הלכות שגגות ח׳Offerings for Unintentional Transgressions 8

Halacha 1א׳

כָּל חֵטְא שֶׁחַיָּבִין עַל שִׁגְגָתוֹ חַטָּאת קְבוּעָה חַיָּבִין עַל לֹא הוֹדַע שֶׁלּוֹ אָשָׁם תָּלוּי. וּמַהוּ לֹא הוֹדַע. אִם נִסְתַּפֵּק לוֹ אִם שָׁגַג בְּדָבָר זֶה אוֹ לֹא שָׁגַג הֲרֵי זֶה מְצֻוֶּה לְהַקְרִיב אָשָׁם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ה יז) "וְלֹא יָדַע וְאָשֵׁם וְנָשָׂא עֲוֹנוֹ" (ויקרא ה יח) "וְהֵבִיא אַיִל תָּמִים מִן הַצֹּאן בְּעֶרְכְּךָ לְאָשָׁם" וְזֶהוּ הַנִּקְרָא אָשָׁם תָּלוּי מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מְכַפֵּר עַל הַסָּפֵק וְתוֹלֶה לוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּוָּדַע לוֹ בְּוַדַּאי שֶׁחָטָא בִּשְׁגָגָה וְיַקְרִיב חַטָּאתוֹ:

Every sin for whose unintentional commission one is liable to a fixed sin-offering — for a case of it that was not made known, one is liable to a provisional guilt-offering. And what is "not made known"? If he is in doubt whether he acted unwittingly in this matter or did not, it is a commandment for him to offer a guilt-offering, as it is said (Leviticus 5:17-18), "though he did not know it, yet is he guilty and shall bear his iniquity; and he shall bring an unblemished ram from the flock, at your valuation, for a guilt-offering." And this is what is called a provisional guilt-offering, because it atones for the doubt and holds the matter in suspense for him, until it becomes known to him for certain that he sinned unwittingly and he offers his sin-offering.

Halacha 2ב׳

אֵינוֹ חַיָּב בְּאָשָׁם תָּלוּי עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׁם אִסּוּר קָבוּעַ. כֵּיצַד. אָכַל חֵלֶב וְסָפֵק אִם הָיָה כְּזַיִת אוֹ פָּחוֹת מִכְּזַיִת. אוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה לְפָנָיו חֲתִיכַת חֵלֶב וַחֲתִיכַת שֻׁמָּן וְאָכַל אַחַת מֵהֶן וְאֵין יָדוּעַ אֵי זֶה מֵהֶן אָכַל. אִשְׁתּוֹ וַאֲחוֹתוֹ עִמּוֹ בַּבַּיִת בָּעַל אַחַת מֵהֶן וְאֵין יוֹדֵעַ אֵי זוֹ מֵהֶן בָּעַל. שַׁבָּת וְחל וְעָשָׂה מְלָאכוֹת בְּאֶחָד מֵהֶם וְאֵין יָדוּעַ בְּאֵי זֶה יוֹם עָשָׂה. אוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה מְלָאכָה בְּשַׁבָּת וְלֹא יָדַע מֵעֵין אֵי זוֹ מְלָאכָה עָשָׂה. הֲרֵי זֶה מֵבִיא אָשָׁם תָּלוּי. וְכֵן כָּל כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה. אֲבָל אִם הָיְתָה לְפָנָיו חֲתִיכָה אַחַת סָפֵק שֶׁהִיא חֵלֶב סָפֵק שֶׁהִיא שֻׁמָּן וַאֲכָלָהּ פָּטוּר שֶׁהֲרֵי אֵין כָּאן אִסּוּר קָבוּעַ. וְכָל הָאוֹכֵל חֵלֶב הַכְּוִי פָּטוּר מֵאָשָׁם תָּלוּי שֶׁהֲרֵי אֵין כָּאן אִסּוּר קָבוּעַ. וְכֵן הַבָּא עַל אִשָּׁה שֶׁהִיא סְפֵק נִדָּה אוֹ סְפֵק עֶרְוָה שֶׁל קֵרוּב בָּשָׂר פָּטוּר מֵאָשָׁם תָּלוּי. לְפִיכָךְ הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁנִּמְצָא דָּם עַל עֵד שֶׁלָּהּ לְאַחַר זְמַן וְהַנּוֹשֵׂא יְבִמְתּוֹ בְּתוֹךְ שְׁלֹשָׁה חֳדָשִׁים וְיָלְדָה וְאֵין יָדוּעַ אִם בֶּן תִּשְׁעָה לָרִאשׁוֹן אוֹ בֶּן שִׁבְעָה לָאַחֲרוֹן הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ פְּטוּרִין מִן הַקָּרְבָּן. וְכֵן כָּל כַּיּוֹצֵא בְּאֵלּוּ. שֶׁהֲרֵי אֵין שָׁם אִסּוּר קָבוּעַ:

