This week, Daf Yomi readers began Chapter Two of Tractate Zevachim, which continues the analysis of what renders a Temple sacrifice invalid. In Chapter One, the subject at issue was designation: an offering must be brought for the sake of the specific kind of sacrifice for which it is designated. If someone designates an animal for a sin-offering, but the priest performs the sacrifice in the belief that it is a guilt-offering, the sacrifice is flawed. It can still be offered, but it does not fulfill the obligation of the person who brought it. Now, in Chapter Two, we learn about a variety of disqualifications having to do with the ritual status of the priest himself.
The priesthood, like animal sacrifice, is one of those Jewish institutions that were once centrally important, but have been basically defunct for the last 2,000 years. People of priestly descent—often designated by the last name Cohen, which is the Hebrew word for priest—still offer a special benediction for the congregation on certain Jewish holidays. But this is a mere relic of the glory that belonged to the priesthood in Temple times. In the Torah, it is clear that only the correct performance of sacrificial rites by the priests—the descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses—allows the Jewish people to enjoy God's favor.
Read Full Article »