Daily Mitzvah (Rambam)

The 68th mitzvah is that the High Court is commanded to bring an offering if they inadvertently erred in a legal ruling.1

The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "If the entire community of Israel commits an inadvertent violation as a result of [the truth] being hidden from the eyes of the congregation3 [....the congregation must bring a young bull as a sin-offering]."

The details and all the conditions governing this mitzvah are fully explained in tractate Horayos and in a number of passages in tractate Zevachim.4

Footnotes

1.

This applies only when their judgment dealt with a transgression for which an individual would have to bring a sin-offering, and they declared it permissible and people did the forbidden act based on their ruling.

2.

Lev. 4:13-14.

3.

I.e., the High Court.

4.

90b. See Kapach, 5731, footnote 75.

The 75th mitzvah is that any zavah1 must bring an offering after she is healed from her discharge.

This offering, which consists of two doves or two young pigeons, is known as a korban zavah, and her atonement is incomplete2 until these sacrifices are brought.

Perhaps one will ask the following question: since the offering of the zav and that of the zavah are identical, we should count only the offering as the mitzvah, and everyone who is required to bring it would be included. [Therefore it would count just as one mitzvah rather than two.3] This is how we treated the sin-offering, the guilt-offering, the asham talui, and the offering of adjustable value4 — where we ignored the number of transgressions covered by each offering,5 and counted just the offering itself as one mitzvah. So too here, we should ignore the number of people who are required to bring this bird offering [and count only the offering itself]!

The explanation is that the offering of the zav and that of the zavah are not for transgressions, but are brought only because of specific physical conditions [and these differ by a man and by a woman]. If the physical condition of the man and that of the woman were identical — as their names, zav and zavah, are identical — then their sacrifices would be counted together [as one mitzvah]. However, this is not the case, for a man must bring an offering because he has emitted semen;6 but if something similar would be emitted by a woman, she would not become a zavah. [Conversely] in a woman, it is the flow of blood which makes her a zavah, and if a man would emit blood, he would be exempt from bringing a sacrifice. [The similarity is only their names, zav and zavah,] and the word zivus is associated with "flowing" — and not every flow is the same.

Our Sages7 said explicitly [that the flow of a zav differs from that of a zavah]: "A man becomes tameh through a white emission, and a woman becomes tameh through a red emission."

There is a clear proof that the law of a zav and zavah is unlike that of a leprous man and a leprous woman [whose offerings count as only one mitzvah8]. This is the statement of our Sages in tractate Kerisus,9 "There are four categories of "those whose atonement is incomplete": zav, zavah, a woman who has just given birth, and a leper." One sees clearly that the zav and zavah are counted separately, whereas the leper — whether male or female — is counted only once. This is because the zivus (flow) of a man is different from that of a woman [whereas the leprosy is the same].10

The verses11 which speak of her offering state, "When the woman is rid of her discharge...on the eighth day, she shall take for herself two doves."

Footnotes

1.

A woman who experiences menstrual bleeding at an abnormal time. See P106.

2.

Even though she has immersed and gone through the necessary waiting period, she still may not eat from any sacrifices before bringing her offering.

3.

See P74.

4.

P64, P65, P70, P72.

5.

The offering of adjustable value, for example, is brought for any of four various transgressions.

6.

A thin sort of seed as a result of an illness. See P104. Hilchos Mechusarei Kapparah 2:1.

7.

Niddah 32b.

8.

P77.

9.

8b.

10.

Therefore, since the condition of a zav and that of a zavah are different, their offerings cannot be counted together.

11.

Lev. 15:28-29.

The 76th mitzvah is that every woman who gives birth is required to bring an offering; a yearling sheep as a burnt-offering and a dove or young pigeon as a sin-offering. If she is poor, she brings two doves or two pigeons — one as a burnt-offering and one as a sin-offering.

Her atonement is also1 considered to be incomplete until she brings her offerings, as it is written,2 "When her purification period for a son or a daughter is complete, she shall bring a yearling sheep...[the kohen shall then make atonement for her and she shall be pure]."

Footnotes

1.

As with the zavah mentioned in the previous mitzvah.

2.

Lev. 12:6,8.