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Week 143 - Sunday - 18 August 2002

ZEVAHIM: CHAPTER 6: MISHNAH 3

All who ascended the altar ascended on the right, and they went round and descended by the left, except those who went up for these three things, who went up and turned around on their heels.

Kehati

Having learned in the preceding mishnah that three things were done on top of the altar at the south-western corner, we are now taught which way the ministrant ascended to and descended from the altar.

All the priests who ascended the altar by the ramp, ascended on the right, - i.e., on the east side of the ramp, and they went round the altar to perform the service, e.g., sprinkle the blood of the sin-offerings or arrange the wood pile etc. and descended by the left - on the west side of the ramp, -

except those who went up for these three things - mentioned in the preceding mishnah and which were performed at the south-western corner on top of the altar - the water libation, the wine libation and the burnt-offering of a bird, who went up and turned around on their heels - i.e., went back the same way. Thus the priests, rather than ascending the altar by the right and circling it, went directly to the south-western corner along the left side, and after concluding the service they descended the same way. The Gemara explains that this was to save the libations from being impaired by the smoke emitted by the burning wood and limbs while the priest circled the altar to reach the south-western corner, since the Torah ordains that (Num. 28:31), "..they shall be to you without blemish and their drink offerings", i.e., the libations must also be flawless; in the case of the burnt-offering of a bird, it was feared that the smoke might kill the bird.

ZEVAHIM: CHAPTER 6: MISHNAH 4

How was the sin-offering of a bird prepared? He performed melikah from the nape without severing, and sprinkled its blood on the wall of the altar. The remainder of the blood he drained out over the base. The altar received only its blood, and all of it belonged to the priests.

Kehati

This mishnah continues to deal with the rites of the sin-offering of a bird.

How was the sin-offering of a bird prepared? He performed melikah - the priest indented the head of the sin-offering bird from the nape with the right thumb nail without severing the head from the body, but only notching the spinal column and the neckbone until he reached the gullet or the windpipe and cut the bulk of one of them,

and sprinkled of its blood - he gripped the bird and sprayed the blood directly without employing his finger or a basin - on the wall of the altar - below the hut hasikra, as taught in mishnah 2 above.

The remainder of the blood he drained out - after sprinkling the blood he pressed the bird's nape against the altar wall, over the base - whither the blood flowed as ordained (Lev. 5:9), "And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin-offering (bird) upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall he wring out at the bottom of the altar".

The altar received only its- the sprinkled and drained - blood, and all of it - whereas the entire bird belonged to the priests who consumed it.

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