְּמַתַּן אַרְבַּע, יִנָּתְנוּ בְּמַתַּן אַרְבַּע. מַתַּן אַרְבַּע בְּמַתָּנָה אַחַת, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, יִנָּתְנוּ בְמַתַּן אַרְבַּע. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, יִנָּתְנוּ בְמַתָּנָה אֶחָת. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, וַהֲרֵי הוּא עוֹבֵר עַל בַּל תִּגְרַע. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וַהֲרֵי הוּא עוֹבֵר עַל בַּל תּוֹסִיף. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, לֹא נֶאֱמַר בַּל תּוֹסִיף אֶלָּא כְשֶׁהוּא בְעַצְמוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, לֹא נֶאֱמַר בַּל תִּגְרַע אֶלָּא כְשֶׁהוּא בְעַצְמוֹ. וְעוֹד אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, כְּשֶׁנָּתַתָּ, עָבַרְתָּ עַל בַּל תּוֹסִיף וְעָשִׂיתָ מַעֲשֶׂה בְיָדֶךָ. וּכְשֶׁלֹּא נָתַתָּ, עָבַרְתָּ עַל בַּל תִּגְרַע וְלֹא עָשִׂיתָ מַעֲשֶׂה בְיָדֶךָ:
[Se] o sangue que [requer] uma aplicação for misturado com o [outro] sangue que [também exige] uma aplicação, eles [deverão aplicar] uma aplicação. Se o sangue que requer quatro aplicações se misturar com o sangue que requer quatro aplicações, eles devem aplicar quatro aplicações. [Se] o sangue que [requer] quatro [aplicações se misturou] com o [sangue] que [exige] uma, Rabi Eliezer diz: Eles [devem aplicar] quatro aplicações. O rabino Yehoshua diz: Eles [devem aplicar] um pedido. O rabino Eliezer disse a ele [que, ao fazer isso], viola [o mandamento de] "Não diminua [os mandamentos da Torá]". O rabino Yehoshua disse a ele [que, seguindo sua abordagem], viola-se [o mandamento de] "Não adicione [aos mandamentos da Torá]". O rabino Eliezer disse-lhe: "Não adicione" só se aplica se for por si só. O rabino Yehoshua disse a ele: "Não diminua" [também] só se aplica se for por si só. E o rabino Yehoshua disse ainda: Quando você aplica [extra], você viola ativamente "Não adicione"; [mas] quando você não se inscreve, viola "Não prejudique", mas o faz passivamente.
Bartenura on Mishnah Zevachim
English Explanation of Mishnah Zevachim
[If blood] which requires four applications [was mixed] with blood requiring four applications, they should be presented with four applications.
[If blood] which requires four applications [was mixed] with blood which requires one application: Rabbi Eliezer says: it [the mixture] should be presented with four applications. Rabbi Joshua says: it should be presented with one application.
Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Behold, he transgresses the [injunction] not to diminish [from God’s commandment]! Rabbi Joshua said to him: Behold, he transgresses the injunction not to add [to God’s commandments].
Rabbi Eliezer said to him: The injunction not to add applies only where it is by itself. Rabbi Joshua said to him: The injunction not to diminish applies only where it is by itself.
Moreover, Rabbi Joshua said: when you make [four] applications you transgress the injunction not to add, and perform an action with your own hands; whereas when you do not make [four] applications you transgress the injunction not to diminish, but do not perform an action with your own hands.
The first-born animal, the tithe and the pesah require only one blood application on the outer altar. Some other sacrifices require two applications that are actually four because they are applied on two corners. The hatat requires four distinct blood applications. Our mishnah deals with a case where blood from animals requiring different numbers of blood applications are mixed up with each other.
Note that unlike the previous cases where the mixture had invalid blood in it, in this case the mixture consists of only valid blood. The problem is not in the blood itself, but what exactly to do with it.
Sections one and two: If blood from animals requiring the same number of applications is mixed up then they can simply make that number of applications with the blood. These two sections are quite obvious and probably serve as an introduction to the more interesting case which arises in the next section.
Section three: Here blood requiring two different numbers of applications is mixed up. Rabbi Eliezer holds that in such a situation, they should apply the maximum number of applications, in this case four, whereas Rabbi Joshua holds that they should apply the minimum number of applications, one.
Section four: Let the battle begin! Rabbi Eliezer says that if they make only one application, they will be transgressing the biblical prohibition against diminishing from God’s commandments. Rabbi Joshua quickly responds that Rabbi Eliezer’s suggestion is also problematic, for by making four blood applications, he will be adding to God’s commandments, and this is also prohibited (see Deuteronomy 4:2).
Section five: Rabbi Eliezer explains that the prohibition against adding to God’s commandments only applies when the blood is alone, meaning it is not mixed in with blood that requires four applications. If someone were to take blood that requires one application and apply it four times, that would be a transgression. But in our case since some of the blood does require four applications, there is no transgression.
Of course, Rabbi Joshua responds accordingly that the same can be said with regard to the prohibition against diminishing from God’s commandments it would only apply if there was only blood requiring four applications and he applied it only once. Since some of the blood requires one application, there is no transgression.
This argument seems to be going nowhere!
Section six: So now we’re all tied up in the bottom of the ninth. Rabbi Eliezer had his arguments and Rabbi Joshua responded to each of them. The winning blow (to mix my metaphor) is delivered by Rabbi Joshua who says that in this situation it is preferable to transgress by omission rather than commission. It is preferable to make only one blood application and thereby omit the other three, than to make four applications, thereby adding on three to the blood which only required one.
Interesting, this becomes a halakhic rule in other situations. Generally, if there is a conflict of mitzvoth or a situation of such nature, it is better to not perform anything, than to potentially actively transgress a commandment. As I stated in my introduction, many rules that originally appear in Seder Kodashim, are adopted to other areas of halakhah. Temple law, while not in practice by the time of the Mishnah, remained a rich source of halakhah.