Yoma 43b — the Talmud in English

And Rabbi Yehuda does not disagree.

It was not mentioned in the Mishna that Rabbi Yehuda disagrees.

And it follows that he too concedes that a woman is unfit and a minor is fit [contrary to what we explained above regarding Rabbi Yehuda’s position]!

He said:

Abaye

answered: Since the Master said

[Ulla] that the entire passage of the red heifer is expounded in two ways: a.

“The implication excludes immediately from another implication.” b.

And

“the implication follows automatically.”

But concerning sprinkling, it is impossible to interpret “a pure man” in the manner of “the implication follows automatically” [that a woman is unfit and a minor is fit], for if so, why did Scripture need to state it?

Rather, it is understood automatically that Rabbi Yehuda

disagrees—

he disagrees with the words of the Mishna there [and the tanna did not need to teach explicitly that Rabbi Yehuda disagrees].

XI. And further in the passage it is stated in verse 19:

“And the pure man shall sprinkle

the pure

upon the impure.”

The word “pure” is superfluous. For the red heifer is called a “sin-offering,” and it is understood that all its procedures must be performed in purity, just as a sin-offering is performed in purity.

And they expounded:

“Pure”—

this indicates that he was

[the sprinkler]

impure

until now, and only now immersed in a ritual bath and became pure, while the sun has not yet set. And he is a “one who immersed that day.”

It taught

the verse

concerning one who immersed that day, that

he

is fit for the

procedures of the

heifer.

Rabbi Asi said: When

Rabbi Yohanan

and Resh Lakish

were

discussing the passage of the

red

heifer,

they did not derive from it—

they did not succeed in deriving a novel insight from it when they tried to interpret all its verses in a single manner—

except like what the fox brings up from the plowed field.

Like the small amount of earth that a fox raises with its feet when it walks in a plowed field.

Rather, they said:

There are verses in the passage that are in the category of

“the implication excludes immediately from another implication.” And

there are verses that are in the category of

“the implication follows automatically.”

A tanna taught before Rabbi Yohanan.

A person who taught a beraita before Rabbi Yohanan taught:

“All slaughterings are fit when performed by a non-priest

except for

the slaughtering

of the heifer.”

Rabbi Yohanan said to him: Go, teach outside—

go and teach your words outside the house of study. That is, your words are incorrect. For

we have not found a slaughtering that is unfit when performed by a non-priest.

And Rabbi Yohanan—not only did he not obey the tanna,

not only did he not accept the words of the tanna who held that the slaughtering of the red heifer is unfit when performed by a non-priest,

but he did not even obey his teacher—

he did not even listen to his teacher!

For Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak,

his teacher:

The slaughtering of the heifer when performed by a non-priest—

is unfit.

But I

[Rabbi Yohanan]

say

that it

is fit.

For

we have not found a slaughtering that is unfit when performed by a non-priest.

We learned in the Mishna:

He came

the High Priest

to his bull

a

second

time and confessed [the second confession]. And this is what he would say: “Please, O Name,

I have sinned

I, my household, and the children of Aaron, Your holy people.”

And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

What is different,

in what way is what we learned

in the first confession, that he did not say ‘and the children of Aaron, Your holy people,’ different from the second confession, in which he said ‘and the children of Aaron, Your holy people’?

That is, why does he not confess in the first confession also concerning all the priests, just as he confessed in the second confession? After all, all the priests achieve atonement through the bull of the High Priest! Meiri.

And we answer:

The tanna of the school of Rabbi Yishmael said: Thus does the attribute of justice require—

this is what is proper to say:

It is preferable

that at first he confess his sins and become innocent, and then

he shall come

[the High Priest]

innocent, and make atonement for the liable

[the priestly tribe].

And he should not come

the High Priest when he is

liable, and make atonement for the liable.

Mishna:

In the preceding Mishna we learned that the High Priest confessed over his bull a second time. And our Mishna continues to arrange the order of the service.

He slaughtered it,

the High Priest slaughtered his bull,

and received its blood in a basin.

And he gave it

the basin

to one who

stood, a priest who

stirred

[mixed]

it on the fourth row of paving stones in the Sanctuary.

On the fourth row of paving stones in the Sanctuary.

In the plain sense, the intention of the Mishna is the fourth row from the entrance of the Sanctuary inward. And the Gemara will discuss this.

And the priest stirred the blood there

so that it would not coagulate,

because the High Priest turned to the incense service before sprinkling the blood, and the blood remained for a long time; and if he did not stir it, it might coagulate, and the mitzva of sprinkling the blood would be nullified.

He took

the High Priest

a fire-pan

to rake coals with it for the incense,

and ascended to the top of the altar. And he spread the coals this way and that,

to the sides,

and raked from

the coals

that had been consumed on the inside,

inside [in the middle] of the pyre, which had already been thoroughly consumed, so that they would not produce smoke [Tiferet Yisrael].

And he descended

from the altar.

And he placed it

[the fire-pan]

on the fourth row of paving stones in the courtyard.

And the fire-pan remained placed there until he took the incense in his handfuls and placed it into the spoon. Only afterward did he bring the spoon and the fire-pan into the Holy of Holies.

