Daily Talk
The Rambam now maps the full economy of sacred donation -- from the fixed valuations of the erech to the market assessments of damim to the irrevocable consecration of cherem. In each category, a different relationship between the human being and the sacred is revealed, culminating in the cherem, the donation so total that it cannot be undone.
What the Temple Accepts
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About This Talk
Arachim Vacharamim chapters 2 through 4 build the full framework of sacred valuation and consecration. Chapter 2 details the erech system -- the age and gender brackets that determine fixed valuations, who may make and be subject to valuation vows, and the provision for those too poor to pay the full amount. Chapter 3 introduces damim, the market-value alternative to the fixed erech, where actual worth is assessed rather than Torah-determined values, and addresses the consecration of individual limbs versus the whole person. Chapter 4 presents charamim -- property devoted irrevocably to God, distinguishing between cherem for the priests and cherem for Temple maintenance, and establishing the permanence that sets charamim apart from all other forms of sacred donation.