The commandment to sacrifice all the sacrifices in the Choice House: That we were commanded to sacrifice all the sacrifices in the Temple and not outside of the Land. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 12:14), “But only in the place that the Lord will choose, etc. there you shall offer up your burnt-offerings and there shall you do all that I command you.” And so is it [found] in Sifrei Devarim 70, “This tells me only of burnt-offerings. From where [do I derive the same for] other offerings? [Hence] we learn to say ‘and there shall you do all, etc.’ But I still would say that burnt-offerings are [subject] to a positive commandment and a negative commandment” — the explanation of the positive commandment is that which we have mentioned and [of] the negative commandment is from that which is stated in this section “Guard yourself, lest you offer up your burnt-offerings in every place that you see,” which mentions “your burnt-offerings” explicitly. “But other offerings are subject only to a positive commandment. [From where do I know that they are also subject to a negative commandment? Hence] we learn to say ‘there shall you do, etc.,’” as it appears there, and as it is written above in this Order adjacently (Sefer HaChinukh 439). And the general principle of the matter is that even with other consecrated things, one who sacrifices them outside violates a positive commandment and a negative commandment and is liable excision for it.
It is from the roots of the commandment that in there being a specific place in the world for sacrifices and it having constancy of [being the place] from where one seeks God, the place becomes sanctified, the will of God rests upon it and the emanation of His blessing always emanates upon it. And [so] the hearts of people will be afraid and softened to remember Him, and every man will repent from his evil way and from the violence that is in his palms when he sees it. And if all places were fitting for sacrificing, it would not be like this in all of them; and the thing is well-known. And this is said to the children until they grow in wisdom and understand the wondrous secrets in all the words of the Torah.
In the adjacent (negative) commandment 439, it is written that we have written some of the laws of the commandment in the Order of Acharei. [Those] and the rest of its details are in the end of Tractate Zevachim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sacrificial Procedure 17.)
And this commandment is practiced by males and females in every place and at all times. I mean to say that one who transgresses this even at this time and sacrifices a sacrifice outside of the Choice House violates this positive commandment and violates the negative commandment that comes on this, as is written earlier in this Order (Sefer HaChinukh 439). But my intent is not to say that there is an obligation to sacrifice a sacrifice in the Temple now, as it is destroyed. And this is something clear.
מִצְוָה לְהַקְרִיב כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת בְּבֵית הַבְּחִירָה – שֶׁנִּצְטַוִּינוּ לְהַקְרִיב כָּל קָרְבָּן בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְלֹא בַּחוּץ, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים יב יד) כִּי אִם בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְיָ וְגוֹ' שָׁם תַּעֲלֶה עֹלֹתֶיךָ וְשָׁם תַּעֲשֶׂה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּךָּ. וְכֵן הוּא בְּסִפְרֵי (כאן) אֵין לִי אֶלָּא עוֹלוֹת, שְׁאָר קָדָשִׁים מִנַּיִן? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְשָׁם תַּעֲשֶׂה כָּל וְגוֹ' וַעֲדַיִן אֲנִי אוֹמֵר עוֹלָה בַּעֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, פֵּרוּשׁ עֲשֵׂה זֶה שֶׁזָּכַרְנוּ, וְלָאו מִמָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּפָּרָשָׁה הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תַּעֲלֶה עֹלֹתֶיךָ בְּכָל מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה, שֶׁהִזְכִּיר עוֹלוֹתֶיךָ בְּפֵרוּשׁ, אֲבָל שְׁאָר קָדָשִׁים לֹא יְהוּ אֶלָּא בַּעֲשֵׂה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר שָׁם תַּעֲשֶׂה וְכוּ'. כְּמוֹ שֶׁבָּא לְשָׁם, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב לְעֵיל בְּסֵדֶר זֶה בְּסָמוּךְ (מצוה תלט). וּכְלַל הָעִנְיָן שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ בִּשְׁאָר קָדָשִׁים הַמַּקְרִיבָן בַּחוּץ עוֹבֵר בַּעֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, וְחַיָּבִין עֲלֵיהֶן כָּרֵת.
