Daily Mitzvah (Rambam)

The 74th prohibition is that a zar is forbidden from serving [in the Temple]. The term zar refers to anyone who is not a descendant of Aharon [i.e., a non-Kohen].

The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "A zar may not come close to you [to perform the Temple service]."

Scripture states explicitly that one who transgresses this prohibition is punished by a heavenly death penalty in the verse,2 "A zar who performs the service shall die." The Sifri says, "The verse 'A zar who performs the service shall die,' refers to one who performs the Temple service. This teaches the punishment, but what is the actual prohibition? That is the verse, 'A zar may not come close to you.' " Both the prohibition and the punishment are repeated in the verse,3 "The Israelites shall therefore no longer come forth to the ohel moed, since they can then become guilty of sin and die."

In tractate Yoma,4 it is explained for which types of service a zar is punished by death: "A zar is punishable by death for the following four types of service — sprinkling [the blood on the altar], burning [the fats, etc. on the altar], spilling wine [on the altar], and spilling water [on the altar]."

The details of this mitzvah are explained there and in the last chapter of tractate Zevachim.5

Footnotes

1.

Num. 18:4.

2.

Ibid., 18:7.

3.

Ibid., 18:22.

4.

24a.

5.

113b.

The 61st mitzvah is that we are commanded that every sacrifice that we bring must be complete, i.e., clean of any blemish as defined by Scripture and the Oral Tradition.1

The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "It must be unblemished in order to be acceptable."

The Sifra says, "The verse, 'It must be unblemished in order to be acceptable,' constitutes a positive commandment." From the verse,3 "These [sacrifices] and their libations must be without blemish for you [to present them]," our Sages derived that the wine used for libations, their oil, and their flour must be the finest and free of any imperfection.4

The details of this mitzvah are explained in the eighth chapter of Menachos.5

Footnotes

1.

Scripture mentions 12 blemishes that invalidate an animal for a sacrifice, and the Sages enumerate a total of 73. See chapters 6 and 7 of Bechoros, Hilchos Bi'as HaMikdash, chapter 7, Hilchos Issurei HaMizbe'ach, chapter 2.

2.

Lev. 22:21.

3.

Num. 28:31.

4.

E.g., wine which has been affected by smoke or flour which has become wormy. See Hilchos Issurei HaMizbe'ach Ch. 6.

5.

87a. In our versions, this is chapter 9.

The 91st prohibition is that we are forbidden from designating a blemished animal as a sacrifice for the altar.

And the source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not offer any blemished animal."

The Sifra says, "The verse, 'Do not offer any blemished animal' means that you may not designate it."

Footnotes

1.

Lev. 22:20.

The 92nd prohibition is that we are forbidden from slaughtering a blemished animal as a sacrifice.

The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), regarding blemished animals, "Do not offer them to G‑d."

The Sifra says, "The verse, 'Do not offer them to G‑d' means that you may not slaughter them."

Footnotes

1.

Ibid., 22:22.

The 93rd prohibition is that we are forbidden from sprinkling the blood of a blemished animal on the altar.

The source of this prohibition is G‑d's additional statement1 regarding blemished animals, "Do not offer them to G‑d."

The Oral Tradition explains that this prohibition forbids sprinkling the blood of blemished animals. This is the first opinion quoted [in the Talmudic passage], and is the final conclusion. R. Yossi the son of R. Yehudah, however, says that it prohibits receiving the blood [in a pan immediately after slaughter]. This corresponds to the statement of the Sifra, "The verse, 'Do not offer them to G‑d' means that you may not receive the blood."

Our Sages said in tractate Temurah,2 "According to the first opinion quoted, what is the meaning of the verse, 'Do not offer them to G‑d'? [If he holds] it teaches that you may not sprinkle the blood — didn't he derive this from the phrase,3 'on the altar'?!"

The meaning of this objection is that the verse, "Do not place any of them on the altar as a burnt-offering to G‑d," implies that anything that is placed on the altar may not come from [blemished animals].4

The answer is given, "It is normal for Scripture to speak in this way."

This means that the prohibition, "Do not place any of them on the altar as a burnt-offering" comes only to prohibit burning the fats. Nothing additional can be derived from the phrase, "on the altar" because the verse would not make sense without them. How else could it have been written? To write, "Do not place any of them as a burnt-offering" [leaving out "on the altar"] would leave the statement incomplete!

From this discussion it is clear that the verse, “Do not offer them to G‑d” prohibits sprinkling the blood [of a blemished animal].

Footnotes

1.

Ibid., 22:24. All three verses (Lev. 22:20, 22, 24) use the same phrase "Do not offer" (lo takrivu).

2.

7a. The following discussion from tractate Temurah demonstrates that the prohibition involves sprinkling the blood, not receiving the blood.

After an animal is designated as a sacrifice, it is slaughtered, its blood is received in a vessel and then sprinkled on the altar. In addition, certain fats (cheilev) are burned on top of the altar.

If the animal was blemished, there are separate prohibitions for the designation (N91), slaughter (N92), and burning (N94). The question here is what does our verse (Lev. 22:24) come to prohibit, receiving the blood or sprinkling the blood.

The Talmud first tries to say that the verse must refer to both, because if it only meant the fats, it could have omitted the words, "on the altar." This phrase, the Talmud suggests, must come to include something that is placed "on the altar" but not burnt, i.e., the blood. And if this verse prohibits sprinkling blood, then our verse, "Do not offer them to G‑d" is extra — and can therefore serve as a source to prohibit receiving the blood.

The Talmud concludes that the phrase "on the altar" is not extra, and therefore sprinkling the blood must be learned from our verse, "Do not offer them to G‑d." Since it needs a separate verse, sprinkling the blood must be counted as a separate mitzvah.

3.

Lev. 22:22. See N94.

4.

Without the words, "on the altar," the verse clearly prohibits burning parts of the offering. The attempt here is to portray these words "on the altar" as teaching us something additional, i.e., that the blood may not be sprinkled, since it is also placed "on the altar."