Commentary for Avodah Zarah 46:1

The Talmud now tries another tack. Maybe the rabbis too are concerned about bestiality. But they assume that a non-Jew will not have sex with the red heifer because that would be a great loss. But when it comes to other sacrifices, maybe they would have sex with the animal. After all, it’s not such a big financial loss if the Jew won’t buy it.

The baraita cited here must be the opinion of the rabbis—thereby proving that the rabbis hold that we are never suspicious of bestiality.

To refute R. Eliezer the rabbis cite a verse which implies that flocks owned by non-Jews will end up on God’s altar. This proves that they hold that we are not suspicious of bestiality.

On the previous two pages we learned of a dispute about whether we are suspicious that the non-Jew had sex with the red heifer. But if he certainly did, then the conclusion would be that all agree the red heifer is disqualified from use. This implies that the red heifer has a high level of sanctity, equivalent to animals dedicated so that they may be sacrificed. For had its sanctity been lower, bestiality would not disqualify it. The problem is that we don’t generally consider the red heifer to have this degree of sanctity.

The red heifer is not really considered an animal offered on the altar, but bestiality does nevertheless disqualify it because the Torah calls is a “sin-offering.”

If a red heifer is akin to other sacrifices, then one born through a caesarean birth (literally, one who comes out of the wall) should be disqualified. Why then would R. Shimon rule that such a red heifer is valid, despite the fact that in general he holds that sacrifices cannot be from animals born through Caesarean.

The red heifer is rendered unfit if someone has sex with it not because it is considered to have the holiness of a sacrifice offered on the altar, but because a physical flaw disqualifies it. Through a series of connections drawn from the word “corruption,” the Talmud derives that just as a flaw disqualifies the red heifer, so too does bestiality.

According to Shila, R. Eliezer disqualifies a red heifer bought from a non-Jew because of the verse, “Speak to the children of Israel.” But the same language is used in connection with offerings for the Temple and non-Jews do seem to be allowed to make donations to the Temple.

This famous story is brought here as proof that one can buy offerings for the Temple from non-Jews. After all, the sages approached Dama b. Natina asking him to sell them stones for the ephod, the high priest’s breastplate.