Is the below the background of understanding of Daf 40
I am talking about an animal that I own
When one slaughters an animal for an idol, you are only guilty for idol worship if you do a Kosher Shichitah-both simanim or a majority. What would be if you were to shoot the animal in the head
At the start of the Shichitah you have not violated slaughtering to an idol because nothing has been done. However, once you do a small action, puncturing the windpipe you made the animal "designated "'for idols and the animal has the law that it must be burnt, I still did not slaughter the animal for idol worship and there is no atonement needed yet. Once you fully Schect the animal, then you are responsible for idol worship, even though the second Siman is ashes.
Would this be true even if you just verbally designated your animal for idol worship and did not do any action? Meaning even by verbal designation, if no action was taken, the animal is still a Kosher animal, not a sacrifice halachically designated to the idols and you can slaughter it for your July 4th barbecue.
Thanks
Mitchell Morgenstern, Chicago
Let me first attempt to address the question about shooting the animal in the head. I think we can answer this from 40a where Ula said that if one did a Ma'aseh even on somebody else's animal, the animal becomes forbidden. The Gemara on 40b states that Ula means even the smallest Ma'aseh.
The Tosfos Rid (Bava Kama 71b, DH A"Z) writes that this does not have to be a Ma'aseh of Shechitah. Even if one does "Nocher" for Avodah Zarah, he renders it forbidden from benefit.
"Nocher" means any way of killing an animal other than a valid Shechitah. If one did it for Avodah Zarah, the animal becomes forbidden, but I think this implies that the animal becomes forbidden but one would not actually be guilty of idol worship.
Chidushei Rebbi Akiva Eiger on Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 10:1, writes that if somebody performed Nocher for Avodah Zarah, he has transgressed, so I assume the same applies to shooting the animal in the head, but I do not think it would be considered Avodah Zarah itself.
I think I should explain a bit more what I wrote above.
1) The Gemara here (40a) tells us that if one slaughters a Chatas outside the Beis ha'Mikdash with the intention of slaughtering for idol worship, he is liable for three Korbanos Chatas because he transgressed three prohibitions: (1) he desecrated Shabbos, (2) heslaughtered a Korban outside the Beis ha'Mikdash, (3) he slaughtered a Korban for Avodah Zarah.
One of the things we learn from this is that if one inadvertently (b'Shogeg) slaughtered a Korban for Avodah Zarah, one is obligated to bring a Chatas as atonement for the sin of Avodah Zarah.
The Tosfos Rid (Avodah Zarah 71b) does not discuss when one must bring a Chatas for Avodah Zarah. Rather, he discusses when an animal becomes prohibited because a certain act of Avodah Zarah has been performed on it. He cites Chulin 40b which says that if one does the smallest act of Avodah Zarah on the animal, it makes it forbidden. This act does not have to be Shechitah. He writes that even if one did "Nechirah" for Avodah Zarah, it makes the animal forbidden; namely, if one killed the animal with the intention of Avodah Zarah in any way other than proper Shechitah, he may no longer derive benefit from the animal.
The next stage is Rebbi Akiva Eiger. He writes that if somebody does "Nechirah" with the intention of Avodah Zarah, he has transgressed. I think that Rebbi Akiva Eiger and Tosfos Rid must go hand in hand, because if the animal becomes forbidden, that must mean one has transgressed Avodah Zarah and, conversely, if one transgresses Avodah Zarah it is logical that it makes the animal forbidden.
What remains to be explained is the difference between worshipping Avodah Zarah in a way that it makes one liable for a Chatas and worshipping in a way that only makes the animal forbidden. It seems that it is only doing it in the "classic" way that obligates the Chatas, since this is the full, normal, way of doing it. If one shoots the animal in the head, this is not the full way of Avodah Zarah. It is Avodah Zarah, but one does not require the full atonement of a Chatas.
2) Verbally designating one's animal for idol worship without any action:
The Ba'al ha'Me'or (ha'Me'or ha'Gadol on the Rif, near the end of the second chapter of Chulin, end of 39a in the pages of the Gemara pages, and page 16 of the pages of the Rif in the older editions of Shas, in the first column) writes: "We have no thought for Avodah Zarah that can make the animal forbidden with the exception of Shechitah."
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom