Zevachim - Daf 116
- How did Noach know which animals were טהורין?
A Baraisa taught that although בני נח could bring all types of animals as korbanos on a במה before the משכן was erected, they could only bring טהורין – kosher [animals], but not טמאין – nonkosher [animals]. The Gemara asks: ומי הוו טמאין וטהורין בההיא שעתא – but were there nonkosher and kosher [animals] at that time? But the Torah had not yet been given!? Rebbe Yonasan answers: מאותן העתידין ליטהר – it means they brought from those animals which would be kosher in the future, when the Torah would be given. The Gemara wonders how they knew which animals were kosher, and quotes how Rav Chisda explained how Noach knew which animals were kosher (to bring seven of each into the תיבה): העבירן לפני התיבה – he passed them before the Teivah; כל שהתיבה קולטת בידוע שהוא טהור – whichever ones the תיבה received seven of them were thus known to be kosher, and whichever ones the תיבה did not accept seven of them were known to be nonkosher. Rebbe Avahu quotes a passuk: "והבאים זכר ונקבה" – and those that came, male and female, implying הבאין מאליהן – those animals which entered the תיבה came on their own. Seven of each kosher species came to the תיבה, whereas only two of each nonkosher species came.
- Machlokes if יתרו came before מתן תורה, and what prompted him to come
Rebbe Chiya’s sons and Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi debated if יתרו קודם מתן תורה היה – Yisro’s arrival was before the giving of the Torah, or after מתן תורה. This reflects a machlokes Tannaim about what event Yisro heard about that made him come and convert to Judaism. Rebbe Yehoshua says he heard about the war against עמלק. Rebbe Elazar of Modai says he heard about מתן תורה, because when the Torah was given to Klal Yisroel, היה קולו הולך מסוף העולם ועד סופו – the sound of [Hashem’s] voice carried from one end of the world to the other, and all the kings of the idolators were seized with trembling in their palaces, and recited שירה. They asked בלעם about the tremendous sound, afraid that another מבול was coming. He said it was not, and explained: חמדה טובה יש לו בבית גנזיו – He has a wonderful precious item in His treasure house, which was hidden away with Him for nine hundred seventy-four generations before the world was created, וביקש ליתנה לבניו – and He sought to give it to His children, whereupon they said שירה. Rebbe Eliezer says that Yisro heard about קריעת ים סוף.
- בני נח are still permitted to sacrifice on במות nowadays
A Baraisa teaches that בני נח are still permitted to sacrifice on במות nowadays, because the prohibition against במות was only told to Jews. Therefore, any gentile may build a במה nowadays and sacrifice whatever he wants on it. However, Rav Assi said: אסור לסייען ולעשות שליחותן – it is prohibited to assist them or to perform their agency in sacrificing on a במה nowadays. Still, Rabbah said: ולאורינהו [להו] שרי – it is permitted to instruct them how to bring korbanos themselves. This is illustrated by the story of איפרא הורמיז, King Shapur’s mother, who sent a korban to Rava and asked that it be sacrificed לשם שמים. Rava instructed Rav Safra and Rav Acha bar Huna to find two gentile youths of similar age, and find a place where the sea threw up sediment with which to build a מזבח (which was never used), and take new (unused) wood, and make a fire with new steel, and thus sacrifice the korban. This follows Rebbe Elazar ben Shamua, who says that both the מזבח and its wood must never have been used for mundane purposes, which Rava applies to במות as well.
