Do offerings for fulfilling vows and voluntary offerings have different standards for what is accepted?
Answer From The Annual Reading Schedule - Week 28 Notes For Leviticus: Yes. We see there is a distinction made between offerings to fulfill a vow and offerings to give a voluntary offering in Leviticus 22:23. Vows are taken at a more serious level since someone has spoken that they will give such and such to Yahweh. However, in the case of a voluntary offering, they have not said for certain they would give such and such and therefore it is voluntary, not required because of a vow that they made. Since it is not required, and is voluntary, a less degree of scrutiny on the animal being offered is permitted. Specifically, in verse 23, we learn a deformed or dwarfed limb is permissible on a bull or lamb for a voluntary offering, but not for a vow. However, this doesn't mean all blemishes are permitted for a voluntary offering. It appears all other kinds of blemishes (e.g. blind verse 22, crushed/bruised verse 24) are still prohibited for both vows and voluntary offerings. Only in voluntary offerings do deformed or dwarfed limbs on bulls or lambs appear permitted.
