The Talmud: Treatise IX. The Feast Offering: Chapter I
TREATISE IX.
What is a Child?—Offerings—Crooked and Straight—Remission of Vows—Persons unsuitable for the World—Laying on of Hands—Baptisms—Defilements—Purity—Vessels of the Sanctuary.
CHAPTER I.
1. All are bound to appear in the Temple, except the deaf, an idiot, and a child, and an eunuch, and women, and slaves who are not free, and the lame, and the blind, and the sick, and the aged, and the man who cannot go afoot. "What is a child?" "Every one who cannot ride on the shoulder of his father, and go up from Jerusalem to the Mountain of the House." The words of the school of Shammai. But the school of Hillel say, "every one who cannot grasp his father's hand, and go up from Jerusalem to the Mountain of the House," as is said, "three times." 2
2. The school of Shammai say, "the appearance in the Temple is with two pieces of silver, and the peace-offering with a meah of silver." 3 But the school of Hillel say, "the appearance is with a meah of silver, and the feast offering with two pieces of silver."
3. The burnt offerings of the appointed feasts come from ordinary money; but the peace-offering from tithes. "The offerings on the first holiday of the passover?" 4 The school of Shammai say, "from ordinary money," but the school of Hillel say, "from tithes."
4. Israelites discharge their duty with vows, with freewill offerings, and with tithes of animals; and priests with sin-offerings, with trespass-offerings, and with the breast and shoulder, and first-born, but not with fowls, nor with meat-offerings.
5. "If one have a large family and small income?" "He must bring more peace-offerings, and less burnt-offerings." "If a small family and large income?" "He must bring more burnt-offerings, and less peace-offerings." "If both be small?" "Of this they say, a silver meah, and two pieces of silver are sufficient." "If both be large?" "Of this it is said, every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which He hath given thee." 1
6. When one did not bring his peace-offering on the first holiday of the feast, he may bring it during the holidays, and even on the last day of the feast. "If the feast passed over, and he did not bring the peace-offering?" "He is not obliged to bring it." For this it is said, "that which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered." 2
7. Rabbi Simon the son of Menasia said, "if thou shalt say, a thief or a robber, he may return and become straight." R. Simon the son of Jochai said, "we do not call one crooked, save one straight at first, and he became afterwards crooked; and this is the disciple of the wise, who departs from the Law."
8. The remission of vows is like flying in the air, and it has no foundation. The decisions for the Sabbath, peace-offerings, and trespasses, are as mountains hanging on a hair; because the verse is small but the decisions are many. Jurisprudence, and the Temple service, cleanness and uncleanness, and illegal connections, have their own foundations; they, they are the body of the law.
Footnotes
169:1 The feast offering (chagiga) was the offering of individual worshippers, and was quite distinct from the sacrifices of the whole congregation. See Treatise on the Passover, vi. 4 (note).
169:2 Exod. xxiii. 14.
169:3 Worth perhaps 3d.
169:4 Jer. Tal. says "Tabernacles."
170:1 Deut. xvi. 17.
170:2 Eccl. i. 15.
