משנה: הַגּוֹנֵב אֶת הַקַּסְווָה וְהַמְקַלֵּל בַּקֶּסֶם וְהַבּוֹעֵל אֲרַמִּית פּוֹגְעִין בָּהֶן. כֹּהֵן שֶׁשִּׁימֵּשׁ בְּטוּמְאָה אֵין אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים מְבִיאִין אוֹתוֹ לְבֵית דִּין אֶלָּא פִירְחֵי כְהוּנָּה מוֹצִיאִין אוֹתוֹ חוּץ לָעֲזָרָה וּמְפַצְּעִין אֶת מוֹחוֹ בְּגִיזִירִין. זָר שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ בַּקּוֹדֶשׁ רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר בְּחֶנֶק וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם׃ MISHNAH: He who steals the chalice66A Temple vessel., or who curses by charms, or who copulates with a Gentile woman, one67In all other sources of the Mishnah, and an indirect quote in the Hahakhah: Zealots hit him, referring to Num. 25:11 where Phineas is praised for being a zealot by killing the chieftain who copulated with the Midianite princess. The Babli 82a makes clear that the offender may be killed with impunity only during the act. If the parties are still together naked but not engaged in actual intercourse, killing them is prosecutable murder. strikes him. If a priest officiated while impure, his brother priests do not bring him to court but the young priests take him outside the courtyard and smash his brain with bats68These are straight pieces of lumber which are impervious to impurity. The offending priest is killed without his executioners becoming impure.. A non-priest who officiated in the Temple: Rebbi Aqiba said, by strangulation, but the Sages say, by the hands of Heaven.
הלכה: הַגּוֹנֵב אֶת הַקַּסְווָה כול׳. קַסְווָה. קִיסְטָא. רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר. כֵּלִי מִשֶּׁל בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הָיָה. כְּמַה דְתֵימַר וְאֵת֭ קְשׂ֣וֹת הַנָּ֑סֶךְ. HALAKHAH: “He who steals the chalice,” etc. קסווה cista69Also cf. Greek κίστη “basket, hamper; writing case; voting urn”.. Rav Jehudah said, it was a Temple vessel, as one says and the libation chalices70Num. 4:7. The same explanation in the Babli, 81b..
הַמְקַלֵּל בַּקֶּסֶם. כְּגוֹן אִילֵּין נַפַּתָּאֵי דִּמְקַלְלִין לְקָנְייָךְ קַייְנָךְ קָנְווּךְ. “He who curses by a charm.” Like those Nabateans who curse “your creator, your smith, your acquisition71Explanation of J. Levy in his Dictionary, based on Arabic קני “to acquire, to create”, קינ “smith; any craftsman”; a similar but Hebrew formulation in the Babli 81a. He also notes that the words might be substitutes for others, similar to קונם, קונח, קונס used for קָרְבָּן in vows (cf. Mishnah Nedarim 1:2)..
הַבּוֹעֵל אֲרַמִּית. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. זֶה שֶׁהוּא נוֹשֵׂא גוֹיָה וּמוֹלִיד בָּנִים וּמַעֲמִיד אוֹיְבִים מִמֶּנָּה לַמָּקוֹם. כְּתִיב וַיַּ֗רְא פִּֽינְחָס֙ בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֔ר בֶּֽן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵ֑ן. מָה רָאָה. רָאָה אֶת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה וְנִזְכַּר לַהֲלָכָה הַבּוֹעֵל אֲרַמִּית הַקַּנָּאִים פּוֹגְעִין בָּהֶן. תַּנֵּי. שֶׁלֹּא כִרְצוֹן חֲכָמִים. וּפִינְחָס שֶׁלֹּא כִרְצוֹן חֲכָמִים. אָמַר רִבִּי יוּדָה בַּר פָּזִי. בִּיקְשׁוּ לְנַדּוֹתוֹ אִילוּלֵי שֶׁקָּֽפְצָה עָלָיו רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ וְאָֽמְרָה וְהָ֤יְתָה לּוֹ֙ וּלְזַרְע֣וֹ אַֽחֲרָ֔יו בְּרִ֖ית כְּהוּנַּת עוֹלָ֑ם וגו׳. “One who copulates with a Gentile woman,” etc. Rebbi Ismael stated: This is one who marries a Gentile woman, sires children, and from her raises enemies of the Omnipresent72In Megillah 4:10 (Babli 25a) this is R. Ismael’s explanation of Lev. 18:21, giving one’s descendants to the Moloch.. 73Babli 82a, Num. rabba 20(26), Tanhuma Balaq 21, Tanhuma Buber Balaq 30. Num. 25:7. It is written: Phineas ben Eleazar ben Aharon the priest saw. What did he see74Since Zimri did his deed in public, everybody saw.? He understood what happened and remembered practice: “One who copulates with a Gentile woman, zealots strike him.” It was stated: not with the agreement of the Sages75Since in most cases the zealot’s intervention would be first degree murder.. Would Phineas act against the Sages? Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi said, they wanted to excommunicate him had not the Holy Spirit jumped on him and declared that an eternal covenant of priesthood shall be for him and his descendants after him76Num. 25:12., etc.
מַה טַעֲמֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי עֲקִיבָה. נֶאֱמַר כָּאן מוֹת־יוּמַ֥ת וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן כֹּ֣ל הַקָּרֵ֧ב ׀ הַקָּרֵ֛ב אֶל־מִשְׁכַּ֥ן יְי יָמ֑וּת וגו׳. מַה טַעֲמוֹן דְּרַבָּנִין. נֶאֱמַר כָּאן מוֹת־יוּמַ֥ת וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן וְהַזָּ֥ר הַקָּרֵ֖ב יוּמָֽת. מוּטָּב שֶׁיְלַמֵּד יוּמַת מִיּוּמָת וְאַל יְלַמֵּד יוּמָת מִיָּמוּת. What is Rebbi Aqiba’s reason? It says here, dying he shall be put to death77E. g. Lev. 20:10. An unspecified death penalty is by strangling;, and it says there, anybody acceding to the Eternal’s abode will die, etc.78Num. 17:28. While the verse speaks of the access of non-priests to the Sanctuary, it supports only the rabbis’ argument since it clearly refers to Heaven’s actions. The parallel in the Babli 84a (Sifry Deut. 116, end) makes more sense. What is the rabbis’ reason? It says here, dying he shall be put to death, but it says there, any outsider coming close shall be put to death79Num. 18:7. This verse supports R. Aqiba.. It is better to compare shall be put to death with shall be put to death and not shall be put to death with shall die80To transfer the interpretation of one word to another verse, the word has to be in the same grammatical form. It is clear that the positions of יומת and ימות have to be switched..