4TH Day Vayikra (Lev 3:1-2)

Laws for Peace Offerings

1 If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.

Bekhorot 15b:3

The Gemara asks: From where is this matter, that the offspring of a sacrificial animal is imbued with inherent sanctity, derived? It is derived from a verse, as the Sages taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he sacrifice from the cattle, male or female, he shall sacrifice it without blemish before the Lord” (Lev 3:1), that the words “male” and “female” are extraneous, as the term “cattle” includes both. Consequently, “male” serves to include the offspring of a peace offering; “or female” serves to include the female animal that is designated as a substitute for a peace offering.

Bekhorot 42a:3

The Gemara suggests: Come and hear a baraita discussing the peace offering, with regard to which it states: “Male or female” (Lev 3:1). This indicates: Only a definite male or a definite female, but not a tumtum or a hermaphrodite. Yet again the Gemara responds: Omit from this baraita the mention of a tumtum.

Bekhorot 61a:5

And furthermore, there is a source that indicates that Rabbi Yehuda holds that a mistakenly designated animal tithe is sacrificed, as it is taught in a baraita in the Sifra: “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he sacrifice an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall sacrifice it without blemish before the Lord” (Lev 3:1). This serves to include the eleventh animal mistakenly designated as tithe; it must be sacrificed as a peace offering.

Menachot 92b:17

Lev 3, discusses peace offerings and details the obligation of placing hands. The term “his offering” is mentioned a number of times. Each time serves to emphasize that peace offerings require placing hands and to exclude another type of offering from that requirement. The Sages taught a baraita detailing which offerings are excluded and why one might have thought otherwise. “His offering” (Lev 3:1) requires placing hands, but not the firstborn offering. As one might have thought: Could this not be derived through an a fortiori inference, as follows: If a peace offering, whose consecration does not originate from being in its mother’s womb, nevertheless requires placing hands, then with regard to a firstborn offering, whose consecration originates from the womb, is it not logical that it requires placing hands? To counter this inference, the verse states: “His offering,” teaching that a peace offering requires placing hands but the firstborn offering does not.

Nazir 45a:8

GEMARA: The Gemara first addresses the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, whose reasoning was not stated in the mishna. The Sages taught that when the law states: “And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting” (Num 6:18), the verse is speaking of the peace offering, as the phrase “the entrance to the tent of meeting” alludes to a peace offering, as it is stated: “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering . . . and kill it at the entrance to the tent of meeting” (Lev 3:1-2).

Rashi

Peace offering—They are so called because they bring peace (שָׁלוֹם) into the world. Another explanation is: they are called שְׁלָמִים because through them there is harmony to the altar, to the priests and to the owners (since all these receive a portion) (cf. Rashi on Exo 29:22 and our note thereon; see also Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d’Nedavah, Chapter 16 2).

Temurah 17b:5

With regard to the mishna’s statement that the halakhic status of the offspring of peace offerings and their substitutes are like that of the peace offering itself, the Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived? The Gemara answers: As the Sages taught in a baraita: “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, if male if female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord” (Lev 3:1). Since the verse already states: “If he offers an animal from the herd,” the words “if male if female” are unnecessary. Rather, the word “male” serves to include the offspring of a peace offering as having the the same halakhic status as a peace offering.

Temurah 18a:13

GEMARA: Rabbi Ami said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the reason of Rabbi Eliezer, that the offspring of a peace offering does not have the status of a peace offering? It is that the verse states with regard to a peace offering: “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering for the Lord” (Lev 3:1). The term “if [ve’im],” can be read as: And a mother [ve’em], which teaches that the mother may be offered as a peace offering, but not the offspring.

Zevachim 4a:1

The Gemara asks: From where do we derive that we require that an offering’s slaughter be performed for its own sake? It is derived from a verse, as the verse states: “If his offering is a sacrifice [zevaḥ] of peace offering” (Lev 3:1), teaching that slaughter [zeviḥa] must be performed for the sake of a peace offering.

