EXTRA 2 — Vayikra 1:10 · Sifra

Extra Credit · Toras Kohanim

The Complete Passuk

וְאִם־מִן־הַצֹּ֤אן קָרְבָּנוֹ֙ מִן־הַכְּשָׂבִ֣ים א֣וֹ מִן־הָעִזִּ֔ים לְעֹלָ֖ה זָכָ֣ר תָּמִ֑ים יַקְרִיבֶֽנּוּ׃

And if from the flock is his offering, from the sheep or from the goats…

Source

Sifra (Toras Kohanim), Vayikra Dibura deNedavah, Parasha 5 — three mi’utim of “min”.

The Midrash (longer context)

Core Text
״מִן הַצֹּאן… מִן הַכְּשָׂבִים… מִן הָעִזִּים״ — הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ מִיעוּטִין, פְּרָט לְזָקֵן וְלַחוֹלֶה וְלִמְזֹהָם.

English: “From the flock… from the sheep… from the goats” — these are exclusions: excluding the aged, the sick, and the foul-smelling.

In Sifra: The threefold “min” is not stylistic. Each occurrence limits the eligible animals of the flock for an olah. An old animal, a sick animal, or one that is malodorous is disqualified even if otherwise unblemished.

Type of Learning

R’ Eliezer #2 (מיעוט) — three successive exclusions.

What Is Learned

Even within the flock category, age, illness, and foul odor render an animal unfit for the olah; the Torah’s repeated “from” is the source of the three independent disqualifications.