Zevachim 54b (נד:) — the Talmud in English

And if you would say

that he would cut it away,

meaning that he would undermine the foundation’s construction [after it had dried] in those cubits within the portion of Judah, and thus Rav’s statement would present no difficulty.

This cannot be said, for

“whole stones”

is written!

They must be smooth, without any chips, whereas cutting them cannot result in a smooth surface?!

And we answer:

He placed something beneath it.

He placed a large piece of wood inside the frame, along its entire height, on the portion belonging to Judah,

and removed it.

After it had dried somewhat, he removed it from there, and its place remained smooth.

The Gemara brings proof for this method of construction:

For if you do not say so, consider what Rav Kahana said:

Stones

with hollow corners,

There were deep cavities in the altar’s four corners, so that the blood of the sin-offering would fall into them and be absorbed inside them,

as it is written: “And they shall be filled like a basin, like the corners of the altar,”

which indicates that the corners—that is, the horns—had a receptacle like a basin.

But this too presents a difficulty:

here as well,

it is difficult to understand how these cavities were made, since

“whole stones,” the Merciful One stated,

and by making the cavities, the stones were surely chipped?

Rather,

we are compelled to say

that he placed something beneath it and removed it,

meaning that he placed sticks and thin splinters during the construction, and when it dried, he removed them from there, leaving their places hollow.

Here as well,

the discussion concerns the altar’s foundation in a manner in which

he placed something beneath it and removed it.

Rava expounded:

What is the meaning of that which is written [I Samuel 19]:

“And David and Samuel went and dwelled in Naioth in Ramah. But what does Naioth have to do with Ramah?”

Are they not two different places?

Rather,

the verse teaches

that they were sitting in Ramah,

Samuel’s city,

and were engaged in the beauty of the world,

seeking support from the Torah for the location of the site of the Temple.

They said: It is written, “And you shall arise and ascend to the place”; this teaches

that the Temple is higher than all of Eretz Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael is higher than all other lands. [

This is not learned from this verse and is not relevant to our matter; it was brought here incidentally.]

They did not know where its site was,

where, and within the boundary of which tribe, the highest place in Eretz Yisrael was located.

They brought the Book of Joshua

to examine the tribal boundaries. There the boundaries in all four directions are not specified for any of the tribes, except for Judah and Benjamin. The inheritance of Judah borders the inheritance of Benjamin to its north, as well as the inheritances of the other tribes.

And throughout all of them,

throughout all the boundaries of Judah that border the other tribes,

it is written, “and the boundary descended [

and ascended]

the boundary,” “and the boundary turned.”

But concerning the boundary of

the tribe of Benjamin, “and it ascended” is written,

but

“and it descended” is not written. They said: Learn from this that here is its place,

the site of the Temple, within the inheritance of Benjamin, which was the highest of all; therefore, the language of descent was not used concerning it.

They thought to build it at Ein Eitam, which was elevated,

as is demonstrated there by the verses [see Rashi and the Maharsha for an extensive explanation of the locations and boundaries].

They said: Let us lower it slightly,

make it somewhat lower and build it in Jerusalem,

as it is written: “And between his shoulders he dwells,”

but it is not written, “At his head.”

And if you wish, say instead:

The reason they did not build it at Ein Eitam is that

it is a received tradition that the Sanhedrin is in the portion of Judah,

as it is written: “And a ruler from between his feet,”

and the Divine Presence is in the portion of Benjamin,

as stated above, since it was higher than all the others.

And if we raise it there, it will be very far apart,

for Ein Eitam is distant from the inheritance of Judah, and the Sanhedrin must be in the Temple courtyard [which was in the portion of Judah], as it is written: “And you shall arise and ascend to the place that the Lord your God will choose.”

It is preferable that we lower it a little,

and build it in Jerusalem, so as to bring the Temple close to the inheritance of Judah, which was adjacent to it,

as it is written: “And between his shoulders he dwells.”

And over this matter Doeg the Edomite became jealous of David,

who was expounding the location of the Temple from the verses.

As it is stated: “For the jealousy of Your House has consumed me.”

And it is written: “Remember, O Lord, for David, all his self-affliction,

through which he afflicted himself in order to engage in and gain knowledge,

which he swore to the Lord: If I enter the tent of my house,

if I give sleep to my eyes, slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord … Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the field of the forest.” “

In Ephrathah”—this is Joshua, who came from Ephraim,

for the Book of Joshua knew the site of the Temple. “

We found it in the field of the forest”—this is Benjamin, as it is written: “Benjamin is a wolf that tears.”

Mishna:

The communal peace-offerings,

which are the lambs of Shavuot brought with the two loaves,

and guilt-offerings. These are the guilt-offerings:

A guilt-offering for robbery,

which is brought by one whose monetary claimants confronted him, he denied it and swore falsely, and afterward confessed.

A guilt-offering for misuse of consecrated property,

which is brought by one who unwittingly derived benefit from consecrated property.

A guilt-offering for a designated maidservant,

which is brought by one who had relations with a maidservant who was half maidservant and half free woman, designated for a Hebrew slave.

A nazirite’s guilt-offering,

which is brought by a nazirite who became impure through contact with the dead during his nazirite term, after he became pure.

A leper’s guilt-offering,

which is brought after his purification.

A provisional guilt-offering,

which is brought by one who is uncertain whether he unwittingly committed a sin whose intentional violation incurs karet and whose unwitting violation requires a sin-offering.

All of these:

their slaughter is in the north, and their blood is received in a sacred vessel in the north; their blood requires two applications that are four; and they are eaten within the curtains, by male members of the priesthood, in any manner of eating,

whether roasted or cooked,

for one day,

the day of slaughter,

and one night

following it,

until midnight

of that night.