Liturgy zu Yoma 5:11

He then took a sharp knife and slaughtered the ox in the usual manner.¹⁰⁵Mishnah Yoma 4:3. The phraseology “in the usual manner” seems to indicate the opinion of the Peitan, that unlike the morning sacrifice in which only a minimal cut was made, here the High Priest completed the cut. Tiferes Yisroel, in his commentary to the Mishnah, explains that because the slaughter of the ox was part of the special service of Yom Kippur, it was certain that the High Priest would be extra diligent to make sure he received its blood. Other commentaries however (see, e.g. Tosefos Yom Tov to Mishnah 4:3) maintain that the same minimal incision was made for all sacrifices of the day. He received the blood in a holy vessel and gave it to a priest who would stir it;¹⁰⁶Ibid. Since the blood was not sprinkled until later, it was necessary to keep it from coagulating. thus keeping it liquid-like until the time came to sprinkle it. For if it became too hard to sprinkle, there could be no atonement. He¹⁰⁷Mishnah Yoma 4:3. The Peitan now describes the burning of incense in the Kodesh HaKodashim, the Holy of Holies, a service which was performed only once a year, on Yom Kippur. stirred the coals on the outer Altar, scooped up some of the innermost coals with a reddish-gold shovel.¹⁰⁸The Talmud, Maseches Yoma (43b) states that the shovel used to stir and carry coals was made of “reddish” gold, similar in color to the blood of an ox. The shovel was especially light, of very thin metal, and had an especially long handle.¹⁰⁹Mishnah Yoma 4:4. Since the burning of incense in the Kodesh HaKodashim on Yom Kippur was a totally different procedure than the usual incense burning (even for that very day), the High Priest used a specially designed shovel to facilitate his work. Unlike the usual twice-daily incense service, this special burning required that the High Priest himself stir the coals, and carry them in the shovel into the Sanctuary and finally into the Kodesh HaKodashim. Thus the shovel was made especially light. It had an extra long handle so that the High Priest could rest the handle under his arm as he carried it, taking some of its weight off his hands (see Rambam 2:5). The shovel held three kavim of coals. He was then brought a ladle¹¹⁰After taking some coals in the shovel, the High Priest laid the shovel on the floor, temporarily, while he proceeded with the taking of incense. He would later come back, and bring the shovel of coals into the Sanctuary (Rambam ibid.). and a brimming vessel filled with incense.¹¹¹Mishnah Yoma 5:1. He took two handfuls of incense from the vessel and emptied them into the ladle.¹¹²Mishnah 5:1 He quickly took the shovel of coals in his right hand and the ladle with incense in his left.¹¹³Ibid. His footsteps were heard as he walked between the curtains¹¹⁴These curtains separated between the Kodesh, Holy and the Kodesh HaKodashim, Holy of Holies. There was a space of one cubit, between the curtains, through which he walked to gain entrance to the area referred to as “between the poles.” and approached [between] the poles of the Ark.¹¹⁵He placed the shovel between the poles of the Ark. In the Holy of Holies of the first Temple, the Ark containing the Tablets of Law, rested upon the Evan Shesiya, the Foundation Stone. On each side of the Ark there extended a long handle which reached practically until the wall at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. The High Priest, as he entered, would be standing between the two long handles, and would place the shovel upon the Foundation Stone which protruded a bit from under the Ark. Since there was no Ark in the Second Temple, the Peitan describes the High Priest’s location only by correspondence. The incense he placed between the poles¹¹⁶After placing the shovel with the coals in the area corresponding to “between the poles,” he heaped the incense upon the coals which caused tremendous smoke. and caused them to rise in smoke¹¹⁷From the burning incense. and he left.¹¹⁸The service of burning the incense in the Holy of Holies was completed. From the young boy priest who had been stirring the blood, he now took the vessel of blood. He quickly reentered the Holy of Holies¹¹⁹Carrying the vessel with the blood. and stood between the “two handles of the Ark.” He dipped his finger into the blood,¹²⁰Ibid. Each sprinkling was proceeded by its own dipping (Rambam 3:6). and sprinkled the blood, with a count— one upper sprinkling and seven lower ones.¹²¹Ibid. The word מַצְלִיף indicates the fact that the blood was not sprinkled on the Ark itself but rather on the floor in front of it. The terms “upper” and “lower” refers to the direction of the movement of the hand in sprinkling the blood. The “upper” sprinkling was done by moving the hand up, whereby the blood would rise in an arcwise motion and fall to the floor. The seven “lower” sprinklings were done by a downward movement of the hand; in each case the movement originating at a lower level, with the blood falling straight down to the floor (Rambam 3:5). During the first Bais Hamikdash when there was an Ark, the sprinkling was performed one cubit in front of the Kapores (the Cover of the Ark) (Rambam ibid.). In the Second Temple, the sprinkling was performed in the corresponding area.

