Translation:Mishnah/Seder Kodashim/Tractate Kinnim/Chapter 1/5

Note

In the Vilna edition of the Mishnah, this text is presented as mishnah 4.

Hebrew Text

כיצד משם אחד?

לידה ולידה, זיבה וזיבה –

משם אחד.

משני שמות?

לידה וזיבה.

כיצד משתי נשים?

על זו לידה ועל זו לידה,

על זו זיבה ועל זו זיבה –

משם אחד.

משני שמות?

על זו לידה ועל זו זיבה.

רבי יוסי אומר:

שתי נשים שלקחו קיניהן בעירוב,

או שנתנו דמי קיניהן לכוהן;

לאיזו שירצה הכוהן, יקריב חטאת,

ולאיזו שירצה, יקריב עולה –

בין משם אחד, בין משני שמות.

English Translation

How is it [considered] from one designation?

[A bird-pair brought for] a birth and [another brought for] a birth, [or for] a vaginal discharge and a vaginal discharge –

[this is considered] from one designation.

From two designations?

[A bird-pair brought for] a birth and [another brought for] a vaginal discharge.

How [are the cases when the sacrifices are] from two women?

[A bird-pair brought for] a birth for one [woman], and [one brought for] a birth for the other [woman],

[or for] a vaginal discharge for one [woman] and a vaginal discharge for the other [woman] –

[this is considered] from one designation.

From two designations?

[A bird-pair brought for] a birth for one [woman] and [one brought for] a vaginal discharge for the other [woman].

Rabbi Yosi says:

Two women who purchased their bird-pairs as a mixed group,

or that gave the money for their bird-pairs to the kohen;

For whichever the kohen pleases, he may offer a sin-offering,

and for whichever he pleases, he may offer an elevation-offering –

whether [they are all] from one designation or whether [they are] from two designations.

Explanation

From one designation

Our mishnah is a continuation of mishnah 4, which deals with a case where two sets of bird-pairs have become mixed. Mishnah 4 states that some of these mixed offerings may be brought, even though they are of two different "designations" or from two different women. A "designation," as our mishnah goes on to explain, means the purpose for which the sacrifice is being offered. Ideally, the kohen must have this purpose in mind when performing the service for the sacrifice. Mishnah 4 indicates that this requirement will not preclude offering (some of) the mixed sacrifices. Similarly, the requirement that the kohen have the sacrifice's owner in mind may be waived in this situation, and (some of) the sacrifices may be brought, without regard for this requirement.

Our mishnah specifically goes through various cases to clarify that all of these situations are included in the statement of mishnah 4.

A bird-pair brought for a birth

A woman who has given birth, according to Vayikra (Leviticus) 12, must bring a sin-offering and an elevation-offering, after a period of forty days after giving birth to a boy, or eighty days after giving birth to a girl. The sin-offering is a bird, but the "standard" elevation-offering is a sheep. A woman who cannot afford a sheep will instead bring a bird-pair to cover both offerings.

For a vaginal discharge

Certain types of vaginal discharge render a woman impure (such a woman is called a zavah). After a seven day period, a zavah immerses in a mikvah and offers a bird-pair to become ritually pure. (Vayikra 15:19–30)

A man may also become impure through genital discharge (this man is known as a zav). (Vayikra 15:1–15) However, the Mishnah deals only with women, probably for the reason that while sexual relations with a zavah are prohibitted, they are permitted with a zav. For this reason, as well as for the reason that a woman becomes a niddah on a monthly basis, women need to be more concerned with their state of ritual purity than men. It was therefore more common that a woman would bring a bird-pair than a man, and the Mishnah uses the common case as its example.

For whichever the kohen pleases, he may offer a sin-offering

Rabbi Yosi teaches that when two women purchased their bird-pairs together as a mixed group, they are not considered to belong to one or the other of the women until the kohen designates them for their specific owner and sacrifice type (i.e., sin-offering or elevation-offering). If the birds were considered to belong to a specific woman (with a doubt as to which), the laws of the previous mishnah regarding mixed sets of bird-pairs would apply, and only some of the birds could be sacrificed (see mishnah 4). Instead, the kohen may sacrifice all of the birds. (The Talmud explains that this is only true if the birds were purchased with this in mind.)