Yoma 25b (כה:) — the Talmud in English

Come and hear:

It was taught in a

beraita:

In the third lottery, which they conducted every day for the service of the incense,

there was no lottery

separately

for the coal pan.

For two kohanim were engaged in the service of the incense: one would carry the incense into the Sanctuary and burn it, while the other would rake coals from the outer altar with a coal pan, bring them into the Sanctuary, and place them on the inner altar, so that the second kohen could burn the incense upon them.

Rather,

they conducted only one lottery to determine who would merit burning the incense, and

the kohen who won the incense service would say to the one

standing to his right:

“Win the coal pan with me!”

This wording implies that the priest standing to his right did not win the shovel by means of the lottery, as was the case with all the other services, concerning which it is stated below that his fellow priests followed him. Rather, everything depended on the will of the priest who won the incense: If he wished, he also performed the service involving the shovel, or he could tell another priest, who was not standing next to him at all, to perform it. It was merely customary that, because of the exertion involved, he would tell someone else to win the shovel, and he would usually tell the priest to his right, so that the other priests would not resent him. Tosafot, comment on “Come and hear a proof.”

It follows that in the third lottery they did not conduct a separate lottery for each service included in that lottery. The same applies to the second lottery mentioned in our Mishna: they conducted only one lottery.

And we reject this:

The coal pan and the incense are different—

for they constitute a single service.

Therefore, there is one lottery for both of them. But the thirteen services listed in our Mishna are each separate services, and it is possible that a separate lottery was conducted for each service.

Some say:

we should infer the opposite from Rabbi Yehuda’s words:

Specifically for the coal pan and the incense, since they constitute a single service,

there is only one lottery for them.

But for the other services—

a lottery is required

separately for each service.

And we reject this: Actually, even for the other services, one lottery for all of them is sufficient. Rabbi Yehuda mentioned specifically the coal pan because

the coal pan was necessary for him

to teach us this point.

For it might enter your mind to say: Since

the incense service

is infrequent,

since it is burned only twice each day, and incense is not brought as a voluntary offering,

and it brings wealth,

the incense enriches those engaged in it,

therefore

we should institute for it

for the coal pan

a lottery of its own.

It teaches us

that nevertheless, one lottery is sufficient for it.

Come and hear

from this

which Rabbi Hiyya taught: They do not conduct a lottery for every service.

Rather, the kohen who won

the slaughtering of the

daily offering—

his twelve fellow kohanim follow him

to merit the other services, according to the order in which they stand to his right.

And we conclude:

Conclude from this.

We learned in the Mishna:

The second lottery:

who slaughters and who performs the sprinkling.

They raised a dilemma: Who receives

the blood from the neck of the lamb after the slaughter? Since the tanna of the Mishna did not list receiving the blood as a service for which a kohen won separately, conclude from this that one of the kohanim who won the service adjacent to it—that is, either slaughter or sprinkling—also won this service.

And the question is: Which kohen is that?

Is it that the kohen who

slaughters

is the one who

receives

the blood?

This is because

if you say that the kohen who

that the priest who

performs the sprinkling should receive it,

there is concern that

because of his fondness for it,

since the sprinkling service is dearer to the kohen than receiving the blood [because it is a service of the altar], he will hurry to carry the blood for sprinkling and

will not receive all of the blood.

He will not wait until all the blood has been received into the vessel. The law is that all the animal’s blood must be received.

Or perhaps,

the kohen who

performs the sprinkling

is the one who

receives

the blood.

This is because

if you say that the

that the

slaughterer receives the blood, sometimes the slaughterer is a non-kohen,

for slaughter is valid even when performed by a non-kohen, and he cannot receive the blood, since receiving the blood is invalid when performed by a non-kohen. Therefore, necessarily, the sprinkler is the one who receives it.

Come and hear:

It was taught in a

beraita:

the name of one of the High Priests—

made twelve faucets

faucets

for the basin, so that his twelve fellow kohanim engaged with the daily offering could sanctify their hands and feet simultaneously,

before they began the service.

This refers to the twelve kohanim enumerated in our Mishna, apart from the slaughterer, who does not need to sanctify his hands and feet. Since slaughter is valid when performed by a non-kohen, even when a kohen slaughters he is exempt from sanctifying his hands and feet.

