Zevachim 64 –

1) “AVODOS” PERFORMED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER

(a) (Mishnah): Three things are done (at this corner…below)…
(b) We already explained Chatas ha’Of;
1. Version #1 (Our text): We learn Hagashah from “Vehigishah El ha’Mizbe’ach” (Vayikra 2:8. Shitah Mekubetzes – this teaches about all Menachos, and that they must be touched to the Mizbe’ach.)
2. Version #2 (Rashi): We learn Hagashah from “Hakrev Osah…Lifne Hash-m El Penei ha’Mizbe’ach” (Vayikra 6:7; the verse connotes the southwest corner, like above).
3. We learn Shirayim from “V’Es Kol Dam ha’Par Yishpoch El Yesod Mizbach” (no other part of the southern side has a Yesod).
(c) (Mishnah): Above – Nesachim of wine and water, and Olas ha’Of when the southeast corner is too crowded.
(d) Question: Why is Olas ha’Of preferably done in the southeast corner?
(e) Answer (R. Yochanan): It is the closest corner to Beis ha’Deshen (where the crop and feathers are thrown).
(f) R. Yochanan: This shows how strong Kohanim were – the lightest parts of a bird (and hence hardest to throw) are the crop and feathers, sometimes the Kohen would have to throw them more than 30 Amos (i.e. from the southwest corner to Beis ha’Deshen)!
1. (Mishnah): (To do Terumas ha’Deshen,) the Kohen took a silver pan and ascended the Mizbe’ach; he turned coals aside, and took from the thoroughly burned ones (ashes) underneath;
2. He descended to the ground, turned north, and went 10 Amos along the east of the ramp. He piled the ashes on the floor three Tefachim away from the ramp, where they put the crop and feathers (of Olas ha’Of), and the ashes of the inner Mizbe’ach and the Menorah.
(g) Question: This is more than 31 Amos (Beis ha’Deshen is 22 Amos south of the southwest corner, and 22 and a half Amos east)!
(h) Answer: We do not count the Amah where the Kohen stands, it is as if he throws it only 30 (and a third) Amos.
(i) (Mishnah): Anyone who ascends…(except for three things…)
(j) Question: Why doesn’t he circle around for these?
(k) Answer (R. Yochanan): We are concerned lest the Nesachim absorb the smoke (and become disqualified), and lest the bird die from the smoke.
(l) Contradiction (Mishnah): If the Kohen Gadol wants to (offer Nesachim), he circles around the Mizbe’ach, traversing the southeast, northeast, northwest and southwest corners; they give him (we are understanding, from the beginning) the wine for the Nesachim.
(m) Answer (R. Yochanan): He is not carrying the Nesachim when he goes around.
64b—————————————64b

