זבחים דף סד

שאם היזה ולא מיצה – כשירה; ובלבד שיתן מחוט הסיקרא ולמטה מדם הנפש.

because if he sprinkled the blood but did not squeeze out the rest of it, it is still valid, provided that he places some of the blood of the soul anywhere on the altar from the red line and below. This version of the baraita states that the offering is valid no matter where on the altar its blood was squeezed out; but it is essential that blood is sprinkled on the lower half of the altar.

שלשה דברים כו׳. חטאת העוף – הא דאמרן.

§ The mishna teaches that there were three matters for which the portion of the southwest corner below the red line served as the proper location: The sacrificing of a bird sin offering, and the bringing of the meal offerings near the altar, and pouring the remaining blood. The Gemara cites sources to prove that each of these three matters was performed at the southwest corner: The source with regard to the bird sin offering is that which we said earlier (63b), that it is derived from a comparison to meal offerings.

הגשות – דכתיב: ״והגישה אל פני המזבח״. שירי הדם – דכתיב: ״ואת כל דם הפר ישפך אל יסוד המזבח״.

The source for bringing meal offerings near the altar at the southwest corner is derived from that which is written: “And he shall bring it to the front of the altar.” The source for pouring the remaining blood at the southwest corner of the altar is as it is written: “And all the remaining blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar” (Leviticus 4:7), which the Gemara derives to be referring to the southwest corner (see 53a).

מלמעלה: ניסוך המים, והיין, ועולת העוף כשהיא רבה במזרח. מאי טעמא? רבי יוחנן אמר: מפני שקרובה מבית הדשן.

§ The mishna teaches that there were three matters for which the portion of the southwest corner above the red line served as the proper location: The water and wine libations, and sacrificing a bird burnt offering when they were numerous in the east, i.e., the southeast corner. The Gemara asks: What is the reason the sacrificial rites of a bird burnt offering were ideally supposed to be performed at the southeast corner of the altar? Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Because it is the closest of all the corners to the place of the ashes, i.e., the place where the ashes from the altar are placed every morning. The crop and feathers of a bird burnt offering are placed there as well.

אמר רבי יוחנן: בא וראה כמה גדול כחן של כהנים – שאין לך קל בעופות יותר ממוראה ונוצה, פעמים שהכהן זורקן יותר משלשים אמה.

The Gemara cites a comment pertaining to the mishna’s statement that when the southeast corner of the altar is too crowded, the sacrificial rites of a bird burnt offering can be performed at the southwest corner: Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Come and see how great was the strength of the priests, as you have no parts of birds lighter than the crop and feathers, and there were times when the priest would toss them more than thirty cubits from the southwest corner of the altar to the place of the ashes.

דתנן: נטל מחתה של כסף, ועלה לראש המזבח, ופינה את הגחלים אילך ואילך, וחתה מן המאוכלות הפנימיות, ויורד. הגיע לרצפה – מחזיר פניו כלפי צפון,

This is as we learned in a mishna (Tamid 28b) describing the procedure of separating the ashes: The priest would take a coal pan of silver and ascend to the top of the altar and clear the upper layer of coals to this side and to that side, and, using the coal pan, scoop up coals from among the inner, consumed coals and descend the ramp. When he reached the floor of the Temple courtyard, he would turn his face to the left, toward the north, and walk about ten cubits along the eastern side of the ramp. There, he would heap the coals upon the floor at a distance of three handbreadths from the ramp. This was the location where one places the crop and feathers, and the ashes removed from the inner altar and the Candelabrum.

והולך למזרחו של כבש כעשר אמות. צבר את הגחלים על גבי הרצפה רחוק מן הכבש שלשה טפחים – מקום שנותנין מוראה ונוצה, ודישון מזבח הפנימי והמנורה.

הני טפי מתלתין וחד הויין! מקום גברי לא חשיב.

The Gemara challenges: The distance from the southwest corner to the location described in that mishna is more than thirty-one cubits. The Gemara answers: Rabbi Yoḥanan did not consider the space taken up by people, i.e., the priest performing the service, in his calculation.

כל העולים למזבח, מאי טעמא? אמר רבי יוחנן: נסכים – שמא יתעשנו, ועולת העוף – שמא תמות בעשן.

§ The mishna teaches that everyone who ascends the ramp to the altar ascends via the right side of the ramp, circles the altar until reaching the southwest corner, and descends via the left side of the ramp, with the exception of one ascending in order to perform the wine or water libations, or to sacrifice a bird burnt offering on the southwest corner of the altar. In those cases the priest would ascend directly to the southwest corner. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for these exceptions to the standard practice? Rabbi Yoḥanan says: With regard to the libations, the priest would not walk all the way around the altar lest the wine or water absorb the smoke of the altar fire. And with regard to a bird burnt offering he would not walk all the way around lest the bird die from inhaling the smoke.

