R’ Menachem Zemba brought the Chinuch (Mitzvah 123) which says that if a poor person brings a korban fit for a rich person, he doesn’t fulfill his duty. He then brought the meforshim which ask from the Mishnah in Negoim which says clearly that if a poor person brings a korban fit for a rich person, he fulfills his duty, and he proceeded to answer the Chinuch with a pilpul and charifus [long and sharp answer], and the other Geonim present handled the topic for a long time, trying to answer the question. The Gerrer Rebbe sat there silently the entire time, and didn’t get involved, then just before he left, he said: ‘I don’t understand, the Yid will be missing a korban’.”
“After a few minutes R’ Menachem Zemba understood what the Gerrer Rebbe meant. And he explained that he was saying a very simple answer. The Chinuch is talking about a korban that is being brought for tumas mikdosh u’kedoshov, where the halachah is, a rich person brings a sheep as a chatos, and a poor person brings a pair of birds, one for an olah and one for a chatos. In such a case, if the poor person brings the korban of a rich person, he will be bringing one item instead of two. Therefore, in such a case the Chinuch says he doesn’t fulfill his duty. The Mishnah in Negoim, however, is talking about a metzorah, where both a poor person and rich person bring three korbonos (a rich person brings, three animals, one for a chatos, one for an osham and one for olah and a poor person one animal and two birds, a sheep for an osham and two birds one for chatos and one for olah). Since they both bring three animals, if a poor person brings the korban for a rich person, he has still brought the correct number of korbonos, therefore, he is yoitza. R’ Menachem Zemba was amazed, how he said a shtikel Torah for an entire hour, and the Gerrer Rebbe just listened patiently. We see from here kavod haTorah.”
