The Amoraim bring two proofs from Chumash and Mishna that sheep and goats are not better one from the other.
My chaver Boruch Ziskin asked, that's fine. We find that a person has an equal preference to pick either sheep or goats. But Yissachar s proof was from the Korbon Tamid. And by the Korbon Taimd there was no choice. Hash-m commanded us to use sheep. Why wasn t this a proof that sheep is better than goats? Otherwise the Korban Tamid could be picked from either sheep or goats (similar to the cases above where we may pick whichever one we want). But the Torah ONLY specified sheep! Isn t that still a good proof that sheep is better.
Possibly as an answer:
Seemingly the monarchs asked Yissachar because he ate meat constantly. But Yissachar didn t give his own expertise. He told them a svarah. If sheep was superior why would Hash-m pick it as the Tamid. Indeed the Korbon Tamid, which was a Korbon Olah, was totally consumed on the Mizbayach. And he pointed out that Hash-m picked sheep. The Amoraim picked as their proof from Chumash and Mishnah were talking about Korbon Chatas and Korbon Shlomim. Chatas was eaten by Kohanim. Shlomim was also eaten by the owner. Here Hash-m taught us that there was no preference in the eaten Korbon.
Why is Korbon Tamid sheep? Obviously not because of taste. Because there is no preference in taste as can be seen from the eaten Korbonos. Rather Hash-m, for His own reasons, wished to only have a sheep brought as the Tamid. But not because of taste.
In essence Yissachar's svara was incorrect.
(a) I believe that you mean to write; "if sheep were inferior" or; "if sheep were not superior". In this case, I understand that you want to differentiate between Korbanos that are eaten, where we may find a preference as a result of better taste, and Korbanos that are not eaten, where it is not logical that the Torah gave preference due to taste and therefore we must search for an alternative reason for the Torah's choice of sheep. Your answer seems to me to be very good.
According to your explanation I would venture to suggest that sheep were chosen because Klal Yisrael are compared to sheep (Yirmiyahu 50:17). The word for sheep also denotes forgiveness for our sins (see Bereishis Rabbah Parshas Vayeira).
(b) I did not find anyone who asks this question explicitly, but the Ben Yehoyada at the end of the Perek appears to be alluding to an answer when he writes cryptically, that although the taste of sheep is better than that of goats, they both have equal Chashivus. He seems to be answering that the sheep was in fact chosen due to its superior taste, but that the monarchs were in fact debating a different question entirely, that is, which one of the two is more important.
Dov Freedman