(n) Support (Rava): It says, they *give* him (i.e. after going around) the wine for the Nesachim, it does not say ‘They tell him to pour it’.
(o) (Beraisa): Anyone who ascends the Mizbe’ach goes up on the right and descends on the left; he goes up on the east and descends on the west, except for one who ascends for these three things;
1. For the three, he goes up and descends on the west, he goes up and descends on the right.
2. Objection: He does not go up and descend on the right, rather, on the left!
3. Answer #1 (Ravina): We must correct the text, it should say ‘He goes up and descends on the left’.
4. Answer #2 (Rava): When it says ‘Right’, it means the right side of the Mizbe’ach (we consider south to be the face of the Mizbe’ach, so the west is its right); when it says ‘left’, it means the Kohen’s left.
5. Question: The Mishnah should be consistent, it should always refer to the Mizbe’ach or to the Kohen!
6. This is left difficult.
2) “CHATAS HA’OF”
(a) (Mishnah): To offer Chatas ha’Of, the Kohen is Molek (cuts with his fingernail the back of the neck) Mul (in line with, below) the Oref (back of the head); he does not Mavdil (separate the head from the body – rather, he cuts only one of the Simanim);
(b) He sprinkles the blood on the wall of the Mizbe’ach;
1. The remaining blood (is squeezed against the wall and) drops onto the Yesod.
(c) Only its blood goes on the Mizbe’ach, all the meat is eaten by Kohanim.
(d) (Gemara – Beraisa): “V’Hizah mi’Dam ha’Chatas” – from the bird itself;
1. He holds the head and body and sprinkles on the lower half of the wall of the Mizbe’ach; not on the wall of the ramp, Heichal or Ulam.
2. Question: A Kal va’Chomer teaches that he should sprinkle on the top half of the wall!
i. Regarding animals, (blood of) an Olah is offered below (on the lower half of the wall), a Chatas is offered above – regarding birds, an Olah is offered above, all the more so a Chatas should be offered above!
3. Answer: “Veha’Nish’ar ba’Dam Yimatzei El Yesod ha’Mizbe’ach” – he sprinkles on a (part of the) wall such that its remnants fall to the Yesod. (From the top half, the blood falls onto the Sovev.)
4. Suggestion: He could sprinkle on the top half, and squeeze the rest against the lower half!
5. Rejection (Rava): It does not say ‘Yamtzeh’ (he will squeeze), rather, “Yimatzei”, which (additionally) connotes that the sprinkled blood will be found on (i.e. fall by itself to) the Yesod.
(e) (Mar Zutra bar Tuvya): Melikah of Chatas ha’Of – the Kohen holds the wings in two fingers, and the legs in two fingers, and stretches the neck over the width of his thumb, and cuts it with his thumbnail;
(f) (Beraisa): The bird faces outside, he holds the wings in two fingers, and the legs in two fingers, and stretches the neck over the width of two fingers, and cuts it with his thumbnail;
1. This is the difficult Avodah in the Mikdash.
2. Objection: There are other difficult Avodos in the Mikdash, Kodshei Mizbe’ach and Chafiinah (taking two handfuls of Ketores)!
3. Correction: This is one of the most difficult Avodos in the Mikdash.
3) “OLAS HA’OF”
(a) (Mishnah): To offer Olas ha’Of, the Kohen ascends the ramp, turns to the Sovev, and comes to the southeast corner;
(b) Melikah is done Mul the Oref, he is Mavdil (fully cuts both Simanim), and presses the bird against the Mizbe’ach to squeeze out the blood.
(c) He takes the head, points the cut neck towards the Mizbe’ach, salts it and throws it on the fire.
(d) He removes the crop, (the surrounding skin with) feathers and the intestines that come out with the crop, and throws all these to Beis ha’Deshen.
(e) He tears the wings, but does not tear them off the body; if he tore them off, it is Kosher;
(f) He salts the body and throws it on the fire;
1. If he did not remove the crop, feathers and intestines, or did not salt it, it is Kosher, for deviations after squeezing out the blood do not disqualify it.
2. If he fully cut both Simanim in Chatas ha’Of, or did not do so in Olas ha’Of, it is Pasul;
3. If he squeezed out the blood of the head but not of the body, it is Pasul; if he squeezed out the blood of the body but not of the head, it is Kosher.
4) “PESUL” AND “PIGUL” OF “KORBANOS HA’OF”
(a) If Melikah of Chatas ha’Of or Mitzuy (squeezing the blood) or both were done Lo Lishmah, it is Pasul; regarding Olas ha’Of, it is Kosher, but the owner did not fulfill his obligation.
(b) Regarding Chatas and Olas ha’Of, if he did Melikah or Mitzuy with improper intent to eat something normally eaten (i.e. Chatas ha’Of) of Lehaktir something normally burned on the Mizbe’ach:
1. If the intent was Chutz li’Mkomo, the Korban is Pasul, there is no Kares for eating it;
2. If the intent was Chutz li’Zmano, the Korban is Pigul, there is Kares for eating it, provided that there was no other Pesul in the Matirim (these two Avodos, which permit the meat to Kohanim or the Mizbe’ach).
i. The case when there was no other Pesul – Melikah and Mitzuy were both done (with intent) Chutz li’Zmano, or one with this intent and the other without any intent that is Posel;
ii. The case when there was another Pesul – one or both of these two Avodos were done Chutz li’Mkomo (or Lo Lishmah, in the case of Chatas ha’Of.)

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