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Text Excerpt
והא קא עביד עבודה בקדשים! כהלל. דתניא, אמרו עליו על הלל: מימיו לא מעל אדם בעולתו. אלא מביאה חולין לעזרה ומקדישה, וסומך ידו עליה ושוחטה.
But surely he did work with consecrated animals, using the lambs and goats that had been consecrated as sacrifices to transport the knife, and it is forbidden to make use of consecrated animals. The Talmud answers that the person acted here in accordance with the opinion of Hillel, as it was taught in a baraita: They said about Hillel that no one ever misused his burnt-offering. How did he ensure this? He was careful not to consecrate the animal in advance, but rather he would bring it in an unconsecrated state to the Temple courtyard and there he would consecrate it, and then immediately he would place his hand on its head and slaughter it. On that day, those who used their Paschal lambs and goats to transport knives consecrated their animals only after they arrived in the Temple courtyard.
פסח בשבת היכי מצי מקדיש ליה, והתנן: אין מקדישין ואין מעריכין ואין מחרימין ואין מגביהין תרומה ומעשרות. כל אלו ביום טוב אמרו, קל וחומר בשבת!
The Talmud asks: If so, how could they consecrate the Paschal offerings that year when Passover eve occurred on Shabbat? Didn’t we learn in a Mishnah: One may not consecrate animals, take a valuation vow, consecrate objects for use by the priests or the Temple, or separate terumot and tithes. They stated all of these prohibitions with regard to a Festival, and it is an a fortiori inference that these activities are prohibited on Shabbat as well, for the rabbis decreed that one should not engage in these activities because they are similar to business transactions and weekday activities.
הני מילי בחובות שאין קבוע להן זמן. אבל בחובות שקבוע להן זמן — מקדישין. דאמר רבי יוחנן: מקדיש אדם את פסחו בשבת וחגיגתו ביום טוב.
The Talmud answers: This prohibition of consecrating an animal as a sacrifice on Shabbat or a Festival applies only to obligatory sacrifices that do not have a set time to be brought. But obligatory sacrifices that have a set time, such as the Paschal lamb, one may consecrate even on Shabbat. For R' Yoḥanan said: A person may consecrate his Paschal lamb on Shabbat and his Festival peace-offering on the Festival. Since these sacrifices must be brought on a specific day, they may be consecrated on that day even when it is Shabbat or a Festival, as the rabbis did not uphold their decree in this circumstance.