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Yoma 59
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YOMA 59-88 have been dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. Simcha
Bekelnitzky (Simcha Gedalya ben Shraga Feibush) of Queens N.Y. by his wife
and daughters. Well known in the community for his Chesed and Tzedakah, he
will long be remembered.
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1) WHERE THE LEFTOVER BLOOD WAS POURED OUT
QUESTION: The Gemara records three opinions concerning where the leftover
blood (Sheyarei ha'Dam) was poured out after the Haza'os were performed.
Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai says that both the blood used for the Haza'os of
the Chata'os Penimiyos (such as the Par and Se'ir of Yom Kipur) and the
blood used for Haza'os on the Mizbe'ach in the Azarah were poured out on
the southern part of the foundation of the Mizbe'ach. The Gemara explains
that although the verse says that the blood is to be poured "on the
foundation of the Mizbe'ach... which is towards the entrance of the Ohel
Mo'ed (the Heichal)" (Vayikra 4:7, 18), which implies the *western* side of
the Mizbe'ach, Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai maintains that the Mizbe'ach stood
in the northern part of the Azarah, and therefore its southern flank stood
opposite the Heichal's entrance.
This still does not fully explain how Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai understands
the verse. Even if the entrance of the Heichal opened to the southern end
of the Mizbe'ach, the western side of the Mizbe'ach faced the Heichal as
well! What indication is there that the verse is implying the southern side
of the Mizbe'ach as opposed to the western side?
ANSWERS:
(a) RASHI (Zevachim 53a) addresses this question and says that perhaps
Rebbi Shimon ben Yochai held that the Mizbe'ach was *entirely* to the north
of the entrance to the Heichal. The only part of the Mizbe'ach in front of
the Heichal was the one Amah wide *foundation* (Yesod) on the southern side
of the Mizbe'ach. The western wall of the Mizbe'ach was not in front of the
entrance to the Heichal at all, but further to the north. (This appears to
be in the intention of Rabeinu Chananel in our Sugya, as well.)
(b) RASHI there (as explained by the Shitah Mekubetzes #13) gives a second
explanation. Perhaps the Gemara means that the southern tip of the
Mizbe'ach was at the exact *center* of the Azarah (and thus corresponded to
the midpoint of the entrance to the Heichal), and the rest of the Mizbe'ach
continued to the north. If so, there were five Amos of the Mizbe'ach that
covered the [northern half of the] entrance to the Heichal. However, since
the midpoint of the entranceway faced towards the southern side of the
Mizbe'ach, that side was considered to be the side that was "towards the
entrance of the Ohel Mo'ed," since people normally walk through the
*center* of a doorway.
(c) The SHITAH MEKUBETZES there (#13) suggests (and even proves), like
Rashi, that the southern side of the Mizbe'ach reached the area opposite
the midpoint of the entrance to the Heichal. He asserts, however, that the
western side did not qualify as "the foundation of the Mizbe'ach... which
is towards the entrance of the Ohel Mo'ed," because only five Amos of it
were in front of the entrance, while *all* of the southern side was in
front of the entrance. Since the southern side was *more* in front of the
entrance to the Heichal than the western side, that is the side where the
blood is to be poured. (This also seems to be the understanding of the
RITVA here, although there seem to be a few words missing in the texts that
we have.)
59b
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