One who is impure is exempt from appearing [before the Temple on the three festivals], as it says (Deut. 12:5-6), "you are to come there and you are to bring there [your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices]." Since one must be [ritually] fit to enter the Temple Courtyard, consequently one who is impure, who is not fit to enter the Temple Courtyard[, is exempt from appearing].

Yochanan ben Dahavei says in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, Neither is a blind man [obligated to appear at the Temple on the Festivals], as it says (Ex. 23:17), "[All of your males] shall be seen," this excludes the blind. Rebbi answered the words of Yochanan ben Dahavei: The Sages decided to support the opinion of (סִיעַ) Rabbi Yehuda [in reliance upon] (1 Sam. 1:22), "Hannah did not ascend, because she said to her husband, 'When the child is weaned, [I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord].""*

A minor that no longer needs [the help of] his mother is liable in [building a] sukkah. A minor that needs his mother may go out by means of his mother's eiruv (Ket. 65b:9), and if he does not need his mother, they make an eiruv of two meals for the joining of the Shabbat boundaries. [If] he knows how to shake, he is liable in [the commandment of] lulav. [If] he knows how to dress himself, he is liable in [the commandment of donning] tzitzit. [If] he knows how to talk, his father teaches him the Shema and the Torah and the holy tongue, and if not, it would have been preferable for him not to come into this world. [If] he knows how to take care of tefillin, his father buys him tefillin. How so? We examine him, we immerse him, and we give him chullin [which he is told] to treat as Terumah. [If] he knows how to take care of his body, we may eat foods that have touched his body. [If he is a Kohen and] he knows how to spread his hands [in the manner of the priestly blessing], we give him a portion [of the Terumah] from the threshing floor. [If] he possesses the intelligence to be questioned about a case involving doubt, in the private domain [the ruling is] "impure," and in the public domain [the ruling is] "pure" (see Sifrei Bamidbar 8). [If] he knows how to slaughter, his slaughter is valid. [If] he can eat an olive's worth of grain, we remove ourselves four amot from his excrement and urine. [If] he can eat an olive's worth of meat, we slaughter on his behalf the Passover offering. Rabbi Yehuda says, we never slaughter the Passover offering on his behalf unless he knows how to distinguish food. They said to him, what is meant by "distinguish food"? [He said to them,] anyone to whom we give an egg and he keeps it, [and we we give him] a stone and he throws it.

A girl that has two [pubic] hairs is liable in every commandment stated in the Torah, [and may perform] either chalitzah or levirate marriage. And so too a boy that has two hairs is liable in every commandment stated in the Torah, and is fit to be a rebellious son or a teacher. Once his beard fills in, he is fit to lead the congregation in prayer, to pass in front of the Ark, and to lift his hands [for the priestly blessing], but he does not receive a portion of consecrated [foods] from the Temple until he grows two hairs. Rebbi says, I say, until he is 20 years old, as it is said (Ezra 3:8), "And they appointed the Levites from 20 years and upwards to oversee the work of the House of God."

Beit Shammai say, the value (lit., "the measure") of the appearance offering is greater than the value of the Festival offering, [because with respect to] the appearance offering, all of it ascends to the Most High"*, which is not the case with the Festival offering [which is eaten by the Kohanim and the owner]. And Beit Hillel say, the value of the Festival offering is greater than the value of the appearance offering, [because with respect to] the Festival offering, it applied before [the giving of] the Ten Commandments (see Ex. 5:1, and Lieberman here), and after [the giving of] the Ten Commandments, which is not the case with the appearance offering. Three commandments apply to the pilgrimages, and they are (1) the appearance offering, (2) the Festival offering, and (3) rejoicing. The appearance offering has something that the other two lack, and the Festival offering [has something] that the other two lack, and the [commandment of] rejoicing [has something] that the other two lack. [As to] the appearance offering, all of it ascends to the Most High, which is not the case with the other two. The Festival offering applied before the Ten Commandments and after the Ten Commandments, which is not the case with the other two. And [the commandment of] rejoicing applies to both men and women, and applies all seven days, which is not the case with the other two.

