No חיה Sacrifice

There is a Pasuk that is found several times in the Torah. It is written, כצבי וכאייל תאכלנה, that it shall be eaten like the deer and the hart (a species of deer). From here we learn that the undomesticated animals known as חיה, may not be offered as a sacrifice. Only the domesticated animals, the בהמה, are allowed to be offered.

The Midrashim explain the reason for this law, in three ways. The בהמה, being domesticated, are easy to capture. The חיה, lives in the forest and distant places, and takes a great deal of effort to capture.

Secondly, the disposition of the חיה is negative. They display arrogance, as opposed to the בהמה, who lowers his head, and is more docile.

And thirdly, the בהמה is constantly being chased by predators, and Hashem has compassion for the נרדף, the one being chased.

The subject of sacrifices is very difficult to understand. There are some commentaries that help us make some sense of the Divine wisdom behind these laws.