Commentary for Zevachim 174:12

להך גיסא מיהא תיפשוט דאויר מזבח כמזבח דמי דאי ס"ד אויר מזבח לאו כמזבח דמי

- That is no difficulty: Then solve it! Raba son of R'Hanan demurred: If you say that the air-space above the altar is as the altar, how is it possible for a burnt-offering of a bird to be disqualified through an [illegitimate] intention; surely the altar has received it?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The neck of a burnt-offering of a bird was pinched (v. Lev. I, 15) on top of the altar, i.e., in the air-space above the altar. Now if the priest actually kept it suspended in the air-space above the altar until the next day it would be fit then for ritual burning, for disqualified sacrifices do not descend once they ascended (i.e., even if linah does disqualify when the sacrifice is on the altar) . Since then it is fit for burning on the morrow, why should the intention to burn it on the morrow disqualify it, seeing that at the very moment that it is killed it is as though laid on the altar?');">¹¹</span> R'Shimi B'Ashi demurred: Why not? It is possible e.g. , where he declared: Behold, I pinch it intending to take it off to-morrow [from the altar], then carry it up again and burn it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This would be forbidden, as if it descended it does not re-ascend. Hence the intention too can disqualify it.');">¹²</span> ¹³ - According to Rabbah too it is possible e.g. if he declared: Behold, I pinch it with the intention of taking it down before dawn and taking it up again after dawn"&gt;.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the sacrifice were actually on the ground at dawn it would be disqualified, and so the intention too disqualifies it.');">¹⁴</span> At all events, you can solve [the question] in the other direction, viz. , that the air-space of the altar is as the altar,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is the conclusion of R. Shimi b. Ashi's argument: though R. Hanan's reasoning is faulty, yet one can argue in the reverse direction.');">¹⁵</span> for should you think that the air-space of an altar is not as the altar,

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