שָׁחַט יִשְׂרָאֵל וְקִבֵּל הַכֹּהֵן, נוֹתְנוֹ לַחֲבֵרוֹ וַחֲבֵרוֹ לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וּמְקַבֵּל אֶת הַמָּלֵא וּמַחֲזִיר אֶת הָרֵיקָן. כֹּהֵן הַקָּרוֹב אֵצֶל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ זוֹרְקוֹ זְרִיקָה אַחַת כְּנֶגֶד הַיְסוֹד:
If an Israelite slaughtered (the Pesach) [If he wishes to, he may, the shechitah of a non-priest being kasher with all offerings] and the priest received it, he gives it to his neighbor, [for they were standing in a row], and his neighbor to his neighbor ["The multitude of the people is the glory of the King"]. And he receives the full one [from the giver first] and [then] returns the empty one. [But not in reverse order; but as soon as he extends it (the full one) to him, he must receive it, for "mitzvoth are not to be passed over."] The Cohein nearest the altar gives it one fling [with the vessel itself, not sprinkling it with his finger (the only offering requiring this being the sin-offering, in respect to which it is written: "with his finger")] facing the base [i.e., on the sides of the altar above the base. He flings it to the perpendicular of the altar and it descends to the base. "facing the base" is stated in light of the fact that the base does not surround the entire altar, but only the north and the west, and "consuming" a cubit south and east, as explained in Middoth.]
Tosefta Pesachim
The first Passover was [divided] among three groups (כתות not בתים, see GR"A and Pes. 5:7) and the second Passover was not [divided] among three groups. A Tamid sacrifice would be slaughtered in the evening, he (i.e., the Kohen) would burn the incense, and he would tend to the candles [of the menorah]. He would come to where the Passover offering was located, and he would cut it open and take out its sacrificial portions, even four or five [offerings at a time]. He would put them on a tray and burn them on top of the Altar. And on the Sabbath he would keep the carcass "dressed" (i.e., not flayed) and leave it and go out. Rabbi Yishmael bar Rabbi Yochanan ben Berokah says, [if] the fourteenth [of Nissan] fell on the Sabbath, he would not flay [the carcass] except until the place of the waving (i.e., the breast and thigh, see Men. 62a:1). [If] the Kohen who was to offer [the sacrifice] on the Altar would pour out [the blood] in a single pouring against the base [of the Altar], it would be disqualified. The Levites would stand on their platform and finished the Hallel in song. If they finished it, they would repeat it, and if they repeated it, they would repeat it a third time, although [in actuality] they never repeated it a third time in all their days. Said Rabbi Yehuda -- "in all their days" -- [indeed,] the third [and last] group never reached to "I love the Lord, for He hears" (Ps. 116:1), because the people were few and they would call it the "lazy group."
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