ורמינהו: בא לו להקיף את המזבח, מאין הוא מתחיל? מקרן דרומית מזרחית, מזרחית צפונית, צפונית מערבית, מערבית דרומית; ונותנין לו יין לנסך!

The Gemara raises a contradiction from the following mishna (Tamid 33b): If the High Priest was performing the sacrificial rites of the daily offering, after he would place the limbs on the fire on top of the altar and he would come to circle the altar, from where does he start walking? He starts from the southeast corner, continues to the northeast corner, then to the northwest corner, and finally arrives at the southwest corner. And he is given wine to pour on the altar. This indicates that the High Priest circles the altar while holding the wine for the libation, and there is no concern that it will absorb too much smoke.

אמר רבי יוחנן:

Rabbi Yoḥanan says:

הקפה ברגל. אמר רבא: דיקא נמי, דקתני ״נותנין לו יין לנסך״, ולא קתני ״אומר לו נסך״; שמע מינה.

The circling around the altar by the High Priest is done on foot, i.e., empty-handed, as he was given the wine to pour only once he arrived at the southwest corner. Rava said: The language of the mishna is also precise, as it teaches that he is given wine to pour, and the mishna does not teach that one tells him to pour the wine, which would have indicated that the High Priest was already holding the wine as he circled the altar. The Gemara comments: Conclude from the language of the mishna that the High Priest was given the wine only once he arrived at the southwest corner of the altar.

תנו רבנן: כל העולין למזבח – עולין דרך ימין ויורדין דרך שמאל, עולין דרך מזרח ויורדין דרך מערב; חוץ מן העולה לשלשה דברים הללו – שעולים

§ The Sages taught in a baraita: All those who ascend the ramp to the altar ascend via the right side of the ramp and descend via the left side; they ascend via the east side of the ramp and descend via the west side, except for one who ascends for one of these three matters: The wine libation, the water libation, and the sacrificial rite of a bird burnt offering. In these cases, one ascends via the west side of the ramp and descends via the west side; one ascends via the right side and descends via the right side.

דרך מערב ויורדין דרך מערב, עולין דרך ימין ויורדין דרך ימין.

״דרך ימין״?! דרך שמאל הוא! אמר רבינא: תני ״שמאל״. רבא אמר: מאי ״ימין״ – ימין דמזבח, ומאי ״שמאל״ – שמאל דגברא.

The Gemara asks: Does one who ascends via the west side of the ramp do so via the right side? Ascending via the west side of the ramp is the same as ascending via the left. Ravina says: Emend the baraita so that it teaches that he ascends via the left side. Rava says: What is the meaning of the right side mentioned in the latter clause of the baraita? It is the right side from the standpoint of the altar, facing south, in which case the altar’s west side is synonymous with its right side. And what is the meaning of the left side mentioned in the first clause of the baraita? It is the left side from the standpoint of a person facing the altar.

וניתני או אידי ואידי דמזבח, או אידי ואידי דגברא! קשיא.

The Gemara objects: But let the baraita be consistent and teach both this case and that case, i.e., the first clause and latter clause, from the standpoint of the altar, or let it teach both this case and that case from the standpoint of a person facing the altar. The Gemara concedes: This is difficult.

מתני׳ חטאת העוף כיצד היה נעשית? (עלה לכבש ופנה לסובב בא לו לקרן דרומית מזרחית), היה מולק את ראשה ממול ערפה ואינו מבדיל, ומזה מדמה על קיר המזבח.

MISHNA: The sacrifice of the bird sin offering, how was it performed? The priest would pinch off the bird’s head by cutting opposite its nape with his thumbnail and would not separate the bird’s head from its body. And he sprinkles from its blood on the wall of the altar below the red line. The remaining blood would be squeezed out from the body of the bird on the base of the altar. The altar has only its blood and the entire bird goes to the priests for consumption.

שירי הדם היה מתמצה על היסוד; ואין למזבח אלא דמה, וכולה לכהנים.

גמ׳ תנו רבנן: ״והזה מדם החטאת״ – מגוף החטאת. הא כיצד? אוחז בראש ובגוף, ומזה על קיר המזבח; ולא על קיר הכבש, ולא על קיר היכל,

GEMARA: The Sages taught in a baraita: The verse states with regard to the bird sin offering: “And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar” (Leviticus 5:9). This teaches that the blood is sprinkled directly from the body of the sin offering, not with the priest’s finger or from a vessel. How so? The priest holds the head and the body and sprinkles its blood on the wall of the altar. And he does not sprinkle it on the wall of the ramp, and not on the wall of the Sanctuary, and not on the wall of the Entrance Hall. And which is this wall of the altar that the blood is sprinkled on? This is the lower wall, below the red line.

