Zevachim 124

(בראשית כה, ד) בני קטורה בני אחתיה דרבי טרפון הוו יתבי קמיה דרבי טרפון פתח ואמר (בראשית כה, א) ויוסף אברהם ויקח אשה ושמה יוחני אמרי ליה קטורה כתיב קרי עליהם בני קטורה

the children of Keturah'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. XXV, 4. You are indeed Abraham's descendants, but not his true Jewish descendants through Isaac and Jacob.');">¹</span> The sons of R'Tarfon's sister were sitting before R'Tarfon.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In silence. So he misquoted a verse in order to evoke a comment.');">²</span> Thereupon he quoted: And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Johani.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. I. The last word of course is wrong.');">³</span>

אמר אביי בר הונא אמר רב חמא בר גוריא גזירין שעשה משה אורכן אמה ורוחבן אמה ועוביין כמחק גודש סאה

Said they to him: 'Keturah' is written. Then he dubbed them 'the children of Keturah'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: ignoramuses, who could not discuss halachah.');">⁴</span> R'Abin<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Emended text (Sh. M.) . Cur, edd. Abaye.');">⁵</span>

אמר רבי ירמיה באמה גדומה אמר רב יוסף ולאו היינו דתניא (ויקרא א, ח) על העצים אשר על האש אשר על המזבח שלא יהו עצים יוצאין מן המזבח כלום

B'Huna said in R'Hama B'Guria's name: The logs which Moses made<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Two logs were placed on the altar fire pile for the morning tamid (q.v. Glos.) and the evening tamid; v. Yoma 26b.');">⁶</span> were a cubit long and a cubit broad, and their thickness was that of the instrument for levelling off the top of a se'ah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A se'ah was a measure. In buying and selling corn this measure was filled, and the top or pile was levelled down by a stick, called a 'strike'. - Sh. M. observes that as the place of the pile itself on Moses' altar was only one cubit square, these logs must have been stood endways upon it, with wood chips between to assist the fire to catch on.');">⁷</span> R'Jeremiah observed: [It was measured] with a stumped cubit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., rather shorter than a cubit. 'Aruch reads gerumah instead of gedumah, which reverses the meaning: with a generous cubit, i.e., slightly more than a cubit. This makes the difficulty that follows more plausible.');">⁸</span>

תנן התם כבש היה לדרומה של מזבח אורך שלשים ושתים על רוחב שש עשרה מנא ה"מ אמר רב הונא אמר קרא (ויקרא א, יא) ושחט אותו על ירך המזבח צפונה שיהא ירך בצפון ופניו בדרום

Said R'Joseph: Is not that which was taught: Upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev.I, 8.');">⁹</span> [this intimates] that the wood must not project at all beyond the altar?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e. beyond the place of the pile. Rashi: why then must it be a stumped cubit; it could be exactly a cubit? Tosaf. and Sh. M.: how then can it be a 'generous' cubit? - The objection remains unanswered.');">¹⁰</span> We learnt elsewhere: There was an ascent at the south [side] of the altar, thirty-two [cubits] in length by sixteen cubits in breadth.

אימא ירך בצפון ופניו בצפון אמר רבא רמי גברא אאפיה א"ל אביי אדרבה תריץ ואותיב גברא

Whence do we know it?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That it had to be on the south side.');">¹¹</span> - Said R'Huna: Scripture saith, And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 11.');">¹²</span> [this intimates] that the side must be in the north and the front in the south.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Yerek, translated 'side' literally means 'thigh', hence the legs. Thus the altar must be like a man lying with his legs stretched northward and his face in the south. The side of the altar having this ascent would naturally be the front.');">¹³</span>

א"ל (שמות כז, א) רבוע כתיב והא מיבעי ליה דמרבע רבועי מי כתיב מרובע וליטעמיך מי כתיב רבוץ א"ל רבוע כתיב דמשמע הכי ומשמע הכי

Yet say: the side in the north and the face in the north?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Like a man sitting upright.');">¹⁴</span> - Said Raba: Throw a man on his face.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It must be like a man lying face downward-hence the face in the opposite direction to the legs.');">¹⁵</span> Said Abaye to him: On the contrary, let the man sit upright? - It is written, [The altar shall be] rabua'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.V. 'foursquare'. Ex. XXVII, 1. He connects rabua' with raba', to lie down, and interprets: the altar shall be like a man lying down.');">¹⁶</span>

ותנא מייתי לה מהכא דתניא רבי יהודה אומר (יחזקאל מג, יז) ומעלותיהו פנות קדים כל פינות שאתה פונה לא יהו אלא דרך ימין למזרח

But surely that is required [to teach] that it must be square? - Is then meruba' written?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which definitely means square and nothing else.');">¹⁷</span> And on your reasoning, is then rabuz written?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which equally means lying down and nothing else.');">¹⁸</span> Rather, rabua' is written, which implies both,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Square and lying down.');">¹⁹</span>

ואימא שמאל למזרח לא ס"ד דתני רמי בר (יחזקיה) ים שעשה שלמה (דברי הימים ב ד, ד) עומד על שנים עשר (עמודים) בקר שלשה פונים צפונה ושלשה פונים ימה ושלשה פונים נגבה ושלשה פונים מזרחה כל פינות שאתה פונה לא יהו אלא דרך ימין למזרח

Now, a Tanna infers it from the following. For it was taught. R'Judah said: And the steps thereof shall look toward the east:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ezek. XLIII, 17.');">²⁰</span>

ההוא מיבעי ליה לגופיה א"כ פונים פונים למה לי

every turning which you take must be rightward to the east.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The text refers to the altar, and is interpreted to mean that the altar must be so constructed that when the priest, standing by the altar, has to turn round the side, he will turn right, and go eastward. That is possible only if the ascent is at the south.');">²¹</span> Yet say: must be leftward to the east?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which would necessitate the ascent on the north.');">²²</span> - You cannot think so.

