(Mishnah): The Tamid offering is slaughtered at 81/2 hours and brought at 91/2 hours.

On Erev Pesach it is slaughtered at 71/2 hours and brought at 81/2 hours, whether it occurs on a weekday or on Shabbos.

If Erev Pesach occurs on Erev Shabbos, it is slaughtered at 61/2 hours and brought at 71/2 hours, followed by the Pesach offering.

(Gemara- Beraisa): The pasuk states (Shemos 29, 38), "This you shall do on the altar [two sheep in their first year, two every day] etc.''

I would have said that both may be brought in the morning or both may be brought in the afternoon (as long as two are brought per day) - the pasuk states (Shemos 29,39), "The first sheep you shall do in the morning etc.''

I would have said that the morning sheep should be brought at sunrise and the afternoon sheep should be brought towards sunset - the pasuk states, "Ben Ha'arbayim'' (in the afternoon). The pasuk also states "Ben Ha'arbayim'' in reference to the Pesach offering. (The Gemara makes a Gezeira Shavah.) Just as the "Ben Ha'arbayim'' of the Pesach offering refers to after the 6th hour, so the "Ben Ha'arbayim'' of the Tamid offering refers to after the 6th hour.

Question: Why do you say that Ben Ha'arbayim refers to after the 6th hour?

Answer: Even though there is no proof to this, there is a hint to it, as the pasuk states (Yirmiyah 6, 4), "Woe is to us as the day is ending, as the shadows of evening grow longer.'' (The shadows grow longer after the 6th hour of the day.) Just as the evening that is stated there refers to after the 6th hour, so too the evening here refers to after the 6th hour.

Question: If so, it should be valid from the 6th hour? (Why does the Mishnah require it to be slaughtered at 81/2 hours?)

Answer (R'YBL): What is "Ben Ha'arbaim'' - "between the evenings''? Divide the afternoon into two making two sections of 21/2 hours on either side and one hour in the middle for the process of sacrificing. Therefore, the Tamid is (slaughtered at 81/2 brought at 91/2 hours).

Rejection (R' Yosa): R'YBL ignored the first part and only spoke on the second part of the (following) Beraisa. Rather the Beraisa is teaches as follows -

R' Chananya ben Yehudah says, "Ben Ha'arbayim'' is between the evening of the 14th and the evening of the 15th.

I might think that this includes the day and the night (meaning that one could slaughter the Pesach offering at any time from the afternoon of the 14th until the afternoon of the 15th - the pasuk states (Shemos 12, 6), "(the) day'', but not during the night.

If the pasuk stated "day'', I might think that it would be valid to slaughter it 2 hours into the day - the pasuk states (Devarim 16, 4), "in the evening''.

If so, I might think that it may be slaughtered at night - the pasuk states, "Ben Ha'arbayim'' - "in the afternoon''. How can this be achieved? Divide the afternoon into two making two sections of 21/2 hours on either side and one hour in the middle for the process of sacrificing. Therefore, the Pesach is brought at 91/2 hours and the Tamid is also (usually) brought at 91/2 hours. (Note: This statement follows the text and understanding of the Korban HaEidah.)

(R' Yosa): Ideally, the Pesach should be brought at 91/2 hours, but one could fulfill his basic obligation according to Mishnah -

If he slaughtered it before noon it is invalid;

If he slaughtered it after noon, it is valid;

If he slaughtered it before the Tamid offering it is valid.

Question: Why then can one not fulfill his basic obligation in the morning?

Answer: Since the pasuk states, "Ben Ha'arbayim'' - could this be referring to the morning?!

R'YBL said that Chazal learned the prayers from the Avos (Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov), (but not from the Korbanos. Therefore, one can, even ideally, pray Minchah from the 6th hour, even though the Tamid was ideally brought at 91/2 hours.)