And if it enters your mind

that the

slaughterer receives the blood,

then it follows that the slaughterer too must sanctify his hands and feet because of receiving the blood, and if so—

thirteen

thirteen

there would be!?

Rather, is it not that we may conclude

that the

sprinkler

is the one who

receives the blood,

and there are only twelve. For the sprinkler has already been counted among the twelve kohanim engaged with the daily offering.

And we conclude:

Conclude from this!

Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: We too have learned this

in a Mishna in tractate Tamid:

The slaughterer slaughtered, the receiver received the blood, and he came

to the altar

to perform the sprinkling.

This implies that the receiver is the sprinkler.

And we conclude:

Conclude from this!

We learned in the Mishna:

Ben Azzai said before Rabbi Akiva

in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua: It was brought in the order of its walking.

That is, the closer a limb was to the head, the earlier it was brought, since the animal walks toward its head.

The Sages taught: What is the order of its walking?

The head and the leg

the right hind leg are brought first [and this is according to everyone; as for the head, it is derived from a verse that it is brought first . and the leg is brought with it for the reason that will be explained below].

And after them

the breast and the neck.

And the two forelegs

after them.

And the two flanks

after them.

The tailbone and the leg

the left hind leg, after them.

Rabbi Yosei says: It was brought in the order of its flaying.

According to the order in which its hide was removed, namely, from the legs toward the head.

What is the order of its flaying?

The head and the leg. The tailbone and the leg. The two flanks. The two forelegs. The breast and the neck.

Rabbi Akiva says: It was brought in the order of its dissection.

According to the order in which it is dissected, limb by limb after its flaying.

What is the order of its dissection?

The head and the leg. The two forelegs. The breast and the neck. The two flanks. The tailbone and the leg.

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: It was brought in the order of its excellence.

The more excellent and choice the limb, the earlier it was brought.

What is the order of its excellence?

The head and the leg. The breast and the neck. The two flanks. The tailbone and the leg. The two forelegs.

And we challenge Rabbi Yosei HaGelili:

But it is written: “Every choice portion, the thigh and the shoulder.”

Thus, the thigh is superior to the shoulder, whereas Rabbi Yosei HaGelili places the two flanks, which contain the shoulders, before the leg, which contains the thigh.

And we answer:

That—

concerns a lean animal.

The verse speaks of a lean animal, in which the thigh is superior to the shoulder.

But with regard to the daily offering, for which they took care to bring a fat animal, the shoulder is superior to the thigh, since the shoulder contains a great deal of fat.

Rava said: Both the tanna of our Mishna,

the first tanna of the Mishna, whose order differs from that of all the tannaim mentioned above,

and Rabbi Yosei

HaGelili—both agree that

we follow the excellence of the meat,

we follow the choicer meat, so that the more excellent the meat, the earlier it is brought.

They disagree only concerning the nature of this excellence.

One master,

the tanna of our Mishna,

follows the size of the limb of the meat,

the size of the limbs.

And the other master,

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili,

follows the fatness of the meat,

the meat that is fattier.

We inquire about this:

What is the reason

that all the tannaim agree that

the leg rises together with the head,

meaning that the right leg is brought together with the head?

And we answer:

Because the head,

the head,

has many

there are many

bones in it.

Therefore

the leg is brought

with it .

The right leg. Since it is carried together with the head, the right one is required, because the right side is always considered more important. Rashi, Menahot 6a, comment beginning “And we learned.” It, too, contains many bones and resembles the head; therefore, it should be joined with its kind. Meiri. However, the commentator on Tamid [31b] writes the opposite: The leg is entirely meat, and it is therefore appropriate that the offering contain both bones and meat. Rabbi Eliekim explains that it is not respectful to offer the head alone, since it contains almost no meat and consists mainly of bones; therefore, the leg is joined to it.

We further inquire:

In any event, according to everyone,

at least,

the head is brought first. And from where do we know

this?

And we answer:

As it was taught in a beraita: From where is it derived that the head and the fat,

the fat,

precede all the limbs?

The verse states “

He shall cut it into its pieces,

and its head and its fat.

And he shall arrange

the kohen shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar.”

This implies that the head and the fat are to be the first arranged on the altar.

The Gemara further explains:

And the other occurrence of the word “fat”

which is written in another verse: “And the sons of Aaron, the kohanim, shall arrange the pieces, the head and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar.”