DEUT561 When an offering suffers a blemish, redeem it. Hashem in His kindness lets us derive benefit from an animal that was destined for the Altar but suffered a disqualifying blemish and then was redeemed. Although it had been dedicated for the Altar--and it thereby attained special sanctity because the Name of Heaven had been called upon it--Hashem deals graciously with us. He does not command that since His sacred Name was called on the animal for a moment, the animal becomes off-limits forever. Hashem's kindness is so great, He makes it a mitzvah for us to redeem the animal, so that we will have no doubt about the propriety of the matter. Were redemption simply allowed but it was not a positive mitzvot, there would be room to think that those seeking higher levels of piety should not redeem such animals and should not derive benefit from them. For this reason, the Torah states that having redeemed offerings that become blemished, we shall eat of their meat “just as [we eat] of the deer and of the hart,” for the deer and the hart, although they are kosher, cannot be offerings at all. The sanctity of offerings never can descend upon them, and the Torah tells us that a blemished offering after redemption is just like them. The meat is permitted, and one does not need to think twice about eating it.

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DEUT562 See [[EXOD741]] Exodus 22:30 eat COHON 166-7

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DEUT563 (Continued from [[EXOD993]] Exodus 32:25 exposed GATES 7-9). Secondly, [I.e. another reason why his latter sin is even more severe, besides for the above stated explanation] one who repeats his sin has difficulty repenting, since he perceives his sin as permissible. In this manner, his sin weighs very heavily upon him, as the pasuk says (Yirmeyahu 3:5), "Behold, you spoke and you performed evil, and you were able." The meaning of "and you were able" is that you see the evil as permissible, as something that is within your capacity and within your domain, the same language as [this verse], "You are not able to eat in your towns," which Targum translate as, "You are not permitted." Our Sages, z"l, have stated (Kidushin 40a), "Once one commit a transgression and repeats it, he perceives it as permissible." Our Sages, z"l, have also said (ibid.), about one who commit a sin and repeats it, from that point onwards, when he intends to commit that sin and involuntarily is prevented from doing so, its evil intent is taken into consideration as if he actually performed the sin. Concerning such a person the pasuk says (Yirmeyahu 6:19), "Behold I am bringing evil upon this nation, the fruit of their thoughts." [I.e., The evil that is brought upon them evolves from their intention to sin, even if they have not implemented their wishes.]

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DEUT564 No Kohen shall eat the first fruits before they are brought to the Beis HaMikdash and are put down in the courtyard. Key concept: The bikkurim are brought to the Beis HaMikdash so that Kohanim, Hashem’s attendants there, may eat of them [See [[EXOD897]] Exodus 23:19 fruits CHINUCH 60]. Because of the reason provided there, no Kohanim may eat of the bikkurim before they are put down in the courtyard and non-Kohanim are never allowed to eat bikkurim.

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DEUT565 Do not eat the meat of kodashim kalim until after the animal’s blood is sprinkled on the altar. Key concept: To teach us that in all matters, one attends to the matter’s benefit to the soul before one attends to its benefit to the body. It would not be fitting for the body to derive benefit from the offering’s meat before the offering’s blood is put on the Altar, for the latter atones for the soul.

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DEUT566 Do not eat meat of sin offerings or guilt offerings outside of the courtyard of the Beis HaMikdash. One eats meat of the offerings in a specially designated place, so that those to whom the meat is permitted will eat with the proper intention. Regarding sin offerings and guilt offerings, our Sages teach, “The Kohanim eat and thereby, the owners of the offerings attain atonement,” and the Kohanim must keep this idea in mind while eating. Were they allowed to eat the meat wherever they pleased, they would be distracted from the purpose of their eating.

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DEUT567 Do not eat the meat of an olah (wholly burnt offering). See [[EXOD940]] Exodus 25:8 sanctuary CHINUCH 62-5

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DEUT568 The varied pleasures in life are not evil in themselves, but only when they are abused. Happiness is not only possible, it is mandatory: "And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thy hands into." [this verse] The Shechinah rests upon a man only when he is joyous, and a person will have to render an account for the pleasures that came his way, and he did not enjoy. Shabbat 30b; Yerushalmi, end of Kiddushin.

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DEUT569 This is how wine should be used: One should use it as a cure for his sorrow, in order to strengthen himself in Torah by learning it with joy, and when one is steeped in sorrow he cannot learn. And even a beis din which is in sorrow cannot adjudicate correctly. Sorrow also impairs one's concentration in prayer. Also, when one is steeped in sorrow, if someone speaks to him or asks him for a favor, he is unable to fulfill his request. And it is written (Yeshayahu 49:8): "In a time of will I have answered you." It is to these ends, then, that the wise man should drink wine, taking care not to drink so much as to be compelled to cancel his work and his affairs, and, above all, not to drink so much as to be incapacitated for Torah study or for prayer or to be brought to excessive laughter and lightheadedness. And he should not drink to the point of losing his possessions or quarreling with his friend or breaking vessels or revealing his secrets or those of others. If you drink in this fashion, wine will not be an anathema to you. On holidays and festivals, too, concerning which it is written [this verse]: "And you shall rejoice before Hashem your God,' and (ibid. 16:14) "And you shall rejoice in your festival,' one should not indulge himself in drinking wine, frivolity, and lightheadedness, as it is written (ibid.28: 47): "Because you did not serve Hashem your God in joy and gladness of heart," the implication being that we have been commanded to attain only that joy which is conducive to the service of the Creator of All, and it is impossible to serve the Blessed One out of lightheadedness, laughter, or drunkenness. (Continued at [[DEUT346]] Deuteronomy 7:10 pays TZADIK 177).

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DEUT570 See [[LEV1093]] Leviticus 25:45 property OXFORD 47

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