Zevachim 99b:12

The Gemara counters: But isn’t it taught in a baraita: With regard to the verse: “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings [shelamim]” (Lev 3:1), Rabbi Shimon says: The offering is called shelamim to teach that when a person is whole [shalem], i.e., in a state of contentment, he brings his offering, but he does not bring it when he is an acute mourner. From where is it derived to include that an acute mourner does not bring even a thanks offering? I include the thanks offering because it is consumed in a state of joy, like a peace offering.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ROM 5:1-2

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. COL 1:20

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. HEB 10:22

that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1JN 1:3

John Gill

That which we have seen and heard—This is repeated, both to confirm and illustrate what had been before said, and to carry on the discourse to what follows.

We proclaim also to you—In the ministry of the word; the person and offices of Christ being the sum and substance of the gospel ministration, that declares him to be the true God and eternal life, God over all, blessed for ever; and truly man, made of a woman, and made under the law; and to be the only Mediator between God and man, to be prophet, priest; and King, and to be the alone Saviour and Redeemer: this declares the greatness and excellency of his salvation, what an able, proper, and suitable Saviour he is; and what precious promises and spiritual blessings are in him, even all grace and eternal glory. And this declaration of him is made in the gospel, for the following ends and purposes.

So that you too may have fellowship with us—In hearing, seeing, and handling of Christ in a spiritual sense; and by enjoying the same privileges in God’s house and family, the same ordinances and spiritual provisions; joining and partaking with them in all the immunities and advantages of a gospel church state here; and by being with them to all eternity hereafter.

And indeed our fellowship is with the Father—The Father of Christ, the covenant God and Father of his people; and which they have with him, when under the influence and witnessings of the spirit of adoption, and can in the strength of faith call him their Father, draw nigh to him through Christ as such, and are indulged with his presence, and the discoveries of his love.

And with his Son Jesus Christ—Being in union to him, they become partakers of him, and of his blessings; they receive out of his fulness, and grace for grace; they are admitted to an intimacy and familiarity with him; they are had into his chambers of secret retirement; they are brought into his banqueting house, where his banner over them is love, and where he sups with them, and they with him; and into this fellowship are they called by the grace of God, through the gospel; as also they have fellowship with the blessed Spirit, though not here mentioned; see (2Co 13:14).

2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar.

Arakhin 2a:14

The Gemara asks: What is the reasoning of Rabbi Yehuda? With regard to placing of hands, he expounds the term: “His offering” (Lev 3:2), as teaching that one places his hands only on his own offering, but not on his father’s offering. And with regard to the ruling that an heir cannot effect substitution, Rabbi Yehuda derives the halakha of the initial stage of consecration, i.e., substitution, in which a previously non-sacred animal is consecrated, from the final stage of consecration, the act of placing hands, which is performed upon an already-consecrated animal immediately before it is slaughtered: Just as with regard to the final stage of consecration, an heir does not place hands, so too, with regard to the initial stage of consecration, an heir cannot effect substitution.

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

37 Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

John Gill

Now when they heard this—Or “him,” as the Arabic version; that is, Peter speaking these things, describing the character of Jesus of Nazareth; opening the prophecies concerning him; asserting his resurrection from the dead, and exaltation at the right hand of God; ascribing this wonderful affair, of speaking with divers tongues, to his effusion of the Spirit; and charging them home with the iniquity of crucifying him.

They were pricked in their hearts—The word of God entered into them, and was as a sharp sword in them, which cut and laid open their hearts, and the sin and wickedness of them; they saw themselves guilty of the crime laid to their charge, and were filled with remorse of conscience for it; they felt pain at their hearts, and much uneasiness, and were seized with horror and trembling; they were wounded in their spirits, being hewn and cut down by the prophets and apostles of the Lord, and slain by the words of his mouth; they were as dead men in their own apprehension; and indeed, a prick, a cut, or wound in the heart is mortal.

And said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”—The persons they before mocked at, they are glad to advise with, what should be done in this their sad and wretched case; what they should do to obtain the favour of God, the forgiveness of their sins, and everlasting salvation. Convinced, awakened sinners, are generally at first upon a covenant of works; are for doing something to atone for their past crimes, to set themselves right in the sight of God, to ingratiate themselves into his favour, and procure the pardon of their sins, and the inheritance of eternal life. And they seem also to be at a loss about the way of salvation, what is to be done to attain it, or how, and by what means it is to be come at; and are almost ready to despair of it, their sin appearing in so dreadful a light, and attended with such aggravating circumstances. Beza’s ancient copy reads, “some of them said to Peter” not all that heard, but those that were pricked to the heart.

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” ACT 2:36-38