All may slaughter, and their slaughtering is valid, except a deaf-mute, one who is mentally deranged, and a minor, lest they bungle their slaughtering. But any of these who slaughtered with others watching them, their slaughtering is valid. That which a gentile slaughters is neveilah and defiles by carrying. [If] one slaughters at night, and similarly, if a blind man slaughters, his slaughtering is valid. [If] one slaughters on the Sabbath or on Yom Kippur, even though he is liable to pay with his life, his slaughtering is valid.

[If] one slaughters with a hand sickle, with a flint, or with a reed, his slaughtering is valid. All may slaughter, and we may always slaughter, and we may slaughter with anything, except with a harvesting sickle, a saw, teeth, or a nail, because they strangle. [If] one slaughters with a harvesting sickle using a forward motion, Beis Shammai declare it invalid, and Beis Hillel declare it valid. But if they smoothed out its teeth, it is like a knife.

[If] one slaughters within the [top] ring and leaves over a hairbreadth along its entire circumference, his slaughtering is valid. R’ Yose bar Yehudah says: A hairbreadth along the greater part of its circumference.

[If] one slaughters from the sides, his slaughtering is valid; [if] one performs melikah from the sides, his melikah is invalid. [If] one slaughters from the nape, his slaughtering is invalid; [if] one performs melikah from the nape, his melikah is valid. [If] one slaughters from the throat, his slaughtering is valid; [if] one performs melikah from the throat, his melikah is invalid; because the entire nape is valid for melikah, and the entire throat is valid for slaughtering. Thus, what is valid for slaughtering is invalid for melikah, [and] what is valid for melikah is invalid for slaughtering.

[If one said,] ‘‘I take upon myself [to bring] gold’’ — he may not bring less than a dinar of gold. ‘‘Silver’’ — he may not bring less than a dinar of silver. ‘‘Copper’’ — he may not bring less than [the equivalent of] a maah of silver. ‘‘I specified, but I do not know what I specified’’ — he must bring until he [can] say, ‘‘I did not intend this."

[If he said,] ‘‘I take upon myself [to bring] wine’’ — he may not bring less than three lugin. ‘‘Oil’’ — he may not bring less than a log. Rebbi says: Three lugin. ‘‘I specified, but I do not know what I specified’’ — he must bring like [the amount brought] on the day with the greatest [requirement].

[If one said,] ‘‘I take upon myself [to bring] an olah’’ — he brings a lamb. R’ Elazar ben Azariah says: Either a pigeon or a young dove. ‘‘I specified from cattle but I do not know what I specified’’ — he must bring a bull and a calf. ‘‘From animals, but I do not know what I specified’’ — he must bring a bull and a calf, a ram, a kid, and a lamb. ‘‘I specified, but I do not know what I specified’’ — he adds to them a pigeon and a young dove.

"I take upon myself [to bring] a todah offering’’ or ‘‘a shelamim-offering’’ — he brings a lamb. "I specified from cattle, but I do not know what I specified’’ — he must bring a bull and a cow, and a male calf and a female calf. ‘‘From animals, but I do not know what I specified’’ — he must bring a bull and a cow, a male calf and a female calf, a ram and a ewe, a male kid and a female kid, a male goat and a female goat, a male lamb and a female lamb.

[If he said,] ‘‘I take upon myself [to bring] an ox’’ — he must bring it and its libation offering for a maneh. ‘‘A calf’’ — he must bring it and its libation offering for five; ‘‘a ram’’ — he must bring it and its libation offering for two; ‘‘a lamb’’ — he must bring it and its libation offering for a selah. [If he said,] ‘‘An ox for a maneh’’ — he must bring it for a maneh besides its libation offering. ‘‘A calf for five’’ — he must bring it for five besides its libation offering. ‘‘A ram for two’’ — he must bring it for two besides its libation offering. ‘‘A lamb for a selah’’ — he must bring it for a selah besides its libation offering. [If he said,] ‘‘An ox for a maneh’’ — and he brought two for a maneh, he has not fulfilled his obligation; even if each is for a maneh less a dinar. ‘‘Black’’ — and he brought a white [one]; [or] ‘‘white’’ — and he brought a black [one]; ‘‘large’’ — and he brought a small [one], he has not fulfilled his obligation. ‘‘Small’’ — and he brought a large [one], he has fulfilled his obligation. Rebbi says: He has not fulfilled his obligation.

[If he said,] ‘‘This ox shall be an olah-offering,’’ and it became blemished, if he wishes he may bring two for its money. ‘‘These two oxen shall be an olah-offering,’’ and they became blemished, if he wishes he may bring one with their money. Rebbi prohibits [it]. ‘This ram shall be an olah-offering,’’ and it became blemished, if he wishes he may bring a lamb with the money. ‘‘This lamb shall be an olah-offering,’’ and it became blemished, if he wishes he may bring a ram with its money. Rebbi prohibits [it]. If one said, ‘‘One of my lambs shall be consecrated,’’ [or] ‘‘one of my oxen shall be consecrated’’ — [if] he had two, the larger of them is consecrated. [If he had] three, the middle one of them is consecrated. [If he said,] ‘‘I specified, but I do not know which I specified,’’ or he said, ‘‘My father told me, but I do not know which’’ — the largest of them is consecrated.

[If one said,] ‘‘I take upon myself [to bring] an olah-offering,’’ he must offer it in the Holy Temple, and if he offered it in the Temple of Chonyo he has not fulfilled his obligation. ‘‘That I shall offer it in the Temple of Chonyo,’’ he should offer it in the Holy Temple, but if he offered it in the Temple of Chonyo he has fulfilled his obligation. R’ Shimon says: This is not an olah-offering. [If one said,] ‘‘I am a nazir,’’ he must shave in the Holy Temple, and if he shaved in the Temple of Chonyo he has not fulfilled his obligation. ‘‘That I shall shave in the Temple of Chonyo,’’ he should shave in the Holy Temple, but if he shaved in the Temple of Chonyo he has fulfilled his obligation. R’ Shimon says: This is not a nazir. The Kohanim who served in the Temple of Chonyo may not serve in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and certainly if [they served] another thing, as it is stated (II Kings 23:9): But the Kohanim of the bamah places would not be allowed to come up to the Altar of Hashem in Jerusalem; however, they ate matzah among their brothers. They are like those who are blemished: They share and eat, but do not offer.

It is said regarding the animal olah (Lev. 1:9): a fire-offering, a pleasing aroma, and regarding the bird olah (Lev. 1:17): a fire-offering, a pleasing aroma, and regarding the minchah-offering (Lev. 2:2): a fire-offering, a pleasing aroma. This teaches that [there is no difference] between the one who offers much and the one who offers little, as long as he directs his mind to Heaven.