Pesulei Hamukdashim - Chapter 7

The process of snipping of the head of a sacrificial dove.

An animal that dies without ritual slaughter.

A person who eats the corpse of a kosher fowl that was not slaughtered according to Torah Law contracts ritual impurity as stated in Hilchot She’ar Avot HaTum’ah 3:1.

In all of these instances, it is forbidden to partake of the meat of these doves. For melikah is acceptable only during the day (Ma’aseh HaKorbanot 4:1), ordinary doves slaughtered in the Temple Courtyard are considered as tereifah (Shechitah 2:1-2), and sacrificial doves slaughtered outside the Temple are disqualified (She’ar Avot HaTum’ah 3:9). Nevertheless, since melikah is a valid process for killing sacrificial doves and the doves that were slaughtered in the wrong locations were slaughtered properly, the corpses do not convey impurity as a corpse of a neveilah would.

As stated in Hilchot Issurei Mizbeiach 3:2, young doves are acceptable as offerings only when they are still underdeveloped, before they begin to sprout yellow feathers, and turtle-doves are acceptable only after they pass this stage of development.

I.e., not merely blinded, but having lost the eye.

And thus was disqualified as a sacrifice, as other doves which have lost a limb or organ (Hilchot Issurei Mizbeiach 3:1).

Our translation is based on Rashi, Zevachim 68b. In his Commentary to the Mishnah (Zevachim 7:5), the Rambam defines the term as meaning disqualification due to the intent of the priest, a factor which disqualifies him from performing service, or because of the place the offering was slaughtered.

A dove which is tereifah is not acceptable as a sacrifice (Hilchot Issurei Mizbeiach 3:1).

Melikah may only performed with the priest’s hands.

See Hilchot Sha’arAvot HaTuma’ah 3:12.

I.e., melikah is not an acceptable means of slaughter. It is acceptable only for sacrificial doves. Therefore, when it is performed on a dove that is not acceptable as a sacrifice or in a place where a sacrifice is unacceptable, it is considered as if the animal has merely been killed.

An animal whose reproductive organ is covered by a mound of flesh and thus its gender cannot be determined.

An animal which has both male and female reproductive organs. All of the animals mentioned above are not acceptable as sacrifices, as stated in Hilchot Issurei Mizbeiach, chs. 3-4.

As stated in Hilchot Sha’ar Avot HaTuma’ah 3:1, a person and his garments do not become impure from eatinga nevelah of a kosher fowl until he swallows it. While it is in his mouth, he and his garments are pure.

Since these types of animals are fundamentally unacceptable, they are not considered as sacrificial animals. See Hilchot Issurei HaMizbeiach 3:10.

Hilchot Ma’aseh HaKorbanot 6:20; 7:6.

As mentioned in Hilchot Mechusrei Kapparah, ch. 1, after purification, a zav (a male with discharges resembling, but not identical with gonorrhea), a zavah (a woman with vaginal bleeding outside her menstrual cycle) and a woman after childbirth, are required to bring a pair of doves, one as a sin-offering and one, as a burnt-offering. The remainder of this chapter and the three subsequent chapters deal with the possibilities that a dove designated as a sin-offering becomes intermingled with one designated as a burnt-offering.
A convert also must bring a pair of two doves and they are offered as burnt-offerings, but since this is a rare occurrence, it is not taken into consideration [the Rambam’s Commentary to the Mishnah (Kinnim 1:2)].

As described in Hilchot Ma’aseh HaKorbanot 6:20.

As described in ibid. 7:6.

Ritual slaughter involves slitting two “signs”—the windpipe and the gullet. These two organs must also be slit during melikah.

In addition to the place on the altar where the blood of the two is offered, there are two differences between the way melikah is performed for a burnt-offering and for a sin-offering:
a) The head of the dove may not be severed while performing melikah on a sin-offering. For a burnt-offering, by contrast, there is an obligation that the head be separated.
b) The blood of a burnt-offering is squeezed out on the wall of the altar. The blood of a sin-offering, by contrast, is sprinkled on the altar.

For a sin-offering is not acceptable if it is not offered with the proper intent (see Chapter 15, Halachah 1).

Le., not only is the offering unacceptable as a sin-offering; it is also unacceptable as a burnt-offering (Radbaz).

For a burnt-offering is acceptable even if it is not offered for the proper intent.

See also Hilchot Meilah 3:7.

As will be explained in chs. 14-16, when a person slaughters an animal with the intent of partaking of its meat at times other than those which are permitted, the sacrifice is considered as piggul and it is forbidden to partake of its meat.

As stated in ibid.:12, when sacrificial meat becomes impure, it is forbidden to partake of it.

As explained in Chapter 18, Halachot 9-10, when sacrificial meat is left beyond the time when it should be eaten, it is called notar and it is forbidden to partake of it.

The sacrifices may not be eaten, for if the women were not obligated to bring them, the doves are considered as ordinary animals slaughtered in the Temple Courtyard, which are forbidden to be eaten (see Hilchot Mechusrei Kapparah 1:6-7).
Hilchot Shegagot 11:2 explains that the women the Rambam mentions are allowed to bring the sacrifices because of a doubt even though it is forbidden to offer a sin-offering if one is not liable, because their purification process is not completed until the sacrifice is offered. Hence, they are granted this leniency to allow them to become ritually pure.

See Chapter 2, Halachah 20; Chapter 19, Halachah 10.

A woman had a series of vaginal secretions, but there is a doubt whether they render her a zavah or not.

A woman becomes impure because of childbirth even when she miscarries. There are times when there is a question whether a miscarriage is serious enough to render her impure or not.

Hilchot Shegagot 8:1

As would an ordinary sin-offering.

As it would have been originally.

So that no one will benefit from it. None of the remaining rites should be performed, since there is no need to bring the offering.
Keritot 26b explains that this is a Rabbinic safeguard. According to Scriptural Law, it is permitted to benefit from the dove, as long as its blood was not presented on the altar.