Zevachim
89 Dapim
Zevachim addresses the laws of animal sacrifices in the Temple. The masechet outlines the types of offerings, their required locations and procedures, the effects of improper intent, disqualifications, and rules for atonement. It forms the foundation for sacrificial service in Kodashim.
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Definitions and explanations
Understand important Talmudic vocabulary terms and concepts with the Hadran Glossary’s clear, approachable explanations.
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Finished? Make a Siyum!
A siyum is a celebratory gathering customarily made when one completes the study of a masechet. It usually involves recital of the special Hadran text and Kaddish, sharing of divrei Torah and a festive meal.
Glossary
Here you’ll find definitions and explanations for some of the key terms in this masechet. See more here.
Melikah
Pinching is to sacrificial birds as shchitah is to sacrificial animals. The kohen holds the bird in one hand, and, using that same hand, cuts the bird’s head adjacent to its nape with his fingernail. This is only for birds that are to be sacrificed. Birds to be eaten as chulin (not as sacrifices) are slaughtered like other animals by having their necks cut with a knife.
LiMkomo Chutz
Outside its place – if, during one or more of the four acts of worship, the kohen has the thought that he intends to sacrifice or eat the animal outside the place where doing so is permitted (either Jerusalem or the Beit Mikdash depending on the sacrifice’s level of holiness), this intention disqualifies the animal from being sacrificed and eaten, although it is not punishable by karet.
Lishma
For its own sake – Throughout the sacrificial process, the kohen must actively keep in mind that he is sacrificing the animal for the sake of the person who brought it, and the specific type of sacrifice. If, during one of the four acts of worship, the kohen has a thought “not for its own sake,” that is, if he sacrifices the animal with a different intention (e.g. he thought of the sin-offering as a guilt-offering while slaughtering it), this disqualifies the sacrifice.