Rambam - 1 Chapter a Day

The following rules apply when a person tells his servant: "Go and sacrifice a Paschal sacrifice for me." Even though his master usually slaughters a lamb every year and the servant slaughtered a goat - or his master would usually slaughter a goat and he went and slaughtered a lamb, the master may partake of it, since he did not explicitly say: "Slaughter this particular type."

If the servant went and slaughtered both a kid and a lamb, the master may not partake of either of them. Instead, they should be taken to the place where sacrifices are burnt, because one may not be enumerated on two Paschal sacrifices. If, however, it was a king or queen who told his servant to sacrifice an animal for him and the servant slaughtered a kid and a lamb, the king or queen may partake of the one slaughtered first. This leniency was granted to placate the king.

When one tells his agent: "Go out and slaughter a Paschal sacrifice for me" and establishes that he wants either a kid or a lamb slaughtered, but the agent forgot what the principal told him, the agent should slaughter both a kid and a lamb and say: "If the principal told me to slaughter a kid, the kid should be his and the lamb, mine. If he told me to slaughter a lamb, the lamb should be his and the kid, mine."

In such a situation, if the principal also forgot what he told the agent, both animals should be taken to the place where sacrifices are burnt. If the principal forgot before the blood was cast on the altar, they are obligated to bring a second Paschal sacrifice. If he forgot after the blood was cast on the altar, he is exempt from bring a second Paschal sacrifice.

The same also applies if one tells a Canaanite servant: "Go and slaughter a Paschal sacrifice for me," and he established the type of sacrifice he desired and the servant forgot what his master told him, provided the shepherd of his master gives him a kid and a lamb and tells him: "Slaughter both of them so that you will have slaughtered one according to the instructions of your master. And one shall be yours on the condition that your master has no portion in it." If the shepherd does this, it will be possible for the servant to make the stipulation described above.

The following rules apply if the members of a company tell a person: "Go and slaughter a Paschal sacrifice for us," and he tells them: "And you should slaughter for me." If they slaughtered an animal and he slaughtered an animal, they should eat from the animal slaughtered first and the one slaughtered last should be taken to the place where sacrifices are burnt.

The following laws apply when the animal designated as a Paschal sacrifice of a company is lost and they tell one of the members of the company: "Go, search for it, and slaughter it for us." He went, found the Paschal sacrifice that was lost, and slaughtered it and they took another animal for a Paschal sacrifice and slaughtered it. If his was slaughtered first, he partakes of his sacrifice and they partake of it with him and the second one should be burnt. If theirs was slaughtered first, they should partake of their sacrifice and he should partake of his own. If it is not known which was slaughtered first or they were both slaughtered at the same time, he should partake of his own, but they should not eat with him. Their sacrifice should be taken to the place where sacrifices are burnt, but they are exempt from bringing a second Paschal sacrifice.

The following laws apply when the agent told the members of the company who sent him to search for the Paschal sacrifice that was lost and to slaughter it: "If I come late, slaughter a Paschal sacrifice for me," and then he went and found the lost animal and slaughtered it, but they also took another animal for a Paschal sacrifice and slaughtered it. If theirs is slaughtered first, they should partake of their own and he should eat with them. The second one should be burnt. If his is slaughtered first, he should partake of his own and they should partake of their own. If it is not known which was slaughtered first or they were both slaughtered at the same time, they should partake of theirs, but he does not partake of it with them. His sacrifice should be taken to the place where sacrifices are burnt, but he is exempt from bringing a second Paschal sacrifice.

The following laws apply if the Paschal sacrifice of a company was lost and the Paschal sacrifice of an individual was lost. He told them: "Go, search for it, and slaughter for me" and they told him: "Go, search for it, and slaughter for us." If he went, found the lost animal, and slaughtered it and they went, found the lost animal, and slaughtered it, they should all eat from the first one slaughtered and the second should be burnt. If it is not known which was slaughtered first or they were both slaughtered at the same time, they should both be burnt and they are all exempt from bringing a second Paschal sacrifice.

If he went to search for the lost animal and they went to search for the lost animal, but they did not tell each other anything, neither one has any responsibility to the other. Since they said nothing explicitly and did not tell each other anything, this applies even if, in their hearts, they had the intent that each one would slaughter for the other and there were gestures and other matters from which it could be assessed that they all agreed that whoever finds the lost animal should slaughter for the sake of the other.

The following rules apply when the Paschal sacrifices of two companies become intermingled before they are slaughtered. One company takes one lamb from the mixture and the other takes the second. One of the members of one company should go to the other and one of the members of the second company should go the first. Each of the companies say to the person who came to join them: "If this Paschal sacrifice is ours, you are removed from your Paschal sacrifice and enumerated on ours. If, however, this Paschal sacrifice is yours, we are removed from our Paschal sacrifice and enumerated on yours."

Similarly, if there were five groups with at least five persons in each or ten groups of at least ten, a member of every company is taken to each other company and such stipulations are made. Afterwards, they slaughter the sacrificial animals.

When the Paschal sacrifices of two individuals become intermingled, one should take one of the Paschal sacrifices that are intermingled and the other should take the other. One should add another outsider to his Paschal sacrifice and the other should add an outsider, so that there be two companies. Afterwards, one of the two will go to the others and one of the others will go to the one and each one will stipulate with the person who came to him from the other company. Each should say: "If this Paschal sacrifice is mine, you are removed from your Paschal sacrifice and enumerated on mine. If, however, this Paschal sacrifice is yours, I am removed from our Paschal sacrifice and enumerated on yours." Thus no one has lost anything.

When the hides of the Paschal sacrifices of five companies become intermingled and a disqualifying growth was discovered on the hide of one of them, all the sacrifices must be taken to the place where sacrifices are burnt. If they were intermingled before the blood was cast on the altar, they are all obligated to bring the second Paschal sacrifice.

If, however, the sacrificial animals became intermingled after the blood was cast, they are exempt from bringing the second Paschal sacrifice. For if they would offer a second Paschal sacrifice, the ones who offered an acceptable sacrifice on the first Pesach will be bringing non-sacrificial animals to the Temple Courtyard. If they would all be enumerated on one Paschal sacrifice, it would be slaughtered for those who are not obligated. That is equivalent to having it sacrificed for the sake of those who were not enumerated upon it. If each one of them brought a sacrifice for the second Paschal sacrifice and made a stipulation saying: "If it is not a Paschal sacrifice, it should be considered as a peace-offering," that is undesirable. For the blood of the Paschal sacrifice is poured on the altar, while the blood of a peace-offering is dashed and, as an initial preference, blood that should be dashed should not be poured. Hence they are exempt from a second Paschal sacrifice.