The Gemara on Amud Aleph examines the unique and counterintuitive status of an ox that belongs to the Temple. The verse in question is Shemos 21:35:
"When one person's ox injures another's, so that it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide its price; they shall also divide the dead animal."
The term "רעהו" or "neighbor" emphasizes a peer-to-peer relationship, indicating that there is no financial liability when causing damage to possessions belonging to the Temple's treasury.
Rav Hirsch provides insightful commentary on this verse, offering several analyses to explain the existence of this counterintuitive law. One might assume that if one has to compensate for damage done to ordinary objects, they should certainly have to pay for damage to holy objects belonging to the sacred treasury. Rav Hirsch suggests that perhaps it is to emphasize that nothing humans do or don't do can truly affect God, and that He can never actually suffer damage at the hands of humans. Alternatively, it may be to emphasize that one cannot easily escape the consequences of disrespecting God's "possessions" and that true forgiveness requires more than mere payment. (Both of these ideas relate to our previous discussion on the Psychology of the Daf, Gittin 48.)
Regardless of the exact explanation, Rav Hirsch adds the following observation: Throughout Jewish history, even if individuals, whether deranged or not, attempted to destroy a part of the Temple, including the Holy of Holies, there would be no enforcement by a physical judicial court. He suggests that this strongly contradicts the claim made by those who suggest that the Torah was fabricated by a group of priestly royalty in an ivory tower, seeking rituals and injunctions to bolster their power among the superstitious masses. Why would they create a law that exempts people from any damages inflicted on the temple treasury? If anything, one would expect them to increase the penalties. Therefore, this unique law serves as a novel proof for the divinity of Torah law.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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