Temura 18. On the subject of the Passover Sacrifice. And if one sanctifies a female sheep for that purpose.

 The way Rav Shach sees things is that there are two different kinds of "pushing off" in terms of sacrifices.  That explains the law of the sages (against R. Elazar) that when one sets aside a female pregnant sheep for a passover, the baby sheep and mother must be put to pasture. [That is so even though in terms of a sin offering עובר לאו ירך אמו a fetus is not part of the mother. That is: if you sanctify a pregnant female sheep or cow or goat as a sin offering, she or her infant can be brought as a sin offering--but not both.] So this looks like a direct contradiction..

The answer of Rav Shach is  that  the Rambam goes like the opinion בעלי חיים אינם נדחים but in the case of the female sheep, the essence of the holiness is already pushed off. It is a different sort of being pushed off.

That is where he disagrees with Rav Isaac Zev Soloveitchik.  R.I.Z. wrote in order to answer for the Rambam that even though בעלי חיים אינם נדחים  still when one sanctifies a female sheep that is pregnant, the fetus is one sacrifice with the mother. Rav Shach asks on this. 

The regular case of pushing off is when a sheep is owned by two owners. and one sanctifies his half, then buys the other half and sanctifies that. The sheep can be brought as a sacrifice. That is obviously different from sanctifying a female sheep for a passover--which must be a male sheep. 

If you consider Rav Isaac Zev' answer, it does make some sense. But the answer of Rav Shach makes much more sense since it takes into account something apparently unnoticed by Rav Isaac Zev, these two kinds of "being pushed off".And besides that Rav Isaac Zev's way seems like just away of sneaking עובר ירך אמו into what is in fact the law that עובר לאו ירך אמו

 I found the religious world to be similar to Pangloss all talk. Talk the talk but not walk the walk. That is what in fact has provided a challenge to me in terms to of learning and keeping Torah.  For I found the religious world to be somewhat "cultish", that is partaking of all of the characteristic of small maniac religious Eastern  Cults, but simply more successful in term of numbers.  

In fact I had to study the cult of Adi Ad and Scientology for a while to be able to see what the religious world is really all about .--and it is not Torah. But that does not mean that there is no one that is not sincere and loyal to Torah, but it is not those making a song and dance about it.

The actual trouble with the religious world is not at all obvious to new comers- with tons of enthusiasm and idealism, but low on experience with fraudsters. If fact, the better the homes they were brought up in, the less of the ability to discern fraudsters they will have. That is part of the conundrum of human experience.

 [In short, joining the religious world is the same as joining the Adi Da cult or Scientology. The rituals are different but the essence is the same. ] 

to make clear my previous blog entry.  You have to bring a male sheep on the 14th day of the first month of Spring..[Roughly speaking, that is. The 15 day of that month has to come out in Spring, not the first day of the month.] But what happens if someone makes mistake and sets aside female sheep for his or her passover offering?  It is put to pasture and one waits until it gets a blemish, and then it is sold. With the money one buys and brings a passover, or if all this happens after passover then the money is used to buy a peace offering. [A peace offering is a sacrifice that some of the parts are given to the priests, but most goes to the owners. But it has to be eaten in Jerusalem for two days and one night.

The Rambam apparently contradicts himself in terms of עובר לאו ירך אמו [a sheep's fetus is not part of his mother.] Gemara Temura page 19

 The Rambam apparently contradicts himself  in terms of עובר לאו ירך אמו [a sheep's fetus is not part of his mother.]

For one one hand he writes When  a person who separates a pregnant sin offering (sheep, goats, or cows), the mother or the infant can be brought as a sin offering. Quite openly saying the law that עובר לאו ירך אמו  a fetus is not part of his mother. Yet in laws of Temura replacement he writes when one separates a pregnant female for a Passover sacrifice when she gives birth they both go to pasture until they get a blemish naturally, and then as sold and with that money a Passover offering is brought. Or if she gives birth after Passover, then both are sold for a peace offerings. The reason the for this last law is the exact opposite of the reason for the first law עובר ירך אמו a fetus is part of his mother.

[This last law is subject to a debate. R. Elazar says when one separates a pregnant sheep for a Passover, if she gives birth before Passover, the infant is brought as a Passover sacrifice and the Gemara says the reason for R Elazar is עובר לאו ירך אמו [a sheep's fetus is not part of his mother. So we see the sages hold עובר ירך אמו a fetus is part of his mother.

[Contradictions of this kind are very common in the Rambam and that gives plenty of folder for debate as to why. (Mainly held the best idea is to go with the simple approach of the Gemara like the Rosh. But others have tried to find explanations for these contradictions to the Gemara that you see in the Rambam all the time. ) Mainly the idea that Rav Shach brings is the mother and fetus are possible sin offerings. While in the case of the female separated for a passover sacrifice, the mother is obviously not going to be a passover --the passover must be a male. Okay--that makes some sense. The problem is if  עובר לאו ירך אמו [a sheep's fetus is not part of his mother then why should this matter?  Even if the holiness that descends on the mother is a pushed off holiness (only applicable in terms of money) still fetus should be a regular passover sacrifice just as when sets aside a male sheep for holiness of money, still automatically it becomes set for a regular sacrifice.   

I am hoping to go "vitter" further to the next sugia, but ust for a last note, it seems Rav Shach does agree with this idea that since the holiness that devolves on the mother is pushed off, that make the born sheep also not fit for a sacrifice. I noted tat he brings one of the Baali HaTosfot as a proof to this. 

It looks like I am clocking out. However סוף דבר הכל נשמע את האלוהים ירא ואץ מצוותיו שמור כי זה כל האדם The end of all things, after everything has been heard,, Fear God and keep his commandments, for that is all of a man.  Which in itself seems to indicate the importance of the path of the Gra-that of straight Torah.

Sadly I was not able to stick with this but I still can recognize its importance. 

But you can ask if Fear of God is the main thing, then why not emphasize Musar? The answer is I think there is a limit of how much Musar can help. That is the Law of Limited Returns. Probably it is best to concentrate on Gemara, Tosphot and the Avi Ezri of Rav Shach.

 T 47  t47 mp3   t47 nwc

One of the great Musar books Gates of Repentance

There are four major things that I can see I did wrong in hindsight. Leaving the Land of Israel, and the advice of Rav Nahman of Brelov, the kind of devekut [attachment with God] that I had while I  was in Safed. and the path of my parents.

This is important because, I decided that I would not try to see where my mistakes were based on books but rather based on what I saw that lead to terrible consequences.

So this awareness of my sins helps me to keep my focus on not repeating the same mistakes.

One of the great Musar books Gates of Repentance helped me to see the importance of discovering what mistakes I have done. But to actually determine the exact sins, takes a lot more that just picking out what at first glance might seem to be wrong.