Commentary for Avodah Zarah 48:2
ת"ש (שמואל א טו, טו) ויאמר שאול מעמלקי הביאום אשר חמל העם על מיטב הצאן והבקר (המשנים והכרים ועל כל הצאן) למען זבוח לה' אלהיך מאי מיטב דמי מיטב
Come and hear: “And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God!” (I Samuel 15:15). What is meant by the best is the price of the best.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
Saul, when he conquers the Amalekites, offers up the best of their animals as sacrifices (instead of doing what he is supposed to do and killing everyone and everything). Again, animals brought from non-Jews are acceptable. The answer is that Saul did not actually sacrifice these animals. He sold them and then used the money to buy sacrifices. But this is strange—if he’s just selling the animals, why does it matter that they are the best? He could sell any of them. The answer is that the best animals are most easily sold.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy