The Sin Offering
One of the unique roles of the Kohanim, was their ability to bring about atonement for inadvertent sinners.
When one accidentally transgressed a Torah law that carried with it the death penalty or Karet, he was obligated to bring a sin offering known as קרבן חטאת. A female goat or sheep was brought to the Temple in order to achieve atonement. After the animal went through the process of slaughtering and the sprinkling of the blood, the process was completed when the Kohein on duty, ate from this sacrifice.
The meat of the sacrifice could only be eaten on Temple grounds, and the Kohein needed to be in a state of absolute purity. It was possible to designate an animal as a חטאת well before it was actually brought to Jerusalem. However, after its designation, the animal was sanctified and could not be used in a profane manner.
The Talmud in Masechet Horayot gives five specific rules regarding the potential disqualification of a sin offering. There is a mnemonic that helps us remember these rules. The word ותמנע represents each of these rules. (Timna was the concubine of Eisav’s son, Eliphaz. There is a Park Timna near Eilat, as that was the territory of Eisav.)
The letter “ו” in the word, ותמנע, refers to ולד, which means the offspring of the חטאת has no use and must be put out to pasture. The “ת” stands for תמורה, which refers to an animal that was exchanged and also has no use. The “מ” refers to the word “מתו” which means that if the one intending to offer the animal dies, the animal is no longer offered. The “נ” refers to “נתכפרו״” where the original animal got lost and a different animal was offered in its place. When the original animal is found, it has no use. The “ע” refers to the word, “עבר” which means that a year has passed and the animal is no longer fit, as it must be less than a year old.
As technical as this might sound, it shows how meticulous the Kohanim were with every detail of Temple service. A huge responsibility was placed on them in achieving atonement for the Jewish people.