Depending upon the type of the offering, a varying number of Kohanim was required. Thus, a ram was offered by eleven and a bull – by twenty-four priests. Each carried his own part of the animal; for the larger parts, more than one priest was required, and the flour offering, which consisted of three “hin” measures (about 3 liters each), each Kohen was bringing a “hin” in its own vessel. This was only done for communal offerings, for added honor, but for a private offering, if its owner designated one Kohen, this Kohen could bring the whole thing. For flaying and cutting up the sacrifices into parts – everybody was equal in that respect.
By “everybody was equal,” the teacher really means that even a non-Kohen was allowed to do the flaying and the cutting. But how do we know this? – Since the Torah said, “He shall have the burned offering skinned and cut into pieces. Aharon's sons shall place the fire on the Altar...” we understand that starting from the fire service, a Kohen is required, but before that – he is not.
In a similar vein, although normally a non-Kohen who performs priestly service is liable to death at the hands of Heaven, slaughtering is an exception and can be done by a regular Jew. Since the Torah said, “He shall have the young bull slaughtered... and the sons of Aharon will bring its blood to the Altar,” we see that beginning from the blood service, a Kohen is required. Still, that slaughter can be done by anybody – usually the owner of the sacrifice.
Art: Moroccan Butcher Shop By Theo van Rysselberghe
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