The commandment to sacrifice all the sacrifices in the Choice House: That we were commanded to sacrifice all the sacrifices in the Temple and not outside of the Land. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 12:14), “But only in the place that the Lord will choose, etc. there you shall offer up your burnt-offerings and there shall you do all that I command you.” And so is it [found] in Sifrei Devarim 70, “This tells me only of burnt-offerings. From where [do I derive the same for] other offerings? [Hence] we learn to say ‘and there shall you do all, etc.’ But I still would say that burnt-offerings are [subject] to a positive commandment and a negative commandment” — the explanation of the positive commandment is that which we have mentioned and [of] the negative commandment is from that which is stated in this section “Guard yourself, lest you offer up your burnt-offerings in every place that you see,” which mentions “your burnt-offerings” explicitly. “But other offerings are subject only to a positive commandment. [From where do I know that they are also subject to a negative commandment? Hence] we learn to say ‘there shall you do, etc.,’” as it appears there, and as it is written above in this Order adjacently (Sefer HaChinukh 439). And the general principle of the matter is that even with other consecrated things, one who sacrifices them outside violates a positive commandment and a negative commandment and is liable excision for it.
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. כִּי בִּהְיוֹת מָקוֹם מְיֻחָד בָּעוֹלָם לַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, וְהַהַתְמָדָה בּוֹ לְבַקֵּשׁ מִשָּׁם אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְקַדֵּשׁ הַמָּקוֹם וְנָחָה עָלָיו רְצוֹן הָאֵל, וְשֶׁפַע בִּרְכָתוֹ שׁוֹפֵעַ עָלָיו תָּמִיד, וְיִהְיוּ לִבְבוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם מִתְפַּחֲדִים וּמִתְרַכְּכִים לְזָכְרוֹ, וְיָשׁוּב כָּל אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמִן הֶחָמָס אֲשֶׁר בְּכַפָּיו בִּרְאוֹתוֹ אוֹתוֹ, וְאִם כָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת יֻכְשְׁרוּ לְהַקְרָבָה לֹא יִהְיֶה כֵּן בְּכֻלָּן, יָדוּעַ הַדָּבָר, וְזֶה נֹאמַר אֶל הַיְּלָדִים, עַד אֲשֶׁר יִגְדְּלוּ בַּחָכְמָה וְיָבִינוּ בְּכָל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה סוֹדוֹת נִפְלָאִים.
It is from the roots of the commandment that in there being a specific place in the world for sacrifices and it having constancy of [being the place] from where one seeks God, the place becomes sanctified, the will of God rests upon it and the emanation of His blessing always emanates upon it. And [so] the hearts of people will be afraid and softened to remember Him, and every man will repent from his evil way and from the violence that is in his palms when he sees it. And if all places were fitting for sacrificing, it would not be like this in all of them; and the thing is well-known. And this is said to the children until they grow in wisdom and understand the wondrous secrets in all the words of the Torah.
דִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. בְּלָאו תל"ט הַסָּמוּךְ כָּתוּב שֶׁבְּסֵדֶר זֶה כָּתַבְנוּ קְצָת מֵהֶן. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ, בְּסוֹף מַסֶּכֶת זְבָחִים [הלכות מעשה הקרבנות פי"ז].
In the adjacent (negative) commandment 439, it is written that we have written some of the laws of the commandment in the Order of Acharei. [Those] and the rest of its details are in the end of Tractate Zevachim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sacrificial Procedure 17.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת מִצְוָה זוֹ בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן, אֶרְצֶה לוֹמַר, שֶׁהָעוֹבֵר עַל זֶה אֲפִלּוּ בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה וְהִקְרִיב קָרְבָּן חוּץ לְבֵית הַבְּחִירָה שֶׁהוּא מְבַטֵּל עֲשֵׂה זֶה, וְעוֹבֵר עַל לָאו הַבָּא עַל זֶה כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב לְעֵיל בְּסֵדֶר זֶה (מצוה תלט), אֲבָל אֵין הַכַּוָּנָה לוֹמַר, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עָלֵינוּ חִיּוּב לְהַקְרִיב קָרְבָּן בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עַכְשָׁו שֶׁהוּא חָרֵב, זֶה דָּבָר בָּרוּר הוּא.
And this commandment is practiced by males and females in every place and at all times. I mean to say that one who transgresses this even at this time and sacrifices a sacrifice outside of the Choice House violates this positive commandment and violates the negative commandment that comes on this, as is written earlier in this Order (Sefer HaChinukh 439). But my intent is not to say that there is an obligation to sacrifice a sacrifice in the Temple now, as it is destroyed. And this is something clear.