Zevachim 47b — the Talmud in English

The remainder of the blood he would pour upon the western base of the outer altar. And if he did not place it—

he did not prevent.

The flesh of

both these and those,

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: Most holy sacrifices—their slaughter is in the north.

And we raise an objection concerning it: Just as the Mishna stated regarding the bull and goat of Yom Kippur that their blood is received in a ministering vessel in the north, so too

let it also teach

that all most holy sacrifices

have their blood received in a ministering vessel in the north?

And we answer:

Since there is the guilt offering of a leper

which is a most holy sacrifice and departs from this rule,

for its blood is received by hand,

therefore

it omitted it,

the tannai of the Mishna omitted this rule regarding most holy sacrifices.

And we are astonished:

And

if

not

—is the blood of the guilt offering of a leper received in a vessel, but rather by hand?

But it teaches

below in our 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 ministering vessel in the north.

And we answer:

At first the tannai thought

of the Mishna that

its blood is received

of the guilt offering of a leper

by hand,

as we learn from the words of the verse; and therefore

he omitted it

and did not write the rule that all most holy sacrifices have their blood received in a ministering vessel in the north.

And when he saw

afterward

that it is not sufficient for it,

that receiving by hand alone is not sufficient,

but

one priest receives by hand and a second priest receives

in a vessel,

as he explains and proceeds,

he then taught it again

in the Mishna below, regarding the receiving of the blood of the guilt offering of a leper in a vessel.

For it was taught:

It is written regarding the guilt offering of a leper: “

And he shall take

the priest from the blood of the guilt offering and place it upon the lobe of the ear of the one being purified.”

Could

the priest take from the animal’s neck the blood that is placed upon the lobe of the ear of the leper who is being purified, and upon 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 upon the lobe of the leper’s ear must be performed

by the priest himself,

for the priest places some of the blood with his finger upon the lobe of the leper’s ear [and we learn that he should place the blood upon them with his finger from the placing of the oil upon the lobe of the ear, regarding which it is explicitly stated that it is to be done with the priest’s finger],

so too the taking

of the blood stated in the Torah, “And the priest shall take from the blood of the guilt offering and place it upon the lobe of the ear,” must be performed

by the priest himself,

that he should take it with his hand; that is, he receives in the palm of his hand the blood that issues from the sacrifice, dips his finger into the blood in his palm, and places some of the blood upon the lobe of the ear of the one being purified and upon the thumbs of his hand and foot.

Could even

the blood of the guilt offering that is placed

upon the altar

be done

so,

that the priest would receive it in his hand and sprinkle it from his hand upon the altar?—

The verse states

in the passage of the guilt offering of the leper: “

For like the sin offering is the guilt offering,”

to teach us through the comparison of the guilt offering to the sin offering:

Just as a sin offering requires a vessel

for receiving its blood that is placed upon the altar,

so too the

blood of the

guilt offering

of the leper that is placed upon the altar

requires a vessel.

You therefore find that you say: In the case of the guilt offering of a leper, two priests receive its blood, one by hand and one in a vessel. The one who received it in a vessel comes to the altar

and throws it upon it,

and 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 upon the lobe of his right ear and upon the thumbs of his right hand and foot.