Pesachim 57a, b

Today's daf is the last of Perek III.   We learn about a few more salient arguments/concepts:

1) Bohayan's son allowed the corner of the garden's vegetables to the poor.  Bohayan stops people on their way out, offering twice the produce but tithed.  The issue: vegetables must be tithed, but the corners of our fields are not tithed. 

2) Priests gave the hides of consecrated animals to other priests in the Parva chamber.**  In the evening, rather than distributing these hides to the families of priest who just finished serving, the most powerful priests would "take them (the hides) by force".  To solve this problem, the rabbis decreed that the distribution of hides would take place on the eve of Shabbat when all priests were together.  However, some powerful priests continued to bully others and took the hides for themselves.  On realizing this, the owners of the sacrifices consecrated the hides to heaven so that the priests could not take them at all.  There is a commentary on when and how items can be properly consecrated.

3) Days later, the hides had been sold and the community witnessed the gold bought with that money.  Then the sanctuary was entirely covered with these gold plates.

The Gemara shares peoples' complaints about the corrupt priests.  Some detail is provided, including complaints about Yissakhar of Kfar Barkai, who would wrap his hands in silk to perform the Torah service.  This invalidated the service because of the barrier between his hands and his work, and it demonstrated a reluctance to 'dirty his hands' with the work of the High Priest.  Yochanan ben Narbbai was said to be exorbitant in his indulgences, possibly excluding - or including, the commentators tell us - the poor of his community.  

The Perek ends with a discussion of what is preferred for the daily sacrifice, goat or lamb meat.  While the rabbis debate this point and decide that there is not a clear preference based on available proof-texts, Yissakhar of Kfar Barkai does not benefit from their decision.  A gruesome story of his losing not one but both hands.  The first was a punishment for his indifference regarding the King's decision regarding lamb as the preferred meat for sacrifice.  The second was another punishment, this time for having bribed the official to cut off his left hand instead of his right.

A blessing is recited, "Blessed is G-d who took retribution".  In our notes, Steinsaltz reminds us that the rabbis debated about whether it was preferable to be punished in this lifetime or the next.

Today's daf allows us an honest voyage into the world of power and its abuses.  Punishments could be severe - beatings, dismemberment - and the rabbinical courts sometimes condoned this behaviour.  At times I find it simple to put aside the distracting differences between my values - those of this time and place - and those of my ancestors.  At other times, like today, I find these ancient behaviours repugnant and without rationale.  But tolerating those differences also are part of my daily learning.