He is not liable to a provisional guilt-offering unless there is a fixed prohibition there. How so? He ate forbidden fat and is in doubt whether it was an olive's bulk or less than an olive's bulk; or there was before him a piece of forbidden fat and a piece of permitted fat and he ate one of them and it is not known which of them he ate; his wife and his sister were with him in the house and he lay with one of them and it is not known which of them he lay with; the Sabbath and a weekday, and he did work on one of them and it is not known on which day he did it; or he did work on the Sabbath and does not know which kind of work he did — in all these he brings a provisional guilt-offering. And so in all like cases. But if there was before him a single piece, in doubt whether it is forbidden fat or permitted fat, and he ate it, he is exempt, for there is no fixed prohibition here. And anyone who eats the fat of a koy is exempt from a provisional guilt-offering, for there is no fixed prohibition here. So too one who has intercourse with a woman who may be a menstruant, or who may be a forbidden relation, is exempt from a provisional guilt-offering. Therefore a woman on whose examination cloth blood was found after a lapse of time; and one who married his levirate widow within three months and she gave birth and it is not known whether the child is a nine-month child of the first husband or a seven-month child of the last — these are exempt from an offering. And so in all like cases, since there is no fixed prohibition there.

Halacha 3ג׳

הָאוֹכֵל חֲתִיכָה וְעֵד אֶחָד אוֹמֵר לוֹ זֶה שֶׁאָכַלְתָּ חֵלֶב הָיָה וְעֵד אֶחָד אוֹמֵר לֹא אָכַלְתָּ חֵלֶב. אִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת אָכַל וְאִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת לֹא אָכַל. הוֹאִיל וְנִקְבַּע הָאִסּוּר וְהוּא אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ אִם חָטָא אוֹ לֹא חָטָא הֲרֵי זֶה מֵבִיא אָשָׁם תָּלוּי. וְכֵן כָּל הַבָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ שֶׁעֵד אֶחָד אוֹמֵר מֵת בַּעְלָהּ וְעֵד אֶחָד אוֹמֵר לֹא מֵת. חַיָּב בְּאָשָׁם תָּלוּי. וְהוּא הַדִּין לִסְפֵק מְגֹרֶשֶׁת שֶׁהֲרֵי נִקְבַּע הָאִסּוּר. אֲבָל סְפֵק מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת לֹא נִקְבַּע הָאִסּוּר:

One who ate a piece, and one witness says to him, "That which you ate was forbidden fat," and one witness says, "You did not eat forbidden fat"; or a woman says he ate and a woman says he did not eat — since the prohibition was fixed and he does not know whether he sinned or did not sin, he brings a provisional guilt-offering. So too anyone who has intercourse with a married woman concerning whom one witness says that her husband died and one witness says that he did not die is liable to a provisional guilt-offering. And the same law applies to a woman who may or may not have been divorced, since the prohibition was fixed; but with a woman who may or may not have been betrothed, the prohibition was not fixed.