Zevachim 63 – Flour and Bird Offerings

The flour offering was brought either in its raw form or prepared as an unleavened wafer. It required a service called “kemitzah”: the kohen would scoop the flour or wafer pieces with his middle three fingers, then break off protruding pieces, using the thumb and the little finger, and burn this portion on the Altar. The kemitzah is analogous to slaughter in the case of the animal sacrifice. The leftovers are prepared in any manner (only that they should not leaven and become chametz), and are eaten by the kohanim in any place of the Courtyard, for a day and the following night until midnight.

The bird sin-offering would be brought at the southwest corner of the Altar. This corner served for three things at the lower half (below the red line) and for three things above the red line. The three things below were the bird sin-offering, flour offering, and pouring the remnants of the blood. The three things above were wine libation, water libation, and bird burnt-offering – when there were too many kohanim on the east side of the Altar.

Art: Francisco De Goya y Lucientes - Dead Birds