ולא על קיר אולם. ואיזה? זה קיר התחתון.

או אינו אלא קיר העליון? ודין הוא: ומה בהמה, שעולתה למטה – חטאתה למעלה; עוף, שעולתו למעלה – אינו דין שחטאתו למעלה?!

The baraita suggests: Or perhaps the verse is referring only to the upper wall, above the red line. And this should be a logical inference: Just as with regard to an animal offering, where the blood of a burnt offering is applied below the red line (see 10b), nevertheless, the blood of the sin offering is applied above the red line (see Leviticus 4:30), with regard to a bird offering, where the blood of the burnt offering is sprinkled above the red line (see 65a), is it not logical that the blood of its sin offering is sprinkled above the red line?

תלמוד לומר: ״והנשאר בדם ימצה אל יסוד המזבח״ – קיר שהשירין שלו מתמצים ליסוד; ואיזה? זה קיר התחתון.

Therefore, the verse states: “And the rest of the blood shall be squeezed out [yimmatze] at the base of the altar” (Leviticus 5:9), which teaches that the priest sprinkles the blood on the wall where its remaining blood drains to the base of the altar. And which wall is this? This is the lower wall. The surrounding ledge of the altar is located one cubit above the red line, and any blood sprinkled above this ledge will not drip down to the base of the altar. The verse teaches that the blood is sprinkled on the wall of the altar from which it would drip down to the altar’s base unimpeded.

ונעביד מעילאי, והדר נעביד מתתאי! אמר רבא: מי כתיב ״ימצה״?! ״ימצה״ כתיב, דממילא משמע.

The Gemara suggests: Let the priest perform the sprinkling of the blood above, as the baraita logically deduced, and then perform the squeezing below in fulfillment of the aforementioned verse. Rava said: Is it written: He shall drain [yematze]? It is written: It shall be drained [yimmatze], which indicates that the blood trickles down to the base of the altar by itself. Accordingly, the blood must be sprinkled on a part of the altar wall from which it can trickle down to the base of the altar.

אמר רב זוטרא בר טוביה אמר רב: כיצד מולקין חטאת העוף? אוחז גפיו בשתי אצבעות ושתי רגלים בשתי אצבעות, ומותח צוארה על רוחב גודלו, ומולקה.

§ Rav Zutra bar Toviyya says that Rav says: How does the priest pinch the nape of a bird sin offering? He holds the bird by its back in the palm of his hand and holds its wings with two fingers, i.e., the middle and index fingers, and its two legs with his next two fingers, i.e., the ring finger and pinky, leaving the head resting between his index finger and thumb, and he stretches its neck over the width of his thumb and pinches its nape with his thumbnail.

במתניתא תנא: ציפרא מלבר; אוחז גפיו בשתי אצבעות ושני רגלים בשתי אצבעות, ומותח צוארו על רוחב שתי אצבעותיו, ומולק. וזו עבודה קשה שבמקדש.

The Gemara cites a varying opinion: It was taught in a baraita: The bird is not in the priest’s palm, but rather on the outside of his hand. The priest holds its wings with two fingers and its two legs with two fingers. Using his thumb, the priest bends its head into his palm and stretches its neck over the width of his two fingers, and pinches its nape. And this is the most difficult sacrificial rite in the Temple to perform.

זו היא – ותו לא?! והאיכא קמיצה וחפינה! אלא אימא: זו עבודה קשה מעבודות קשות שבמקדש.

The Gemara asks: This is the most difficult rite to perform, and no other? But isn’t there also the removal of the handful of the meal offering and the handful of the incense on Yom Kippur? The Gemara answers: Rather, say that the pinching procedure was a difficult sacrificial rite, one of the most difficult sacrificial rites in the Temple to perform.

מתני׳ עולת העוף כיצד נעשית? עלה לכבש ופנה לסובב, בא לו לקרן דרומית מזרחית. היה מולק את ראשה ממול ערפה, ומבדיל, ומיצה את דמה על קיר המזבח.

MISHNA: The sacrifice of the bird burnt offering, how was it performed? The priest ascended the ramp and turned to the surrounding ledge and came to the southeast corner of the altar. He would then pinch off the bird’s head by cutting at its nape with his thumbnail and separate the bird’s head from its body, and would squeeze out its blood on the wall of the altar. He took the head and neared the place of its pinching, i.e., its nape, to the altar in order to squeeze the blood from the head. He would then absorb the remaining blood with salt and throw the head onto the fire on the altar.

