Yoma 116

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> (ויקרא טז, יח) ויצא אל המזבח אשר לפני ה' זה מזבח הזהב התחיל מחטא ויורד מהיכן הוא מתחיל מקרן מזרחית צפונית צפונית מערבית מערבית דרומית דרומית מזרחית מקום שהוא מתחיל בחטאת על מזבח החיצון משם היה גומר על מזבח הפנימי

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>AND HE SHALL GO OUT UNTO THE ALTAR THAT IS BEFORE THE LORD,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XVI, 18.');">¹</span> - THAT IS THE GOLDEN ALTAR.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXX, I.');">²</span>

רבי אליעזר אומר במקומו היה עומד ומחטא

THEN HE BEGINS TO SPRINKLE<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit.,'to cleanse from sin'.');">³</span> DOWNWARD.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he goes down' i.e., he applies the blood to the horn of the altar beginning at the top and leading his finger downward.');">⁴</span>

ועל כולן היה נותן מלמטה למעלה חוץ מזו שהיתה לפניו שהיה נותן מלמעלה למטה הזה על טהרו של מזבח שבע פעמים ושירי הדם היה שופך על יסוד מערבי של מזבח החיצון ושל מזבח החיצון היה שופך אל יסוד דרומי אלו ואלו מתערבין באמה ויוצאין לנחל קדרון ונמכרין לגננין לזבל ומועלין בהן

WHENCE DOES HE COMMENCE? FROM THE NORTH-EAST HORN [OF THE ALTAR], THEN THE NORTH-WEST, THEN THE SOUTH-WEST, THEN THE SOUTH-EAST.

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> תנו רבנן ויצא אל המזבח מה תלמוד לומר אמר רבי נחמיה לפי שמצינו בפר הבא על כל המצות שכהן עומד חוץ למזבח ומזה על הפרוכת בשעה שהוא מזה יכול אף זה כן

WHERE HE COMMENCES [SPRINKLING] ON THE OUTER ALTAR,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Zeb. 53a.');">⁵</span> THERE HE COMPLETES [SPRINKLING] ON THE INNER ALTAR'R'ELIEZER SAID: HE REMAINED IN HIS PLACE AND SPRINKLED.

תלמוד לומר ויצא אל המזבח היכן היה לפנים מן המזבח

AND HE WOULD SPRINKLE EVERY HORN FROM BELOW UPWARDS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HORN AT WHICH HE WAS STANDING, WHICH HE WOULD SPRINKLE FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS. THEN HE SPRINKLED THE TOP<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This word is variously interpreted in the GEMARA: It may mean 'back', i.e., top; it has been claimed as 'the pure, real surface' (of gold) i.e., free from coals or ashes; as the centre of the altar front.');">⁶</span>

תניא אידך לפני ה' מה תלמוד לומר אמר רבי נחמיה לפי שמצינו בפר ושעיר של יום הכפורים שכהן עומד לפנים מן המזבח ומזה על הפרוכת בשעה שהוא מזה יכול אף זה כן

OF THE ALTAR SEVEN TIMES AND POURED OUT THE REMAINDER OF THE BLOOD AT THE WESTERN BASE OF THE OUTER ALTAR'AND [THE REMAINDER OF THE BLOOD SPRINKLED] ON THE OUTER ALTAR HE POURED OUT AT THE SOUTHERN BASE. BOTH MINGLED IN THE CANAL<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Shek. IV, 2.');">⁷</span>

תלמוד לומר (ויקרא ד, ז) מזבח קטרת הסמים לפני ה' אשר באהל מועד מזבח לפני ה' ואין כהן לפני ה' הא כיצד עומד חוץ למזבח ומזה

AND FLOWED INTO THE BROOK KIDRON AND THEY WERE SOLD TO GARDENERS AS MANURE AND BY USING THEM ONE TRANSGRESSES THE LAW OF TRESPASS.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. V, 15.');">⁸</span> <big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>Our Rabbis taught: 'And he shall go out unto the altar', what does that mean to teach?

התחיל מחטא ויורד וכו' תנו רבנן התחיל מחטא ויורד מהיכן היה מתחיל מקרן מזרחית דרומית דרומית מערבית מערבית צפונית צפונית מזרחית דברי רבי עקיבא רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר מקרן מזרחית צפונית צפונית מערבית מערבית דרומית דרומית מזרחית

R'Nehemiah said: Since we find that, in connection with the bullock offered up for [the transgression in error of] 'any of the commandments',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. IV, 1ff.');">⁹</span> the priest stands outside the altar and sprinkles towards the curtain,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra.');">¹⁰</span>

מקום שרבי יוסי הגלילי מתחיל שם רבי עקיבא פוסק מקום שרבי עקיבא מתחיל שם רבי יוסי הגלילי פוסק

one might have assumed that here the same would take place, therefore Scripture said: 'And he shall go out unto the altar', hence he must have been found before on the inner side of the altar.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The text should have read: 'He shall make atonement on the altar that is before the Lord'. 'And he shall go out unto the altar' has no special significance. But since we find that on the occasion of other sacrifices he was standing outside, the words 'and he shall go out' here indicate that in this case he was on the inner side.');">¹¹</span> - Another [Baraitha] taught: 'Before the Lord'.

