Zevachim 25 – Receiving the Blood of the Sacrifice

The phrase “The anointed Kohen shall take from the blood of the bull”  teaches that the kohen must receive from the lifeblood, and not from the blood of the skin, nor from the remnant blood. The term “the bull” implies that the blood of the very essence of the bull, that is, its lifeblood, should be received.

The blood of the skin is that blood which is drawn from the animal's body with the initial cutting of the skin, before the inner organs are severed. The remnant blood is the blood that trickles out before and after the lifeblood. Neither can be used for sacrificial service.

The Kohen should receive the blood in a service vessel directly from the bull's neck. If the blood first spilled on the floor, and afterwards the Kohen gathered it up, it is invalid.

Rabbi Assi asked Rabbi Yochanan a question, “If one was receiving blood, and the bottom of the bowl gave way before the blood reached the airspace of the bowl, is it valid?” Rabbi Yochanan explained that if the bowl was defective and destined to fall apart, the blood is not considered resting in it, but if it was good – then the blood is considered received even before it reached the space inside the bowl.

Art: James Ward - Study of a Bull