Zevachim 39 – Blood at the Inner Altar

The blood of some sacrifices was brought inside the Temple Hall and there it was applied to the four horns of the Inner Altar. These sacrifices included the bull of the sin-offering of the High Priest who sinned inadvertently, the he-goat for communal idolatry, and the bull and the he-goat brought on Yom Kippur.

For these sacrifices all four blood applications were essential, and if the Kohen omitted one of them, he has not effected atonement. However, since all four applications thus work as a group, if the Kohen had the “beyond alloted time” intent during one of them, he has made the sacrifice invalid, but not to the point of rejection, and one who eats its meat does not incur being cut off from the people.

From where do we know this law? The Torah said, “He shall do to the blood of the communal-error bull as he would do to the blood of the bull of the High Priest.” This phrase was unnecessary, and thus it teaches an additional law, that all blood applications are essential.

Art: Filippo Palizzi - Feeding Time