For the past couple of days, the Gemara has been discussing what happens when a ritually impure person brings a sacrifice to the Temple, but is prohibited (due to their impurity) from entering the courtyard to hand it over to the priests. On today’s daf, the sages explore the requirement for a person offering a sacrifice to intentionally and with some force lay hands on the animal prior to the priest taking it for slaughter. But first, they look at whether the biblical source material is talking about sacrifice at all. Maybe it’s about something else?
When Ravin came, he said that Rabbi Abbahu says that (this verse) was stated with regard to a ritually impure individual who touched sacrificial food.
Ravin was an early fourth-century sage who traveled from Israel and offered teachings from his academy to the scholars in Babylonia. As we’ve seen on many occasions, this robust exchange of ideas between schools was a frequent occurrence. Speaking on behalf of his teacher and colleague Rabbi Abbahu, Ravin notes that the Babylonian rabbis have it wrong: The prohibition isn’t on entering the courtyard to lay hands on an animal, but rather touching sacrificial food that would be off-limits to an impure person.
The Gemara next quotes the biblical source text for this prohibition on touching sacrificial food and the punishment meted out for its violation.
As it was stated: An impure person who touched sacrificial food. Reish Lakish says: He is flogged. Rabbi Yohanan says: He is not flogged. Reish Lakish says: Flogged, as it is written: “Every consecrated item she shall not touch” (Leviticus 12:4). And Rabbi Yohanan says: He is not flogged, as that verse is written with regard to touching the portion of the produce designated for the priest.
The verse quoted here concerns a woman who is ritually impure after having given birth and is forbidden from touching any consecrated object or from entering the sanctuary for 33 days if the baby was a boy, or 66 days if it’s a girl. Rabbi Yohanan says that the verse can be applied to our case about the prohibition on touching consecrated items. Since the animal being slaughtered, the meat from the sacrifice, and the portion of harvest produce due to the priests are all consecrated items, Rabbi Yohanan views the two cases as connected.
But of course the discussion doesn’t end there.
But does Reish Lakish actually hold that this verse comes to teach this? He requires this verse to teach a prohibition for (a ritually impure person) who eats sacrificial meat. As it was stated: From where is the prohibition for (a ritually impure person) who eats sacrificial meat derived? Reish Lakish says: “Every consecrated item she shall not touch.”
Most people (toddlers aside) don’t touch food unless they are preparing or eating it. The consecrated item under discussion is the sacrificial meat. Saying it can’t be touched means, according to Reish Lakish, that it likewise cannot be eaten.
We already know that it’s forbidden for a ritually impure person to eat meat consecrated for use by the priests and their families. The Gemara explains that the reason we’re coming across the prohibition here is because it’s connected directly to our case by virtue of our old friend, the gezera shava (verbal analogy):
Rabbi Yohanan says: The sage Bardela teaches that this prohibition is derived from a verbal analogy of the term “his impurity” written with regard to one who eats sacrificial meat while impure (Leviticus 7:20), and the term “his impurity” written with regard to one who enters the Temple while impure (Numbers 19:13).
After some more back and forth, the Gemara wraps up the matter as follows:
The verse states: “Every consecrated item she shall not touch, and to the Temple she shall not come” (Leviticus 12:4). The verse juxtaposes sacrificial food to entering the Temple (while ritually impure).
The prooftext about the postpartum woman ties together the prohibitions on touching consecrated items and coming into the Temple while ritually impure with our Gemara’s disallowing of the same things. Reish Lakish extends the ban to eating consecrated meat as well. Bottom line: If you’re in a state of ritual impurity, best to wait until you’ve undertaken rituals of purification to enter the Temple and to touch — or eat — anything that’s been consecrated.
Read all of Zevachim 33 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on October 17, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
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