Study Bava Kamma folio 77B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ואמר ריש לקיש, אומר היה רבי שמעון: פרה נפדית על גבי מערכתה. אלמא כל העומד לפדות – כפדוי דמי.
And Reish Lakish says, in explanation of R' Shimon’s statement: R' Shimon would say that the red heifer can be redeemed with money even when it has already been slaughtered upon its pyre, i.e., for the sake of purification. For this reason R' Shimon claimed that the meat had a time when it was fit for consumption, as it can be rendered permitted for consumption through redemption. The Talmud states its conclusion: Evidently, R' Shimon holds that any animal that is ready to be redeemed is considered as though it has already been redeemed.
בשלמא רבי יוחנן לא אמר כרבי שמעון בן לקיש – דקא בעי לאוקמה למתניתין אפילו בתמימין. אלא ריש לקיש – מאי טעמא לא אמר כרבי יוחנן?
The Talmud discusses the relative merits of the answers provided by R' Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish: Granted, R' Yoḥanan did not state an answer in accordance with that of R' Shimon ben Lakish, i.e., Reish Lakish, that the Mishnah is referring to a blemished animal, because he wants to interpret the Mishnah as dealing with all kinds of sacrificial animals, even with unblemished ones. But what is the reason that Reish Lakish did not state an answer in accordance with that of R' Yoḥanan?
אמר לך: ״וטבחו ומכרו״ – כל היכא דאיתיה במכירה איתיה בטביחה, וכל היכא דליתיה במכירה ליתיה בטביחה. והני קדשים – הואיל דכי מזבין קדשים לא הויא מכירה, ליתנהו בטביחה.
Reish Lakish could have said to you that the verse states: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it” (Exodus 21:37). This verse compares slaughtering to selling, thereby indicating that anywhere that the fourfold or fivefold payment is applicable for the sale of a particular animal it is likewise applicable for its slaughter, and anywhere that the fourfold or fivefold payment is not applicable for the sale of an animal it is not applicable for its slaughter either. And with regard to this case of sacrificial animals, since when one sells sacrificial animals it is not a valid sale, and no fourfold or fivefold payment is incurred, so too, there is no fourfold or fivefold payment for their slaughter.