Zevachim 47b (מז:) — the Talmud in English

The remainder of the blood was poured onto the western base of the outer altar. And if he did not place it—

it did not prevent [atonement].

The flesh of

both of these,

of the bull and goat of Yom Kippur and of the other bulls and goats that are burned,

is burned at the ash heap

outside Jerusalem, at the place to which the ashes of the outer altar are taken.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: Offerings of the highest sanctity—their slaughter is in the north.

And we raise a difficulty concerning it: Just as the Mishna stated with regard to the bull and goat of Yom Kippur that their blood is received in a service vessel in the north, so too

should it also teach

that for all offerings of the highest sanctity

their blood is received in a service vessel in the north?

And we answer:

Since there is the guilt-offering of a leper

which is an offering of the highest sanctity but is excluded from this rule,

for its blood is received by hand,

therefore

he left it out;

the tanna of the Mishna left this principle unstated with regard to offerings of the highest sanctity.

And we challenge this:

And

if

not

for the fact that the blood of the guilt-offering of a leper is received in a vessel but by hand,

but it was taught

later in this chapter:

The guilt-offering of a nazirite and the guilt-offering of a leper—their slaughter is in the north, and their blood is received in a service vessel in the north.

And we answer:

Initially, he held

the tanna of the Mishna that

its blood is received

of the guilt-offering of a leper

by hand,

as we derive from the wording of the verse; and therefore

he left it out

and did not write the rule that with regard to all offerings of the highest sanctity, their blood is received in a service vessel in the north.

And when he saw

afterward

that this was insufficient,

that it was not enough to receive it only by hand,

but

one priest receives it by hand and a second priest receives it

in a vessel,

as he explains and proceeds,

he taught it again

in the Mishna below with regard to receiving the blood of the guilt-offering of a leper in a vessel.

As it was taught:

It is written concerning the guilt-offering of a leper: “

And he shall take

the priest shall take from the blood of the guilt-offering and place it on the cartilage of the ear of the one being purified.”

One might have thought

that the priest should take from the animal’s neck the blood that is to be placed on the cartilage of the ear of the leper being purified and on the thumbs of his hand and foot

in a vessel?—

The verse states: “And he shall place.”

And we expound:

Just as the placing

of the blood on the cartilage of the leper’s ear must be performed

by the priest himself,

so that the priest places some of the blood with his finger on the cartilage of the leper’s ear [and we learn that he must place the blood on them with his finger from the placing of the oil on the cartilage of the ear, concerning which it is explicitly stated that it must be performed with the priest’s finger],

so too the taking

of the blood stated by the Torah, “And the priest shall take from the blood of the guilt-offering and place it on the cartilage of the ear,” must be performed

by the priest himself,

so that he takes the blood in his hand. That is, he receives in the palm of his hand the blood issuing from the offering, dips his finger into the blood in his palm, and places some of the blood on the cartilage of the ear of the one being purified and on the thumbs of his hand and foot.

One might have thought that even

the blood of the guilt-offering that is placed

on the altar

should be performed

in this manner,

so that the priest would receive it in his hand and sprinkle it from his hand on the altar—

the verse states

in the passage concerning the guilt-offering of a leper: “

For it is a guilt-offering like a sin-offering,”

teaching us by means of the comparison of a guilt-offering to a sin-offering:

Just as a sin-offering requires a vessel

to receive its blood that is placed on the altar,

so too

the blood of the

guilt-offering

of a leper that is placed on the altar

requires a vessel.

You therefore find that the guilt-offering of a leper is received by two priests: one by hand and one in a vessel. The one who received it in a vessel comes to the altar

and casts it upon it,

while the one who received it

the blood of the guilt-offering

by hand comes to the leper

and places some of the blood with his finger on the cartilage of his right ear and on the thumbs of his right hand and foot.