Siman - Yoma Daf 42
- שתי שחיטות שמעתי
Rebbe Yitzchak said, שתי שחיטות שמעתי – I heard from my teachers a distinction between two shechitos, that of the parah adumah and that of the par of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur, where one of them is kosher if done by a zar and the other is not, but I do not know which one is valid. After the Gemara clarifies that Rav holds that the parah adumah is passul if it is schechted by a zar, and Shmuel holds that it is the Kohen Gadol’s par that becomes passul, the Gemara challenges each opinion, since they use similar words in the passukim to support their rulings.
The Gemara challenges Shmuel as to why he holds that the parah adumah is kasher if the shechitah is done by a zar, and answers that in the case of the parah adumah the passuk states, "ושחט אתה לפניו" - and he shall slaughter it in front of (Elazar). This implies זר שוחט ואלעזר רואה – that a zar shechts the parah adumah, while Elazar watches. According to Rav who holds that Elazar was the one who shechted the parah adumah, the passuk means, שלא יסיח דעתו ממנה – that Elazar, who is the one shechting the parah adumah, shall not divert his attention from it. Rashi explains that he must constantly guard it from tumah and other disqualifications. Shmuel learns this din from a different part of the passuk.
- Support for Rav that a zar may not do shechitah of the parah adumah
The Gemara brings support for Rav, that a parah adumah shechted by a zar is passul, from a Baraisa which teaches that just as a woman may not do the sprinkling of the parah adumah, she cannot do the shechitah, as well as other avodos, of the parah adumah. This implies that just as a woman cannot do the shechitah, similarly a zar may not do the shechitah. The Gemara challenges this, given that a woman may not do the haza’ah but a zar can, so perhaps a woman cannot do the shechitah but a zar can. Abaye answered that the reason the Baraisa disqualifies a woman from the shechitah of the parah adumah, is from the fact that the passuk identified Elazar for the shechitah and not a woman. Similarly, with regard to a zar, we may say Elazar is specified and not a zar.
- Not taking another cow out with the parah adumah
Ullah does an extensive examination of the passukim from the parsha of parah adumah. As part of his analysis he says, the passuk states "והוציא אתה" – and he shall take it out to the outside of the camp, which teaches, שלא יוציא אחרת עמה – that he shall not take another cow with it. As we learned in a Mishnah in Parah: If the parah adumah did not want to go out, we do not take a black one with it, so people should not say, “they shechted the black one for the avodah.” And they do not take out even a red one with it, so that people should not say, “they shechted two of them.” Rashi explains that the schechitah of the second one together with the first would constitute an accompanying “different activity” which would invalidate the parah’s shechitah. Rebbe says that this is not the reason, but rather because the passuk says, "אותה" לבדה – and he shall take it out, which implies it alone. The Tanna Kamma, who did not learn this derashah, is Rebbe Shimon, who is דריש טעמא דקרא – he expounds the rationale of the passuk. The nafka minah between them is taking a donkey out with the cow. According to the Tanna Kamma it is permitted since the rationale does not apply, whereas according to Rebbe it is forbidden since the parah adumah is not being taken out alone.
