Kinnim 2:5-3:1

Kinnim 2:5

Let’s say that there’s a sin offering on one side, a burnt offering on the other side, and an undesignated set of birds in the middle. If birds fly from the center set to the sets on each extreme, then the owner incurs no loss. The kohein should say that the bird that flew to the sin offerings is a sin offering and the bird that flew to the burnt offerings is a burnt-offering. If a bird from each extreme now flies to the middle, then those in the middle must be left to die but those on either end are offered as sin offerings and burnt offerings, respectively. If birds again flew from the center to the sides, they must all be left to die. One may not mix pigeons with doves, nor doves with pigeons. For example, if a woman brought a pigeon as her sin offering and a dove as her burnt offering, she must bring another pigeon as her burnt offering; if her burnt offering had been a pigeon and her sin offering was dove, she must bring another dove as her burnt offering. Ben Azzai says that the predominant species is whichever she brought first. If a woman brought her sin offering and subsequently died, her heirs must bring her burnt offering; if she brought her burnt offering and died, her heirs need not bring her sin offering.

Kinnim 3:1

The rules in chapter 1 about obligatory offerings that got mixed up apply when the kohein consults with beis din about the halacha. If the kohein doesn’t inquire and one set of birds belongs to one woman and one set to another, or two sets to one woman and two to another, or three to one and three to another, then if he offered all of the birds above the red line on the altar, half are valid (the burnt offerings) and half are invalid (the sin offerings). If he offered all of them below the line, then half are valid (the sin offerings) and half are invalid (the burnt offerings). If he offered half of them above the line and half below, then half of those offered above the line are valid and half are invalid, and half of those offered below the line are valid and half are invalid.