דכולי עלמא מיהא בההוא קרן דפגע ברישא לא עביד מאי טעמא אמר שמואל דאמר קרא ויצא אל המזבח עד דנפיק מכוליה מזבח

What does that mean to teach? R'Nehemiah said: Since we find with the bullock and he-goat of the Day of Atonement that the priest stands on the inner side of the altar and sprinkles upon the curtain, as he sprinkles one might have assumed here the same would be the case, therefore Scripture has come to teach us: The altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tent of meeting,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. IV, 7. The words 'before the Lord' are in themselves superfluous - for obviously the altar was 'before the Lord' - but are to indicate that only the altar was 'before the Lord' but not the priest. The latter stood outside and did not interpose between the altar and the curtain either when he sprinkled the blood on the corners or against the curtains.');">¹²</span>

ולרבי עקיבא נקיף דרך ימין לימא בדרמי בר יחזקאל קא מיפלגי

that implies: the altar before the Lord, but not the priest before the Lord. How that?

דאמר רמי בר יחזקאל ים שעשה שלמה עומד על שנים עשר בקר שלשה פונים צפונה ושלשה פונים ימה ושלשה פונים נגבה ושלשה פונים מזרחה והים עליהם מלמעלה וכל אחוריהם ביתה הא למדת שכל פינות שאתה פונה לא יהו אלא דרך ימין למזרח מר אית ליה דרמי בר יחזקאל ומר לית ליה דרמי בר יחזקאל

He stands outside the altar and sprinkles. HE BEGAN TO SPRINKLE DOWNWARD: Our Rabbis taught: He began to sprinkle downward.

לא דכולי עלמא אית להו דרמי בר יחזקאל והכא בהא קא מיפלגי מר סבר ילפינן פנים מחוץ ומר סבר לא ילפינן פנים מחוץ

Whence did he commence? From the south-eastern horn, [proceeding to] the south-western, north-western and north-eastern horns respectively.

ורבי עקיבא נהי דלא יליף פנים מחוץ אי בעי הכי נעביד אי בעי הכי נעביד אמר לך רבי עקיבא מדינא בההוא קרן דפגע ברישא בההוא עביד ברישא דאמר ריש לקיש אין מעבירין על המצות

This is the view of R'Akiba, - R'Jose the Galilean says: [He started from] the north-eastern, [proceeding to] the north-western, southwestern and south-eastern horns respectively.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The dispute hinges on the question as to whether there were one or two curtains before the Holy of Holies. R. Akiba holds there were two, the outer one clasped on the south side. As the priest came from the Holy of Holies from the south in order to proceed with the sprinkling against the curtain, the first horn of the altar he meets is the south-western, however, he did not sprinkle, because of the interpretation of 'And he shall go out unto the altar' (v. infra) so that he begins the sprinkling on the south-eastern side and then turning to the left continues with the outer corners. R. Jose the Galilean holds, in accord with R. Jose, that there was but one curtain, clasped on the north side, so that as the priest came forth from the north he reached first the north-western horn of the altar, where, however, he did not sprinkle but at the north-eastern horn, and then turning to the right he returned to the north-western horn to continue his sprinkling.');">¹³</span> At the place where, according to R'Jose the Galilean, he commenced, there according to R'Akiba, he stopped.

ואמאי לא עביד משום דכתיב ויצא אל המזבח עד דנפיק מכוליה מזבח וכיון דיהיב בההוא קרן הדר אתי לההוא קרן דאיחייב למיתב ברישא

At the place where R'Akiba would have him start, there R'Jose the Galilean would have him stop. All agree at any rate that he does not start at the point he first comes to.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Coming from the west, he first reaches one of the western horns of the altar (v. previous note) , yet does not commence with it.');">¹⁴</span> What is the reason? Said Samuel: Scripture said: And he shall go out unto the altar, i.e., only after he has gone over the whole altar. But according to R'Akiba he ought to go around it to the right.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 273, n. 5.');">¹⁵</span> Shall we say [then] that they are disputing a teaching of Rami B'Ezekiel? For Rami B'Ezekiel said: Concerning the sea<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The water reservoir in the Temple of Solomon.');">¹⁶</span> which Solomon made, [Scripture states]: It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Kings VII, 25.');">¹⁷</span> Hence you are taught that all the turns you make [in the Temple] must be to the right, i.e., eastward;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is derived from the order in which the sides are enumerated; the phrase 'eastward' does not apply here but is taken from the passage where this principle is originally quoted in connection with the ramp. v. supra ');">¹⁸</span> one Master [R'Jose the Galilean] agreeing with Rami B'Ezekiel, the other Master [R'Akiba] disagreeing? - No, all agree with the view of Rami B'Ezekiel and the matter of dispute here is, rather, this: One Master holds that [the regulations] within<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The inner altar.');">¹⁹</span> are inferred from [those] without,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Sea of Solomon.');">²⁰</span> the other Master holding we do not infer [the regulations] 'within' from [those] 'without'. But according to R'Akiba, granted that he does not infer 'within' from 'without', let him be permitted to do it one way if he so chooses, or the other way if he so chooses?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Either to the right or to the left.');">²¹</span> - R'Akiba will tell you: As far as de jure regulation is concerned he ought to start at the horn to which he had come first, for Resh Lakish has said: One must not forego the occasion for performing a religious act;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra 33a.');">²²</span> and the reason why he does not do so is because Scripture said: 'And he shall go out unto the altar,' i.e., until he has gone outside the whole altar. Therefore as soon as he has sprinkled the blood on this horn, he returns to the horn with which he should have started from the beginning.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 273. n. 5.');">²³</span>