EXTRA 3 — Vayikra 1:10 · Sifra

Extra Credit · Toras Kohanim

The Complete Passuk

וְאִם־מִן־הַצֹּ֤אן קָרְבָּנוֹ֙ מִן־הַכְּשָׂבִ֣ים א֣וֹ מִן־הָעִזִּ֔ים לְעֹלָ֖ה…

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

Source

Sifra (Toras Kohanim) on “his offering” and the specification of sheep versus goats.

The Midrash (longer context)

Core Text
״קָרְבָּנוֹ״ — לְהוֹצִיא אֶת הַגָּזֵל. ״כְּבָשִׂים וְעִזִּים״ — לְהוֹצִיא אֶת הַכִּלְאַיִם.

English: “His offering” — to exclude the stolen. “Sheep and goats” — to exclude kilayim (cross-breeds).

In Sifra: “His offering” implies legitimate ownership; a stolen animal cannot become a valid olah. Specifying both sheep and goats (rather than a single term) excludes an animal that is a hybrid of the two species.

Type of Learning

R’ Eliezer #2 (מיעוט) / ownership requirement + species purity.

What Is Learned

An olah from the flock must be the offerer’s own property and must be a pure sheep or pure goat; neither a stolen animal nor a kilayim hybrid qualifies.