Menachot 56: When Blemishes Might be Permitted

Some very brief thoughts on today's daf:

• the rabbis discuss slaughtering, collecting the blood, and offering a goat
• this would be done in different places depending on the type of offering and the state of the goat
• staying with our last MIshna, the rabbis consider which punishments might be appropriate for inappropriately preparing the meal offering
• an unblemished first-born animal has its blood let by cutting it in a place that leaves the smallest mark
• the rabbis discuss whether a firstborn animal with a blemish might be permitted as an offering in some circumstances

Their argument opens the possibility of 'grey' rather than black and white.  Might an animal be only slightly blemished but still permitted?  What could this teach us about our laws in general?  Perhaps there are circumstances that mitigate a stringent rule.