Translation:Mishnah/Seder Kodashim/Tractate Kinnim/Chapter 2
- An unspecified bird-pair from which a bird flew away,
- or if it flew among those going to be put to death,
- or if one of [the pair] died –
- a partner should be taken for the second [bird].
- If it flew among those going to be sacrificed –
- it is invalid [for sacrifice], and invalidates [another] one corresponding to it;
- For [the rule is that] a bird which flies [into another group] is invalid,
- and invalidates one corresponding to it.
How is it? If there are two women, this one has two pairs and this one has two birds and one bird flew from this woman's [pair] to the other woman's [pair], it invalidates one bird by its leaving. If it then returned [to its original pair] it invalidates one by returning. If it flew back and forth multiple times it does not cause further invalidation since even if they are mixed up, there are at least two [valid] birds remaining.
If this one [woman] has one [pair of birds], and this one [woman] has two [pairs of birds], this one has three [pairs], this one has four [pairs], this one five [pairs], this one six [pairs] and this one seven [pairs], and one bird flew from the first [group] to the second ]group] and one [flew from the second group] into the third [group], and one [flew from the third group]into the fourth [group], and one [flew from the fourth group] into the fifth [group], and one [flew from the fifth group] into the sixth [group], and one [flew from the sixth group] into the seventh [group], and then one returned [to its previous group], it invalidates one pair [for each woman] when it leaves and one pair [for each woman] upon its return. [Therefore], the first and second [groups of women] have no valid birds left, the third [group] has one [valid pair], the fourth [group] has two [valid pairs], the fifth [group] has three[valid pairs], the sixth [group] has four [valid pairs], and the seventh [group] has six [valid pairs]. If it [a bird] flew back and fourth ]through the remaining sets of birds], it invalidates one set when it leaves and one set upon its return. [Therefore] the third and fourth [group] have nothing [no valid pairs], the fifth [group] has one [valid pair], the sixth [group] has two [valid pairs] and the seventh [group] has five. If a bird flew back and forth, it invalidates one pair when it leaves and one upon its return. The fifth and sixth [group] have no valid birds and the seventh [group] has four. Others say the seventh woman did not lose anything and if a bird that is left to die flew into their group they all must be left to die.
An unspecified pair of birds [one of which is a burnt-offering and the other is a sin offering] and a pair of specified birds, if a bird from the unspecified birds flew into the pair of specified birds he [the owner] must bring a second bird for the second one [remaining unspecified bird]. Or if a bird flew from the original specified birds [to the unspecified birds], they must all be left to die.
If there were sin-offering [birds] on one side and burnt-offering [birds] on another side and [an] unspecified [pair] in the middle, and then from the middle [pair] one bird flew to one side and one bird to the other, he [the ownwe] has not lost anything, rather he should say, the one [bird] that flew to the sin-offering should be a sin offering and the one [bird] that flew to the burnt offering should be a burnt-offering. If they then returned to the middle, the birds in the middle must be left to die, and these [the sin-offering birds] are to be brought as sin-offerings and these [the burnt offering birds] are to be brought as burn-offerings. If once again it [a bird] flew from the middle [back] to the sides, they must all be left to die. One may not bring turtledoves paired with pigeons or pigeons paired with turtledoves. How so? A woman who brought as her sin-offering a turtledove and as her burnt-offering a pigeon, she must do it over and bring as her burnt-offering a turtledove. If she brought as her burnt-offering a turtledove and as her sin offering a pigeon she must do it over and bring for her burnt-offering a pigeon. Ben Azzai said we follow whichever bird is offered first. A woman who brought her sin-offering and died, her heirs must bring her burnt-offering. [If she brought] her burnt-offering and died, her heirs do not have to bring her sin offering.