Keritot

Me’ila

Misuse – using an item or money worth at least one peruta belonging to the Beit Mikdash for non-sacred purposes, essentially stealing from G-d. To atone for unintentional misuse, one must bring a guilt-offering and repay the value of the item, plus a chomesh (one-fourth of that value).

Chatat Ha’Of – Korban Zava V’Yoledet

The bird sin offering is one of the two birds (turtledoves or young pigeons) brought as a “bird’s nest” offering – the second bird is sacrificed as a burnt offering. The kohanim eat the sin offering’s meat. This offering is the default for a zava offering, while a lamb or goat is the default for a childbirth offering (a woman may bring birds only if she can’t afford more).

Shevuat Bitui

An oath on an utterance that one takes to do or not do something, or to have done or not done something. One who swears falsely must bring a sliding-scale guilt offering.

Yediyot HaTum’a

Awareness of impurity – cases in which one transgresses by entering the Beit Mikdash or eating sacred food while impure, requiring a sliding-scale offering. This includes situations where a person knew that she was impure, but later forgot, or forgot that she was in the Temple (or both), as well as cases where she knew that she was impure or that the food was sacred (or both), but later forgot, and ate sacred food while impure.

Mechusar Kapara

Lacking atonement – one who has completed the purification process but must still wait a certain amount of time or bring a certain offering before becoming pure.

Korban Oleh V’Yored

Sliding-scale offering – an offering that one brings for certain transgressions whose value depends on the financial status of the sinner; it can be an animal, a pair of birds, or a meal-offering of fine flour. One brings a sliding-scale guilt offering for false oaths, and for impurity in relation to the Beit Mikdash and sacred items. The sin-offerings of a woman after childbirth and a metzora are also sliding-scale offerings, but they have only two options: an animal or a pair of birds.

Asham Vadai

Definite guilt-offering – a ram worth two shekels that one brings for specific transgressions: theft, me’ilah (unintentional theft from G-d through misuse of sacred property), relations with a married maidservant, a nazir who became impure, and a metzora (leper) completing purification. For the nazir and the metzora, this offering’s value isn’t fixed since it’s both for atonement and also to complete their purification, allowing them to eat sacred food (kodshim).

Asham Talui

Provisional guilt-offering – the offering that one who is uncertain about whether she has committed a transgression that requires a guilt-offering brings. (For example, if there were two pieces of fat, one permitted and the other forbidden, and a person isn’t sure which she ate, she brings an asham talui). If her transgression is later confirmed, she must bring a sin-offering.

Chatat

Sin offering – there are two types of sin offerings: individual and communal. An individual sin offering is a female goat or lamb that someone brings if she unintentionally transgressed a prohibition punishable by karet (e.g., desecrating Shabbat), or as part of the purification process from certain impurities (e.g., a woman after childbirth). The community or high-ranking officials (e.g., the Nasi or the Kohen Gadol) bring communal sin offerings for such transgressions; the type of animal varies by the official. The sin offering is of the highest sanctity (kodesh kodashim).

He’elem Davar

A communal transgression — an individual sins because the court mistakenly issued an incorrect ruling. In this case, the error lies with the court and the community, not the individual. For such sins, the community must bring the sin offering of a bull for communal oversight (par he’elem davar shel tzibur).