נטל את הראש והקיף בית מליקתו למזבח, ספגו במלח, וזרקו על גבי האשים.

בא לו לגוף, והסיר את המוראה ואת הנוצה ואת בני המעיים היוצאין עמם, והשליכן לבית הדשן. שיסע, ולא הבדיל. ואם הבדיל – כשר. סופגו במלח,

He then arrived at the body and removed the crop and the feather attached to it and the innards that emerge with them and he tossed them to the place of the ashes. He then ripped the bird lengthwise and did not separate the two halves of the bird; but if he separated them, the offering is valid. He would then absorb the remaining blood with salt and throw the body of the bird onto the fire on the altar.

וזרקו על גבי האשים.

לא הסיר המוראה ולא הנוצה ואת בני מעיים היוצאין עמם, ולא ספגו במלח – כל ששינה בה מאחר שמיצה את דמה, כשירה.

If he neither removed the crop, nor the feather and the innards that emerge with them, nor absorbed the blood with salt, with regard to any detail that he changed in the sacrificial rites after he squeezed out its blood, the offering is valid. If he separated the head from the body in sacrificing the sin offering, or if he did not separate the head from the body in sacrificing the burnt offering, the offering is disqualified. In a case where he squeezed out the blood of the head and did not squeeze out the blood of the body, it is disqualified. If he squeezed out the blood of the body and did not squeeze out the blood of the head, the offering is valid.

הבדיל בחטאת ולא הבדיל בעולה – פסול. מיצה את דם הראש ולא מיצה דם הגוף – פסולה. דם הגוף ולא מיצה דם הראש – כשירה.

חטאת העוף שמלקה שלא לשמה; מיצה דמה שלא לשמה; לשמה ושלא לשמה; או שלא לשמה ולשמה – פסול. עולת העוף כשירה, ובלבד שלא עלתה לבעלים לשם חובה.

In the case of a bird sin offering that the priest pinched not for its sake, or if he squeezed out its blood not for its sake, or if he did so for its sake and then not for its sake, or not for its sake and then for its sake, it is disqualified, like all other sin offerings that are disqualified when performed not for their sake (see 2a). A bird burnt offering sacrificed not for its sake is valid; it is just that it did not satisfy the obligation of the owner.

אחד חטאת העוף ואחד עולת העוף, שמלקן ושמיצה את דמן – לאכול דבר שדרכו לאכול, ולהקטיר דבר שדרכו להקטיר חוץ למקומו; פסול ואין בו כרת.

With regard to both a bird sin offering and a bird burnt offering where the priest pinched its nape or squeezed out its blood with the intent to partake of an item whose typical manner is such that one partakes of it, or to burn an item whose typical manner is such that one burns it on the altar, outside its designated area, the offering is disqualified. But there is no liability to receive karet for one who partakes of the offering. If his intent was to eat it or burn it beyond its designated time, the offering is piggul and one is liable to receive karet for partaking of the offering, provided that the permitting factor, the blood, was sacrificed in accordance with its mitzva.

חוץ לזמנו – פיגול, וחייבין עליו כרת; ובלבד שיקריב המתיר כמצותו.

כיצד קרב המתיר כמצותו? מלק בשתיקה, ומיצה הדם חוץ לזמנו; או שמלק חוץ לזמנו, ומיצה הדם בשתיקה; או שמלק ומיצה הדם חוץ לזמנו – זהו שקרב המתיר כמצותו.

How is the permitting factor sacrificed in accordance with its mitzva? If one pinched the nape in silence, i.e., with no disqualifying intent, and squeezed out its blood with the intent to partake of the parts typically eaten or to burn the portions that are to be burned on the altar, beyond its designated time; or in the case of one who pinched with the intent to partake of the offering or burn it on the altar beyond its designated time, and squeezed out its blood in silence; or in the case of one who pinched and squeezed out the blood with the intent to partake of the offering or burn it on the altar beyond its designated time, that is the case of a bird offering where the permitting factor is sacrificed in accordance with its mitzva.

כיצד לא קרב המתיר כמצותו? מלק חוץ למקומו, מיצה הדם חוץ לזמנו; או שמלק חוץ לזמנו, ומיצה הדם חוץ למקומו; או שמלק ומיצה הדם חוץ למקומו;

How is the permitting factor not sacrificed in accordance with its mitzva? If the priest pinched the nape of the bird with the intent to partake of it or burn it outside its designated area and squeezed out its blood with the intent to partake of it or burn it beyond its designated time, or he pinched with the intent to partake of it or burn it beyond its designated time and squeezed out its blood with the intent to partake of it or burn it outside its designated area, or if the priest pinched and squeezed out the blood with the intent to partake of it or burn it outside its designated area,