And now the Mishna explains how the procedure of raking the coals and burning the incense on Yom Kippur differed from the burning of the incense every day:

Every day,

the priest who merited burning the incense

raked

coals

with a

fire-pan of

silver,

and poured

the coals that were in the silver fire-pan

into

a fire-pan

of gold,

and brought the gold fire-pan into the Sanctuary.

But

if

today,

on Yom Kippur,

he raked with a

fire-pan

of gold, and with it

itself

he brought

the coals inside, in order to ease the burden of the High Priest, who was weakened by the fast, so that he would not have to pour the coals from one vessel into another.

Every day,

the priest

raked

coals from the altar

with a

fire-pan

of four kav,

with a silver fire-pan whose capacity was four kav.

And he poured

the coals from it

into

a gold fire-pan

of three kav [

and some of the coals spilled onto the ground during the pouring].

But

if

today,

on Yom Kippur, he

raked with a

fire-pan

of gold

containing

three kav.

And with it

itself

he brought it inside,

so as not to burden the High Priest, who was weakened by the fast.

Rabbi Yose says: Every day,

the priest

raked with one of a se’a

[six kav],

and poured

from it

into

a fire-pan of

three kav.

But

if

today he raked with three kav, and with it he brought it inside.

Every day,

the fire-pan

was heavy

because its sides were thick.

But today

it was

light

because its sides were thin [Gemara], in order to ease the High Priest in his weakness.

Every day, the handle

of the fire-pan

was short, but today

its handle was

long,

so that he could place it beneath his arm, and his arm would assist his hand, easing his burden in his weakness.

Every day,

[it]

its gold

was similar in hue to

green.

But today

it was similar to

red; these are the words of Rabbi Menahem.

Every day he offered half

a maneh, half a maneh [a weight of fifty silver dinars],

in the morning, and half between the evenings. But today

in addition to the half-maneh of the morning and the half-maneh between the evenings, which he burned in the Sanctuary, he

added a full handful

which he brought into the Holy of Holies.

Every day,

the incense

was fine,

finely ground. As it is stated [Exodus 30:36]: “And you shall grind some of it very fine.”

But

the special incense of

today,

which he brought into the Holy of Holies,

was finer than fine.

For they ground it a second time on the eve of Yom Kippur, until it became finer than fine.

And since we learned that there was a difference between the procedure of the incense throughout the year and the procedure of the incense on Yom Kippur, the Mishna brings additional differences that existed between the services of Yom Kippur and the services of the other days.

Every day, priests ascended

to the altar

on the eastern side of the ramp

of the altar.

For the ramp was on the southern side of the altar, and when the priests reached the top of the altar, they needed to turn toward the east of the altar, which was on the right of one who ascended. For so the Sages said: “All the turns that you make should be only toward the right.” Therefore, when they ascended the ramp, they ascended at its eastern edge.

But

when they completed circling the altar on the western side, after finishing their service, they

descended on its western side

of the ramp.

The priests were not permitted to walk in the middle of the ramp, because if they walked in the middle, they would have to lengthen the route on the altar [until they turned toward the east as they walked. And likewise, on their return from the west, they would have to lengthen the route until the middle of the ramp], and it is not becoming to walk a long route on the altar without need.

But today,

on Yom Kippur,

the High Priest ascends in the middle and descends in the middle

in order to display his honor and the affection of Israel, whose agent he is, for he is like a member of the household and walks wherever he wishes.

Rabbi Judah says: The High Priest always ascends in the middle and descends in the middle,

even on all the days of the year.

Every day the High Priest sanctifies his hands and feet from the basin

before he begins to perform the service,

but on this day, from the pitcher

the jug

of gold.

Because of his honor, so that he should not sanctify from the place where the other priests sanctify.

Rabbi Judah says: The High Priest always sanctifies his hands and feet from the golden pitcher,

even on all the days of the year.

Every day there were there,

on the outer altar,

four arrangements

heaps of burning wood.

But on this day, five

and the Gemara will explain the reason for this

—the words of Rabbi Meir.

Rabbi Yose says: Every day

there were on the outer altar

three

arrangements.

But on this day, four.

Rabbi Judah says: Every day

there were there

two

two arrangements,

but on this day, three.

Gemara:

We learned at the beginning of the Mishna: “He slaughtered it and received its blood in a vessel, and gave it to one who stirred it, on the fourth tier of the Sanctuary” [so that he would stir it until the High Priest completed the service of the incense].

And we raise an objection:

But it is written

Leviticus 16:17:

“And no person shall be in the Tent of Meeting

when he enters to atone in the Sanctuary until he goes out.” And the Gemara below explains that the verse speaks of the time of burning the incense. If so, how could the one stirring it be standing in the Sanctuary?

Rav Judah said

a resolution:

Teach

the wording of the Mishna as follows: “And he gives it to one who stirs it, on the fourth tier

of the Sanctuary.”

That is, the one stirring it stood on the fourth tier of the courtyard, for when one goes out from the Sanctuary to the courtyard, he counts the tiers, and there the one stirring it stands. And this tier is the fourth tier in relation to the Sanctuary.

And the Gemara brings a beraita that explains the verse [which was brought in the Gemara’s objection]: “And no person shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to atone in the Sanctuary until he goes out.”

The Sages taught:

“And no person shall be in the Tent of Meeting.”