What is the "appearance offering"? They are the burnt offerings that are brought [at the time of] one's appearance [before the Temple]. What is the "Festival offering"? They are the peace offerings that are brought for the Festivals. If someone has [an animal] that can be brought [as an offering] within his home, behold, he brings that one, and if not, he joins up with others as long as [the portion] of each of them is not less than the proper measure of what is designated as "the Festival offering."

Said Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel did not disagree on whether the burnt offerings that are brought daily [to the Temple] should only be brought from non-consecrated [animals], nor on whether [with respect to] peace offerings that are brought on the other days of the year (i.e., other than Festival days), that if one wants to rely upon [animals from] tithes, he may so rely. What they disagreed on was in regards to the Festival offerings [brought on] a Yom Tov itself. For Beit Shammai said, all of these must be brought from non-consecrated [animals], and Beit Hillel said, one brings an obligatory offering from non-consecrated [animals], but [thereafter] if he wants to rely upon tithes, he may so rely, and on the other days of the year, he brings obligatory offerings from non-consecrated [animals].

Israelites fulfill their obligation through vow offerings and freewill offerings, and with tithed animals. Kohanim [fulfill their obligation] through sin-offerings and guilt offerings, with first-born [livestock], and with breast and thigh [taken from peace offerings, see Lev. 9:21], but not from bird offerings and not from grain offerings. A Nazirite fulfills [his obligation] with his ram (see Num. 6:14), whether it belongs to him or whether it belongs to others, as long as he eats from the sacrifice all seven [days of the Festival].

We do not bring a thanksgiving offering on the Festival of Matzah (i.e., Passover), because of the chametz that is in it (see Lev. 7:13), nor on Shavuot because it is a Day of Slaughter"*, but it is brought on the Festival of Sukkot, and one fulfills his obligation [of bringing a Festival offering] with it. Rabbi Shimon says, we do not bring a thanksgiving offering on the Festival of Sukkot, because everything that is brought on the Festival of Matzah [also] is brought on the Festival of Shavuot and the Festival of Sukkot. [Thus] a thanksgiving offering, which is not brought on the Festival of Matzah is not brought either on the Festival of Shavuot or on the Festival of Sukkot. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon says, a thanksgiving offering is brought on the Festival of Sukkot, and one fulfills his obligation of rejoicing with it, but does not fulfill his obligations of [bringing a] Festival offering with it.

[If one of the three] pilgrimage festivals passed and one did not bring a Festival offering, he is not liable to bring it (Chag. 1:6), as it says (Ecc. 1:15), "What is crooked cannot be made straight [and what is lacking cannot be reckoned]." Rabbi Shimon ben Manasya says, he who steals from a person is able to return what he has stolen, [and] one who robs can return what he has robbed, [but] one who has sexual relations with a man's wife and [thereby] renders her forbidden is banished and departs from this world, and about this [person] it is said, "What is crooked cannot be made straight." Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says, we do not say, "Inspect this camel lest it have a blemish!" [or] "Inspect [this] pig, lest it have blemish!" (since camels and pigs can never be "made straight," i.e., fit for sacrifice). Rather, we only inspect [kosher animals that are potentially] fit [for sacrifice]. And what is this [thing that cannot be made straight]? A Torah scholar who separated himself from the Torah, and about him it is said, "What is crooked cannot be made straight," and moreover it says (Ps. 37:21), "The wicked borrows and does not repay." Rabbi Yehuda ben Lakish says about him (i.e., a wayward Torah scholar), it says (Prov. 27:8), "Like a bird that wanders from its nest, [so too is a man who wanders from his home]," and moreover (Jer. 2:5), "What wrong did your fathers find in Me that they distanced themselves from Me, etc."

[The laws concerning] the dissolution of vows hover in the air and they have nothing to support them, but a wise man permits it according to his wisdom. The laws of Shabbat, the Festival offerings, and trespass are like mountains suspended by a single hair, [as their laws are set forth] only briefly in the Torah yet they have many halachot, which have nothing to support them. On account of this, Rabbi Yehoshua would say, "Tongs are fashioned from tongs, [but] the first tongs, how were they made?" [The laws of] judgments, of the Temple Service, of purity, and of impurity, of prohibited relations, as well as [the laws of] valuations, the dedications and the consecrations, there are many scriptural passages, midrash, and numerous halachot, and they have something to support them. Abba Yosei ben Chanan says, these are the eight foundations of the Torah that form the [essential] body of the halachot.