Halakhah zu Wajikra 22:25

The Gemara, Shabbat 110b, derives the prohibition against castration of both male human beings and male animals from the verse "And that which is mauled or crushed or tom or cut you shall not offer unto the Lord; nor should you do this in your land" (Lev. 22:24). This verse is understood by the Gemara as having reference to the male sexual organs and hence the latter part of the verse constitutes a prohibition against emasculation. Tosafot and Rashba, in their commentaries on Shabbat 111a, indicate that this prohibition is limited to the removal of male sexual organs, and there exists no biblical prohibition with regard to the sterilization of a female. The terminology employed by Rambam, Issurei Bi'ah 16:11, and Shulḥan Arukh, Even haEzer 5:11, would seem to indicate that the position of the latter authorities is that surgical sterilization of women, while not an actionable offense, is nevertheless biblically proscribed. Although the reference in Leviticus 22:24 is limited to external male organs, R. Elijah of Vilna, Bi'ur ha-Gra, Even ha-Ezer 5:25–26, cites Sifra in explaining that the ban against the removal of the internal female sexual organs is derived from the formulation employed in the very next verse, Leviticus 22:25. Nevertheless, other authorities, including Hatam Sofer, Even ha-Ezer 5:22, maintain that, even according to Rambam, the prohibition against the sterilization of females is rabbinic in nature. Turei Zahav, Even ha-Ezer 5:6, goes beyond the position of other authorities in averring that there is no prohibition with regard to female sterilization per se, but that it is nonetheless forbidden to subject female animals to this procedure because of the general prohibition against causing pain to animals. Similarly, nontherapeutic sterilization of women would constitute an unlawful act of "wounding"—ḥavalah.

Not to sacrifice a sacrifice that is one with a blemish from the hand of the stranger: Not to sacrifice [animals] with blemishes from the hands of gentiles, as it is stated (Leviticus 22:25), "And from the hand of the stranger you shall not offer the bread of your God from all of these" - such that we not say, "Since he is a gentile, we can sacrifice one with a blemish for his sake." And it required a warning about this for them, since the Torah already permitted us to accept unblemished sacrifices from them; as it is stated (Leviticus 22:18), "Every man from the House of Israel and from the sojourner in Israel that offers his sacrifice for all of their vows and for all of their pledges." And the explanation comes about this (Menachot 73b; Chullin 13b), "'Man' to include the gentiles that promise vows and pledges." And we accept it from them.