Horayot 9A

״לא תגיע ידו״, ונאמר ״לא תשיג ידו״⁠ – מי שבא לידי עניות ועשירות. יצא נשיא ומשיח, שאין באין לידי עניות,

“And if his means suffice not” (Leviticus 5:7), and it is stated: “And if his means not suffice” (Leviticus 5:11), indicating that the sliding-scale offering applies only to one who can come to a state of poverty and wealth. This serves to exclude a king and an anointed priest, who cannot come to a state of poverty.

נשיא ⁠– דכתיב: ״ועשה אחת מכל מצות ה׳ אלהיו״. מי שאין על גביו אלא ה׳ אלהיו. משיח ⁠– דכתיב: ״והכהן הגדול מאחיו״, שהוא גדול מאחיו בנוי, בכח, בחכמה ובעושר. אחרים אומרים: מנין שאם אין לו גדלהו משל אחיו? תלמוד לומר: ״והכהן הגדול מאחיו אשר יוצק על ראשו״⁠ – גדלהו מאחיו.

The king cannot become poor, as it is written concerning him: “And he performed one of all the mitzvot of YHWH his God” (Leviticus 4:22), referring to the king as one who has only YHWH his God upon him. He is greater than the entire nation and is not a poor person dependent on others. An anointed priest cannot become poor, as it is written: “And the priest that is greatest among his brothers” (Leviticus 21:10), meaning that he is greater than his brothers in beauty, in power, in wisdom, and in wealth, not a poor person. Others say: From where is it derived that if the High Priest does not have personal wealth, one should make him great from the property of his brothers? The verse states: “And the priest that is greatest among his brothers upon whose head the anointing oil is poured” (Leviticus 21:10), from which it is derived: Make him great from the property of his brothers, who will provide him with enough property to render him wealthy.

בעא מיניה רבינא מרב נחמן בר יצחק: נשיא שנצטרע, מהו? מידחא דחי, או מיפטר פטיר? אמר ליה: דילך, או דגזא?

Ravina raised a dilemma before Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak: In the case of a king who was afflicted with tzara'at and unfit to serve as king during his affliction, what is his status with regard to the sliding-scale offering? Previously, during his reign, was he completely eliminated from the obligation to bring a sliding-scale offering to the extent that even now, when he is no longer king, he remains exempt? Or was he merely exempted, so that now that he is no longer king he is obligated to bring the offering? Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to Ravina: Does he bring the offering from your property, i.e., public property, or does he bring the offering from his personal treasure [degazza]? Since he obviously would bring the offering from his own personal treasure, he remains exempt from bringing the offering.