One is liable for misuse of offerings of the most sacred order from the moment that they are consecrated. Although all offerings are similar with regard to when the potential for misuse begins, there are differences in terms of when the prohibition lapses. In the case of a bird sin offering, which is the first offering discussed in this chapter, some maintain that it is no longer subject to the prohibition of misuse once the blood has been sprinkled, or once the blood has been squeezed out according to the opinion that failure to squeeze out the blood disqualifies the offering. Others maintain that the prohibition of misuse lapses once the nape of its neck has been pinched, when the blood is ready to be sprinkled. It becomes subject to the prohibition of impurity through contact with one who immersed on that day or one who is lacking atonement, from when the nape of its neck is pinched. After the blood has been sprinkled one can become liable for piggul, notar, and partaking of sacrificial foods while ritually impure. A bird burnt offering is no longer subject to the prohibition of misuse from the time that it is removed to the place of the ashes after having been burned on the altar. The case of the portions of fats that are sacrificed on the altar is subject to a dispute between amora’im. According to one opinion, there are some items that are not subject to the prohibition of misuse from the time they are removed from the altar to the place of ashes, and there are some that are not subject to the prohibition of misuse from the time that the shovelful of ashes has been removed, despite the fact that the rest of the ashes have not yet been removed. The feathers and the crop of a bird burnt offering, which are not designated for the altar, are not subject to the prohibition of misuse once the blood has been squeezed out. Bulls that are burned are not subject to the prohibition of misuse once the flesh has been consumed and they have been burned at the place of the ashes. Once the blood of an animal burnt offering has been sprinkled, the hides are no longer subject to the prohibition of misuse. The flesh is still subject to the prohibition until it has been removed to the place of the ashes after being burned on the altar, or until it is fit to be removed. With regard to a sin offering, a guilt offering, or a communal peace offering, once the blood has been sprinkled, the meat, which is eaten by the priests, is no longer subject to the prohibition of misuse. The portions of fats that are burned on the altar remain subject to the prohibition of misuse until they have been removed to the place of the ashes. In the course of the discussion of when the prohibition of misuse lapses, the chapter also discussed the two loaves, the shewbread, and meal offerings. The two loaves are no longer subject to the prohibition of misuse once the blood of the accompanying lamb has been sprinkled. Similarly, the shewbread is not subject to the prohibition of misuse once the frankincense has been sacrificed, and meal offerings are not subject to the prohibition of misuse once the handful has been sacrificed, although the handful itself is still subject to the prohibition until it has been removed to the place of the ashes.

The Sages teach that there are certain consecrated items not subject to the prohibition of misuse of consecrated property. One must clarify from which of these items he is permitted to derive benefit, and from which it is prohibited for him to derive benefit but if he did derive benefit he is not liable for misuse. For items of the second type one is not obligated to pay the additional one-fifth as a penalty for unintentional misuse of consecrated property, nor must he bring an offering. With regard to those items that are subject to misuse, it is necessary to establish which are subject by Torah law and which by rabbinic law. The chapter begins by discussing the five sin offerings, which, for various reasons, are not sacrificed on the altar but are left to die, and which are not subject to the prohibition of misuse. One is prohibited to derive benefit from them. The chapter then turns to the issue of misuse of consecrated property in various contexts of inherent sanctity: Money that a nazirite designated for the offerings he is obligated to bring upon completion of his naziriteship, both in a case where he is still alive and in a case where he is no longer alive; money designated for bird offerings; blood of sacrificial animals; libations; the ashes removed from the altar; the limbs of the scapegoat; the priestly vestments that had been worn by the High Priest on Yom Kippur; the heifer whose neck is broken; and ash removed from the inner incense altar and from the Candelabrum. Another series of questions relates to the halakha of misuse of items that are unfit to be sacrificed on the altar and cannot be used for Temple maintenance either, e.g., if one consecrates a cistern, trash heap, or field. These issues relate both to the items themselves and to their contents and what grows from them. The chapter also addresses the topic of sacred fields. Does the prohibition of misuse of consecrated property apply to one who threshes his legumes in a consecrated field? What is the halakha with regard to the roots of a tree that emerge from a non-sacred field into a sacred field, or vice versa? A similar question is asked about a spring that flows in a sacred field or one that emerges from that field and flows outside of it. Questions likewise arise with regard to the prohibition of misuse in the context of the special mitzvot of the festival of Sukkot, such as the water libation and the placing of the willow branches at the side of the altar. There is a separate discussion about the prohibition of misuse of consecrated property, relating to the material used for Temple maintenance, such as the wood and stones used for repairs and enhancements in the Temple, and the scraps of such material. In this context the chapter discusses the proper method of consecration for the purpose of such construction, and clarifies when the construction material should be consecrated and how the artisans are to be paid their wages.