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The Offspring of a Korban

Temurah (3:1) | Yisrael Bankier | 11 hours ago

The third perek of Temurah begins: "These are the korbanot whose offspring and temurah are like them." This statement introduces the perek, which examines each korban and explains which halachot its offspring or temurah share with the original korban.

The Gemara cites a Beraita that explains that the source that the offspring is offered as a korban is derived from a pasuk (im zachar). The Baraita continues by questioning the necessity of the pasuk. It argues that instead, it could have been derived from Temura. The Beraita reasons that if a Temura adopts the kedusha and is offered, which is an animal that is distinct from the korban itself, then certainly the offspring that grew from the korban should be offered. The Beraita however answers that the kal ve'chomer is not valid. Temurah applies to more korbanot -- male and female -- whereas the offspring clearly does not. That is why the derivation from the pasuk was necessary.

The Sefat Emet understands the flow of the Gemara as follows. It must be that the fact that the offspring has kedusha is logically derived -- it grows from the korban. The necessity of the pasuk and the attempt to learn from temura, was that it can be offered as a korban like a temura. He explains that without that basic logic, one could not learn from temura that the offspring had kedusha. It is the act of making a temura that gives it kedusha, which is novelty based on the pasuk -- "it and its temurah shall be kadosh."

The Sefat Emet continues that this is true even according to the opinion that the offspring attains its kedusha once it is born. Note, that according to this logic, it should have kedusha as it develops inside the korban. He explains, that according to that position, what changes once it is born is that it attains kedushat ha'guf - such that it is offered as korban.

The Sefat Emet cites a Beraita (11a) as support for this understanding. The Beraita teaches that if one slaughters a chatat and finds the offspring inside, "it can be consumed anywhere". The Gemara explains that this is according to the opinion that the offspring attains its kedusha when it is born. The Sefat Emet notes that the Beraita did not teach that the offspring is chulin (a regular animal). He understands that it therefore suggests that the offspring has kedusha, just not kedushat ha'guf, such that it can be redeemed and consumed anywhere.

The Sefat Emet then continues that his son-in-law, Yaakov Meir, asks that according to this understanding, if one tried to makdish the offspring of a korban prior to birth, then it should not work. According to the above reasoning, it already has kedusha. Nevertheless, the Gemara explains that according to the opinion that the offspring attains its kedusha only once it is born, one could sanctify it before it was born.

The Sefat Emet therefore explains that this indeed is the novelty of the Gemara. Based on logic alone, one would have thought that the offspring, having come from a korban, has kedusha to the extent that it needs to be redeemed. Yet it is not itself a korban. Based on that logic, it makes no difference whether or not the offspring was born yet. The derivation from the pasuk changed everything. According to the opinion that it attains the kedushat korban once it is born, it is only then that it attains any kedusha and prior to that it does not even have kedushat bedek habayit.

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