“Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord” – from the refuse. This is analogous to a malevolent sharecropper who eats the ripe fruit himself and provides the field owner with the unripe fruit. “And Abel, he, too, brought from the firstborn of his flock and from their fats, and the Lord turned to Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4). “And Abel, he, too, brought from the firstborn of his flock and from their fats [umeḥelvehen]” – Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, Rabbi Elazar said: The children of Noah12A term denoting all people before the giving of the Torah, and all non-Jews thereafter. sacrificed [even] peace offerings.
Rabbi Yosei said: They sacrificed only burnt offerings. Rabbi Elazar raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “And Abel, he, too, brought from the firstborn of his flock and from their fats” – referring to something whose fats are sacrificed?13Namely, a peace offering. What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? He explains it: From the fattest among them.
Rabbi Elazar raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “He sent the young men of the children of Israel and they offered up burnt offerings and they slaughtered peace offerings (shelamim) of bulls to the Lord”? (Exodus 24:5). What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? They14They brought only burnt offerings, but those were offered up whole. were whole (shelemim), as they did not undergo flaying and cutting.15Only the burnt offerings sacrificed after the Torah was given required flaying and cutting.
Rabbi Elazar raised an objection to Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: But is it not written: “Yitro, father in law of Moses, took a burnt offering and feast offerings to God”? (Exodus 18:12). What does Rabbi Yosei do about this? It is according to the one who said: Yitro came after the giving of the Torah. Rav Huna said: Rabbi Yanai and Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba disagreed.
Rabbi Yanai said Yitro came before the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba said: He came after the giving of the Torah. Rabbi Ḥanina said: They do not disagree:16Their dispute was not based on their interpretation of that passage, but is a consequence of a dispute about a different matter. The one who said that he came before the giving of the Torah holds that the descendants of Noah sacrificed peace offerings, and the one who said that he came after the giving of the Torah holds that they sacrificed [only] burnt offerings.
This supports Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: “Awake north” (Song of Songs 4:16)17This verse alludes to the time of the beginning of the sacrificial service in the Tabernacle. – this refers to the burnt offering that was slaughtered in the north.18Leviticus 1:11. What is meant by “awake”? Something that was dormant and is now re-awakened. “And come south” (Song of Songs 4:16) – this is the peace offering that could be slaughtered in the south.
What is meant by “and come”? Something that was a new concept. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: This verse supports Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina, as it is written: “This is the law of the burnt offering: that is the burnt offering” (Leviticus 6:2) – which the descendants of Noah used to sacrifice. But when it comes to the peace offering: “This is the law of the peace offering that one will sacrifice to the Lord” (Leviticus 7:11) – “that they sacrificed” is not written here, but rather, “that one will sacrifice”; from here on.