Shevuos Daf 14 חג השבועות דַף 14

The Kohen Gadol confesses twice over his פר on Yom Kippur, achieving two כפרות, and the additional זריקה of the פר’s blood effects a third כפרה. The Gemara observes that this is understandable according to Rebbe Shimon, who holds that the Kohanim are not atoned through any of the korbanos brought for the ישראלים. Thus, these three atonements parallel the three atonements of the korbanos of ישראלים: the שעיר הפנימי, the שעיר החיצון, and the שעיר המשתלח. But according to Rebbe Yehudah, that Kohanim also are atoned through the שעיר המשתלח for their other aveiros, why is the second confession necessary? The Gemara answers: אחד לו ואחד לביתו – one confession is for the Kohen Gadol himself, and one is for his household (the other Kohanim). He must confess his own sins before separately confessing theirs, because of what Rebbe Yishmael’s academy taught: כך היא מדת הדין נוהגת – this is how the attribute of justice operates: מוטב יבוא זכאי ויכפר על החייב – it is better that an innocent person comes and atones for the guilty, ואל יבוא חייב ויכפר על החייב – rather than a guilty person come and atone for the guilty.

The second Perek begins: ידיעות הטומאה שתים שהן ארבע – awarenesses of tumah are two types which are actually four. The Mishnah proceeds to list four cases, where one initially knew he was tamei, forgot a factor which led to a tumah transgression, and later remembered that factor: (1) he forgot about his tumah but remembered the food he was eating was kodashim, (2) he forgot the food was kodashim but remember his tumah (or forgot both), (3) he forgot his tumah but remembered the place he was entering was the Mikdash, (4) he forgot that it was the Mikdash but remembered his tumah (or forgot both). Rav Pappa ultimately explains that there are actually eight relevant "ידיעות": awareness of tumah before and after eating kodashim, or before and after entering the Mikdash, awareness of food being kodashim before and after eating it while tamei, and awareness of the Mikdash area before and after entering it while tamei. However, our Mishnah only calculates the ידיעות afterwards, דמייתן ליה לידי קרבן – which bring him to a korban liability. Alternatively, the Mishnah only calculates the ידיעות beforehand, דליתנהו בכל התורה כולה – which are never a factor in all of the Torah (i.e., a korban normally does not require prior awareness).

Rav Pappa asked: נעלמו ממנו הלכות טומאה מהו – if laws of tumah were hidden from him, what is the halachah? Is his awareness that he physically touched a sheretz considered initial “awareness” if he did not realize that it made him tamei? The Gemara clarifies this does not mean someone did not know if a sheretz or a frog is metamei, because זיל קרי בי רב הוא – this is a case of “Go learn it in the schoolhouse!”, i.e., it is considered known. Rather, the case is where he touched a כעדשה – [a sheretz] the size of a lentil, and did not know that this size is metamei. This question remains unresolved. Rebbe Yirmiyah asked, if someone living in Bavel went up to Eretz Yisroel ונעלם ממנו מקום מקדש מהו – and was unaware of the place of the Mikdash, what is the halachah? Do we consider his awareness of his tumah and the prohibition to enter the Mikdash sufficient “awareness,” or do we say that since he did not know the location of the Mikdash, it is not sufficient awareness? This question is also unresolved.