New Light on the Problem of Non-Sacrificial Slaughter in MMT

The paper deals with the problem of non-sacrificial slaughter in MMT (B 27-31). The key to understanding the controversy on this issue is the phrase כי א[ם בצ]פון המחנה 'un[less in] the north of the camp', which appears after the quotation formula כתוב , and which is neither part of Scripture nor the authors’ opinion. The expression was probably added to the law of Lev 17:3, which makes an exception to the absolute ban on non-sacrificial slaughter in Jerusalem. According to this clause, non-sacrificial slaughter could take place in the northern part of the city, i.e. close to the sanctuary, under the supervision of the priests. By adding this clause, the opponents might have wanted to relax this radical and impractical precept that prohibited non-sacrificial slaughter. However, the authors of MMT strongly upheld this law.