Per instruction of the Torah, all personal sacrifices require the owner of the sacrifice to lay his hands on the head of the animal and press down hard. In Hebrew this is called semikha-סְמִיכָה. On a Festival a person brings three different sacrifices, a burnt-offering for appearing in the Temple (olah re-eyah-עולה ראיה), a holiday shelamim (hagigah-חגיגה), and apeace offerings to increase joy (shalmay simkha -שלמי שמחה). Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai agree that one is allowed to offer the hagigah and the shalmay simkha and perform the act of semikha on Yom Tov because some parts of the sacrifice are eaten by the priests and the owner of the sacrifice and thus falls under the category of okhel nefesh (אוכל נפש), permission to prepare food on the Festival. They disagree whether one may offer the olah re-eyah on the Festival because it is a complete burnt offering on the altar. Since nobody eats it and it cannot be considered okhel nefesh, Bet Shammai says it may not be offered up on the Festival itself. Beit Hillel disagrees and says that not only may one offer up the olah re-eyah, he may perform semikha on Yom Tov.
Today’s daf TB Beitzah 20 tells an outrageous
story about Hillel himself and the students of Shammai concerning the olah re-eyah. “The Sages taught in a baraita:
There was an incident involving Hillel the Elder, who brought his
burnt-offering to the Temple courtyard in order to place his hands
on the animal’s head on a Festival. The students of Shammai the Elder
gathered around him and said to him: What is the nature of this animal
that you are bringing? Hillel, being humble and meek, did not want to quarrel
with them in the Temple and therefore concealed the truth from them for the
sake of peace. He said to them: It is a female, and I have brought it as a
peace-offering, as burnt-offerings are always male. He swung its tail
for them so that they would not be able to properly discern whether the
animal was male or female, and they departed.
“On that day, when the incident became
known, suggesting that even Hillel had accepted Shammai’s view, Beit Shammai
gained the upper hand over Beit Hillel, and they sought to establish the halakha
in this regard in accordance with their opinion.” (Sefaria.org
translation) Shammai’s students certainly acted with great chutzpah to
interrogate and treat Hillel thusly.
But as Paul Harvey would say “Now for the rest of the
story.” “But a certain Elder of the disciples of Shammai the Elder was there, and
Bava ben Buta was his name, who knew that the halakha is in accordance
with the opinion of Beit Hillel in this matter. And he sent
for and brought all the high-quality sheep of Kedar that were in
Jerusalem, and he stood them in the Temple courtyard and said: Anyone
who wishes to place his hands on the head of an animal should come
and place his hands there. And on that day Beit Hillel
gained the upper hand over Beit Shammai, and they established the halakha
in this case in accordance with their opinion, and there was no one
there who disputed the matter in any way.”(Sefaria.org
translation)
One should admire Bava ben Buta for his integrity. Bava ben Buta is
mentioned several times as one of the importance students of Shammai. He was
famous in his generation for his righteousness and for his wisdom. Many stories
describe his extraordinary humility and how he cared more for peace than his
own honor (כבוד). He was known for his fear of
heaven (יראת
שמים). From
all accounts he was a judge in Jerusalem and famous for his great wisdom not only
in Jewish law, but also in secular matters. It is told that when Herod murder
many scholars in Israel, he blinded Bava ben Buta but allowed him to live so he
may rule with Bava ben Buta’s advice. It is also told that because of Bava ben
Buta counsel, Herod refurbished the Temple and made it a magnificent building.
Remember we learned that one who had not seen Herod’s Temple has not seen a
beautiful building! (TB Sukkah 51b)
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