The Two-Hair Threshold for Parah Adumah

זֹ֚את חֻקַּ֣ת הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר דַּבֵּ֣ר ׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֣וּ אֵלֶ֩יךָ֩ פָרָ֨ה אֲדֻמָּ֜ה תְּמִימָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֵֽין־בָּהּ֙ מ֔וּם אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָלָ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ עֹֽל׃

This is the ritual law that GOD has commanded: Instruct the Israelite people to bring you a red cow without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid.

הָיוּ בָהּ שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת שְׁחוֹרוֹת אוֹ לְבָנוֹת בְּתוֹךְ גֻּמָּא אַחַת, פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אֲפִלּוּ בְתוֹךְ כּוֹס אֶחָד. הָיוּ בְתוֹךְ שְׁנֵי כוֹסוֹת וְהֵן מוֹכִיחוֹת זוֹ אֶת זוֹ, פְּסוּלָה.

If it had two black or white hairs growing within one follicle, it is invalid. Rabbi Judah said: within one kos; if they grew within two kosot that were adjacent to one another, it is invalid. Rabbi Akiva says: even if there were four or five but they were dispersed, they may be plucked out.

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן חִסְמָא אוֹמֵר, קִנִּין וּפִתְחֵי נִדָּה, הֵן הֵן גּוּפֵי הֲלָכוֹת. תְּקוּפוֹת וְגִימַטְרִיאוֹת, פַּרְפְּרָאוֹת לַחָכְמָה:

Rabbi Eliezer Hisma said: the laws of mixed bird offerings and the key to the calculations of menstruation days, these are the body of the halakhah. The calculation of the equinoxes and gematria are the desserts of wisdom.

פָּרָה שֶׁקַּרְנֶיהָ וּטְלָפֶיהָ שְׁחוֹרִים, יָגֹד. גַּלְגַּל הָעַיִן וְהַשִּׁנַּיִם וְהַלָּשׁוֹן אֵינָם פּוֹסְלִים בַּפָּרָה. וְהַנַּנֶּסֶת, כְּשֵׁרָה. הָיְתָה בָהּ יַבֶּלֶת וַחֲתָכָהּ, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פוֹסֵל. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, כָּל מְקוֹם שֶׁנִּטַּל וְלֹא הֶעֱלָה מְקוֹמוֹ שֵׂעָר אָדֹם, פְּסוּלָה:

If the horns or the hoofs of the [red] cow are black they are chopped off. The eye ball, the teeth and the tongue cause do not invalidate the [red] cow. One that is dwarf-like is valid. If there was on it an extra digit and it was cut off: Rabbi Judah says that it is invalid. Rabbi Shimon says: wherever, if removed, no red hair grows in its place is it invalid.

וְאָמַר רַב הוּנָא: מַאי טַעְמָא דְּבֵית שַׁמַּאי? ״קַרְנֹת״, ״קַרְנֹת״, ״קַרְנֹת״ – הֲרֵי כָּאן שֵׁשׁ: אַרְבַּע לְמִצְוָה, וּשְׁתַּיִם לְעַכֵּב. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים: קַרְנוֹת, קַרְנַת, קַרְנַת – הֲרֵי כָּאן אַרְבַּע. שָׁלֹשׁ לְמִצְוָה, וְאַחַת לְעַכֵּב.

And Rav Huna says: What is the reasoning for the opinion of Beit Shammai? The verse states: “And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar” (Leviticus 4:25); and “The priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar” (Leviticus 4:30); and again: “The priest shall take of the blood of the sin-offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar” (Leviticus 4:34). As the minimum amount justifying the use of plural, i.e., “horns,” is two, one may conclude that there are six references to the horns of the altar here. Four of them are mentioned for the mitzva, meaning that he should present the blood on all four horns of the altar ab initio, and the other two were mentioned to invalidate the offering if he did not present it on at least two horns. And Beit Hillel say: The matter should be understood according to the written consonantal text. The word “horns” is written once plene, with a vav, which means that it must be read in the plural; and the other two times the words “horns” and “horns” are written deficient, without a vav, in a way that can be vocalized in the singular. Therefore, there are four references to horns here. Three of these presentations are written to indicate that they are performed only as a mitzva, i.e., they are performed ab initio, but the offering is valid even absent their presentation. And the remaining one, i.e., the fourth presentation, is written to indicate that its absence invalidates the offering, i.e., the offering is not valid if the blood was not presented against at least one horn of the altar. Evidently, Beit Shammai hold the vocalization is authoritative, whereas Beit Hillel hold the consonantal text is authoritative.

הלכה כחכמים והיות הזקנים מן הבהמות מתועבים בכל הקרבנות הנה הוא מאמר אמיתי וכאילו עניינו קרוב ממום ר"ל הזוקן ותש כח וכבר קדם לך זה בסוף פרק ששי מבכורות (דף מא.):

הָיְתָה בָּהּ יַבֶּלֶת וַחֲתָכָהּ. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁצָּמַח בִּמְקוֹמָהּ שֵׂעָר אָדֹם פְּסוּלָה:

If it had an abnormal growth of another color and one cut it off, even though red hair grew in its place, it is unacceptable.

ואחר כך בטעם פרה אדומה ועגלה ערופה ודיני מצורע וטהרתו וכן דיני זב וזבה ויולדת וסוטה ודיני נזיר וקרבנות שהקריבו הקדמונים והנמשך לזה.

אמנם יבין וידע ויקבע במחשבות לבו. שכל פרטי מעשיו ודבוריו ומחשבותיו כל עת ורגע. לא אתאבידו ח"ו. ומה רבו מעשיו ומאד גדלו ורמו. שכל א' עולה כפי שרשה לפעול פעולתה בגבהי מרומים בעולמות וצחצחות האורות העליונים. הגהה: וקרוב לשמוע שגם זה בכלל כוונתם ז"ל באבות דע מה למעלה ממך. ר"ל עם כי אינך רואה בעיניך הענינים הנוראים הנעשים ממעשיך. אבל תדע נאמנה. כי כל מה שנעשה למעלה בעולמות העליונים גבוהי גבוהים. הכל ממך הוא על פי מעשיך לאן נוטים. על פיהם יצאו ויבואו:

Truthfully, one should understand and know and fix in his heart/mind’s thoughts, that every detail of his actions, speech and thoughts, in each instant and moment, are not for naught (heaven forefend). And how many are his actions and how great and exalted, that each one rises according to its root, to effect its result at the loftiest heights, in the worlds and highest levels of the heavenly lights [*]. Annotation: And it’s likely that this too is included in their (OBM) intention in Ahvote (2:1) “know what is above you”, as if to say that your eyes don’t see the awesome situations caused by your actions. However, know reliably that all that is caused above in the higher worlds, highest of the highest, all is “from you”, according to inclination of your actions—by their commands they go and come.