שאל רבי שמעון בן יוסי בן לקוניא את ר' יוסי אומר היה ר"ש בן יוחי אויר יש בין כבש למזבח אמר לו ואתה אי אתה אומר כן והלא כבר נאמר (דברים יב, כז) ועשית עולותיך הבשר והדם מה דם בזריקה אף בשר בזריקה

For Rami B'Ezekiel recited: The sea which Solomon made '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:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II. Chron. IV, 4.');">²³</span> [this teaches that] every turning which you take must be to the right, eastward.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the order here is first north and then west, and when a man is facing the north, he must turn right in order to go to the west.');">²⁴</span> But that is required for its own purpose<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To describe the position of the oxen.');">²⁵</span>

אמר לו שאני אומר עומד בצד מערכה וזורק

- If so, why must 'looking toward' be repeated?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In each case. The word literally means 'turning toward', and the repetition is interpreted as in the text.');">²⁶</span> R'Simeon B'Jose B'Lakunia asked R'Jose: Did R'Simeon B'Yohai maintain that there was a space between the ascent and the altar?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The ascent did not come right up to the altar, but left a gap between.');">²⁷</span> - And do you not maintain so?

א"ל כשהוא זורק למערכה דלוקה הוא זורק או למערכה שאינה דלוקה הוא זורק הוי אומר למערכה דלוקה הוא זורק התם משום דלא אפשר

he replied. Surely it is said, And thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and the blood:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XII, 27.');">²⁸</span> [this intimates that] just as the blood requires throwing,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., dashing against the altar.');">²⁹</span>

רב פפא אמר כי דם מה דם אויר קרקע מפסיקו אף בשר אויר קרקע מפסיקו

so does the flesh require throwing?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On to the altar. Consequently, a priest standing at the top of the ascent could not place the flesh on the altar, but had to throw it, which implies that there was a gap.');">³⁰</span> I assert that he stood at the side of the place of the pile threw it, he answered.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This would not necessitate a gap.');">³¹</span> Said he to him: When he threw, did he throw on to a burning pile or on to a pile that was not burning?

אמר רב יהודה שני כבשים קטנים יוצאין מן הכבש שבהן פונים ליסוד ולסובב ומובדלין מן המזבח מלא נימא משום שנאמר סביב ורבי אבהו אמר רבוע

Surely on to a burning pile, and there it would be impossible [to do otherwise].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the wood was burning, the priest obviously could not go right up to it, but had to stand at a distance and throw it. But in that case, since it was impossible to do otherwise, no text would be required. Hence the text must teach that there was a gap between the ascent and the altar, not that there was one between the priest and the pile.');">³²</span> R'Papa said: [It must be] like the blood. Just as [in the case of the] blood, the air-space above the pavement interposed, so [in the case of the] flesh, the air-space above the pavement interposed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which would not be the case if he stood at the side of the pile.');">³³</span>

ואיצטריך למכתב סביב ואיצטריך למכתב רבוע דאי כתב רחמנא סביב הוה אמינא דעגיל מעגל כתב רחמנא רבוע ואי כתב רחמנא רבוע הוה אמינא דאריך וקטין כתב רחמנא סביב

Rab Judah said: Two small stairways branched off from the [major] ascent, by which one turned to the base and to the terrace. and these were separated from the altar by a hairsbreadth, because 'round about' is said.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which implies that it must be possible to encompass the altar itself, even if only by drawing a thread about it. But if the ascent actually joined the altar, this could not be done.');">³⁴</span> Whilst R'Abbahu quoted rabua'[foursquare].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which likewise implies that the altar stood, unattached, as a square edifice.');">³⁵</span>

תנן התם הכבש והמזבח ששים ושתים הני שיתין וארבעה הוו נמצא פורח אמה על יסוד ואמה על סובב

Now, both 'round about' and 'rabua'' must be written. For if the Divine Law wrote 'round about' [only]. I would say that it can be circular; therefore the Divine Law wrote rabua'. Whilst if the Divine Law wrote rabua' [only], I would say that it could be long and narrow;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., I could translate rabua'= rectangular, but not necessarily square.');">³⁶</span> hence the Divine Law wrote 'round about'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Implying that all its sides must be equal.');">³⁷</span> We learnt elsewhere: The ascent and the altar were sixty-two [cubits]. But they were sixty four?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since each was thirty-two.');">³⁸</span> - Hence it is found that it overhung a cubit of the base and a cubit of the balcony.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. supra 54a.');">³⁹</span>