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4,112. Offerings Brought by an Apostate Jew

Hilchos Maasei Hakarbanos 3:3

If a non-Jew brings peace offerings, they are offered as burnt offerings because the non-Jew’s intention is that the offering be to God (rather than eaten). If he gives them to a Jew so that the Jew might receive atonement, the Jew eats from them as from the peace offerings normally brought by Jews. Similarly, if the non-Jew gives the peace offerings to a kohein, the kohein may eat from them.

Hilchos Maasei Hakarbanos 3:4

We do not accept any offerings brought by an apostate Jew who worships idols or who publicly violates Shabbos. Even a burnt offering, which is accepted from a non-Jew, is not accepted from such an apostate Jew. This is as per Leviticus 1:2: “When a man from you will offer….” Our oral tradition teaches that the words “from you” mean “some but not all of you,” the exception being an apostate. However, we do accept an offering from a Jew who is an apostate in other ways out of hope that he will repent. But if he’s an apostate regarding some sin and it’s publicly known that he is in regular violation of this sin, then an offering that he brings to atone for accidentally committing that particular sin is not accepted. This is true regardless of whether he commits the sin to anger God or simply because he likes it. For example, let’s say that a person is in the habit of eating forbidden fats – either to anger God or just because he enjoys doing so. If he accidentally ate such fats and brought a sin offering to atone for doing so, it is not accepted.

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