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Dedicated to our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel.
Welcome to Mishnayot Chagigah. Chagigah deals primarily with two topics — the offerings brought to the Temple on the Three Festivals (Pesach, Shavuos and Succos) and certain laws of Tumah and Taharah (ritual impurity and purity). We will discuss the latter starting in the second Perek.
In a nutshell, the Torah discusses the offerings brought to the Temple three times a year, on each of the Three Festivals, in keeping with the precept to not appear before Hashem “empty handed.” The Perek discusses two types of offerings which were brought: (a) olas re’iyah (literally a “burnt offering”); and (b) shalmei Chagigah (literally, a peace offering of celebration). The meat of the former is burnt on the Altar; the meat of the latter is eaten by the owner of the offering, and his family and guests (only a portion of its fats and organs are burnt on the Altar).
Here is a breakdown of the Mishnayot:
1 - Who is obligated to bring these offerings?
2 - A description of the two offerings mentioned above and their minimum monetary value.
3/4 - Which offerings are brought on Yom Tov and which are brought on Chol HaMoed, and which can be purchased with maaser sheni money (maaser sheni is the tithe given during the first, second, fourth and fifth years of the shemittah cycle). We are also introduced to the shalmei simchah (a voluntary offering which served a source of food for enjoyment on the Chag).
5 - The bringing of multiple offerings (to ensure that there is enough to eat, a recurring theme throughout Jewish history).
6/7 - What happens if one failed to timely bring the shalmei Chagigah and olas re’iyah — is there a “make good”? The concept of a “make good” sparks an interesting conversation about other contexts in which something “crooked” can be “straightened.”
Parting Note: For many of us, it can be difficult to relate to the laws of offerings. How, if at all, can you extrapolate the lessons of bringing offerings to our current lives (at least until the Temple is rebuilt, hopefully soon). Some commentators suggest that prayer is the modern “equivalent.” Does that resonate with you and/or do you find other takeaways from the concept of “sacrifices”. Any feedback is welcome.
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