The Torah commands in Parashat Emor (Vayikra 22:22) that is forbidden to sacrifice blemished animals – “Lo Takribu Isheh L’Hashem.” This verse is understood as introducing specifically the prohibition against slaughtering a blemished animal as a sacrifice. The Torah assigns separate prohibitions for the various stages of sacrificing a blemished animal, and this verse establishes the prohibition against slaughtering. The Sefer Ha’hinuch clarifies that one transgresses this prohibition only if he slaughters a blemished animal with the specific intent that it should be a sacrifice. Even if the animal was consecrated as a sacrifice, nevertheless, one who slaughters it does not violate this command if he has some other intent, such as to consume its meat. It is only if one slaughtered it as a sacrifice that he transgresses this prohibition. This prohibition applies even nowadays, even though there is no Bet Ha’mikdash. Since an animal can be consecrated as an animal even in the absence of a Bet Ha’mikdash, one who slaughters a consecrated blemished animal as a sacrifice even nowadays transgresses this command.