He hurried to place the vessel on a stand,¹²⁵Mishnah Yoma 5:3. The vessel filled with the remaining blood was placed on a golden stand, specially designated, in the outer Sanctuary. There were two stands in the Sanctuary, one for the vesel of ox blood and one for the vessel of goat blood (Rambam 4:2). and slaughtered the goat.¹²⁶Mishnah Yoma 5:4. This was the goat that had previously drawn the lot “for Hashem.” He quickly received its blood in a holy vessel, and returned to the place of the Ark.¹²⁷That is to say, in front of where the Ark would be located between its two handles. He sprinkled the blood [of the goat], in the same manner as with the blood of the ox.

He hurried to place the vessel on a stand,¹²⁵Mishnah Yoma 5:3. The vessel filled with the remaining blood was placed on a golden stand, specially designated, in the outer Sanctuary. There were two stands in the Sanctuary, one for the vesel of ox blood and one for the vessel of goat blood (Rambam 4:2). and slaughtered the goat.¹²⁶Mishnah Yoma 5:4. This was the goat that had previously drawn the lot “for Hashem.” He quickly received its blood in a holy vessel, and returned to the place of the Ark.¹²⁷That is to say, in front of where the Ark would be located between its two handles. He sprinkled the blood [of the goat], in the same manner as with the blood of the ox.

He swiftly exited, placing it¹²⁸The vessel with the remaining blood of the goat. on its stand¹²⁹According to the first opinion in the Mishnah, each vessel had its own designated stand. See Mishnah 5:4. and took the vessel of ox blood. He ran back and stood outside the curtain and sprinkled blood before the curtain the same way he had sprinkled the blood in front of the Ark Cover.¹³⁰Ibid. That is to say, he sprinkled one “upper” sprinkling and seven lower sprinklings (Rambam 3:35), and counted them in the same manner. He then sprinkled the blood of the goat. He mixed the blood of the ox and goat,¹³¹Mishnah Yoma 5:4. He poured the blood of the ox into the blood of the goat, then spilled the mixture into an empty vessel so that it should become homogenous (Rambam 4:2). sprinkling the mixture upon the Golden Altar¹³²This was the smaller Altar inside the Sanctuary that was used for the burning of incense. It is called the “Golden Altar” because it was made of gold. seven sprinklings on the surface of the Altar, and four sprinklings on the corners. He then approached the live goat.¹³³Mishnah Yoma 6:2. This was the goat which received the lot “for Azazel,” which had been left standing in the courtyard (Rambam 4:2). The intentional and unintentional sins of the people, he confessed to the Almighty.¹³⁴The first two confessions were for the sins of the High Priest, his household, and then the entire priestly clan. The third confession was for the sins of the entire nation (Rambam 2:6).

and a brimming vessel filled with incense.¹¹¹Mishnah Yoma 5:1.

He hurried to place the vessel on a stand,¹²⁵Mishnah Yoma 5:3. The vessel filled with the remaining blood was placed on a golden stand, specially designated, in the outer Sanctuary. There were two stands in the Sanctuary, one for the vesel of ox blood and one for the vessel of goat blood (Rambam 4:2).

and slaughtered the goat.¹²⁶Mishnah Yoma 5:4. This was the goat that had previously drawn the lot “for Hashem.”

He mixed the blood of the ox and goat,¹³¹Mishnah Yoma 5:4. He poured the blood of the ox into the blood of the goat, then spilled the mixture into an empty vessel so that it should become homogenous (Rambam 4:2).