Zevachim Daf 2 זבחים דַף 2

The first Mishnah begins: כל הזבחים שנזבחו שלא לשמן כשרים – all korbanos which were shechted not for their own sake (but were shechted for the sake of a different type of korban) are valid, אלא שלא עלו לבעלים לשם חובה – except that they do not count for the owner towards his prior obligation, and he must bring another korban. Some korbanos are disqualified if they are shechted שלא לשמן, and the Mishnah records four opinions: (1) The Tanna Kamma holds a פסח on the fourteenth of Nissan, and a חטאת at any time, are disqualified if they are shechted שלא לשמן. (2) Rebbe Eliezer adds an אשם, comparing it to a חטאת, since they both atone for sins. (3) Yose ben Choni holds any korbanos which are shechted for the sake of a פסח or a חטאת are disqualified. (4) Shimon the brother of Azaryah says if he shechted them לשם גבוה מהן – for the sake of [a korban] with higher [kedushah] (e.g., קדשים קלים shechted for the sake of קדשי קדשים), it is valid, but if it was shechted for the sake of a korban with lower kedushah (e.g., the reverse case) it is disqualified.

The Mishnah stated that a korban shechted שלא לשמה is valid, "אלא" – except that it does not count for the owner’s obligation. This extra word hints that בקדושתייהו קיימי – [the korbanos] remain in their [status of] sanctity, and it is prohibited to make more changes. As Rava taught, if an עולה was shechtedשלא לשמה, it is forbidden to do its zerikah שלא לשמה. This can be derived logically: משום דשני בה כל הני לישני בה וליזיל – just because he changed [the korban] (by shechting it שלא לשמה), should he keep changing it [with the other avodos]?! Alternatively, this can be derived from a passuk commanding to fulfill one’s word, which concludes: כאשר נדרת לה' אלקיך נדבה – like you vowed to Hashem, your G-d, a donation. These contradictory terms of נדר and נדבה teach that if one shechted his korban לשמה, it counts for his נדר, but if not, נדבה יהא – it will be a nedavah (a donated korban aside from your neder). ונדבה מי שרי לשנויי בה – And is it permitted to make changes to a nedavah? Since a nedavah must certainly be brought לשמה, so too the zerikah of a korban which was shechted שלא לשמה, which becomes a נדבה, must likewise be performed לשמה.

Ravina told Rav Pappa that it was a shame that he was outside the תחום the previous day and could not hear the extraordinary contradictions and resolutions that Rava had taught. He asked that regarding korbanos, it can be inferred that only a korban shechted expressly שלא לשמה does not count for the owner’s obligation, but if he shechted it סתמא – without specific intent, it would even count towards his obligation. אלמא סתמא נמי כלשמן דמי – Thus, we see that unspecified sacrifices are also like those brought for their own sake. But this contradicts the laws of divorce, where it can be proven that a get which was written "סתמא" is invalid (i.e., a woman’s name was written to be available for someone with that name, without intent for a particular person)!? Rava answered: זבחים בסתם לשמן עומדין – korbanos, even without being specified, stand to be brought for their own sake (unless specifically shechted שלא לשמן); אשה בסתמא לאו לגירושין עומדת – a woman, without being specified, does not stand to be divorced, so a get must be written with intent for a specific woman to be considered “for her sake.” The Gemara discusses at length the proofs for both laws which formed Rava’s contradiction.