Mishneh Torah, Things Forbidden on the Altar 5-7

Sugya Map: The Paradox of Se'or and Devash

• Issue: The prohibition of offering leaven (se'or) or honey (devash) on the Mizbeach (Leviticus 2:11).
• Primary Sources: Mishneh Torah, Things Forbidden on the Altar 5:1; Menachot 58b; Sifra, Vayikra 2:11.
• Nafka Mina: Whether the shiur (measure) for liability is kol shehu (any amount) or kezayit (olive-bulk).

Text Snapshot

Rambam states: "Even the slightest amount of a leavening agent and sweet entity is forbidden... One is liable only if he set them afire together with a sacrifice... Setting an entity afire is significant only if one sets afire an olive-sized portion" (Hilchot Issurei Mizbeach 5:1-3).

• Leshon Nuance: Rambam distinguishes between the issur (forbidden nature) which exists at kol shehu, and the chiyuv malkot (liability for lashes) which requires a kezayit of the mixture.

Readings

• Yekhahen Pe'er: Argues that while Menachot 58b suggests a debate, Rambam resolves this by distinguishing between burning the prohibited item be'einei (pure/standalone), where kol shehu triggers liability, versus al yedei ta'arovet (via mixture), where one must burn a kezayit to be liable.
• Kessef Mishneh: Notes the tension between the issur of "any amount" and the standard shiur of kezayit. He reconciles this by suggesting that if the mixture is burned, the "active" prohibition only manifests when the ta'arovet reaches the threshold of the Mizbeach's standard of "burning."

Friction

• Kushya: If the issur is kol shehu, why does Rambam require a kezayit to trigger malkot?
• Terutz: The issur is a qualitative disqualification of the korban (the entity itself becomes unfit). However, the malkot is a quantitative punishment for the act of burning. Burning less than a kezayit is not legally considered "burning" (haktarah) on the Altar, regardless of whether the substance itself is inherently forbidden.

Intertext

• Parallel: This mirrors the general halachic principle of chatzi shiur—it is forbidden by Torah law, but lacks the specific shiur required for the malkot penalty.
• SA/Responsa: Refer to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 632:1 regarding the definition of haktarah and the requirement for a shiur in forbidden acts.

Psak/Practice

The heuristic is clear: The Mizbeach demands total purity. Any admixture of se'or or devash conceptually ruins the korban. Practically, a kohen or a person performing a sacrificial act must be hyper-vigilant; once a kezayit of a tainted mixture hits the flames, the malkot threshold is met, even if the "taint" was microscopic.

Takeaway

The Mizbeach rejects the "leavening" of human ego or worldly sweetness; even a kol shehu disqualifies the offering, signaling that God’s service demands the removal of all foreign additives.