Pesachim 78 - The parts that go on the Altar

When the Passover offering is brought, certain parts of the animal (some fats, kidney, diaphragm, and liver) go on the Altar and are burnt there. However, if the meat becomes ritually impure, there is no point in further service, putting the fats on the Altar or throwing the blood. The only purpose of the Passover sacrifice is to eat the meat, and since the impure meat cannot be eaten, we stop there.

However, if something happened to the fats that go on the Altar, but the meat is still OK - we continue, throw the blood, and eat the meat. Incidentally, in our discussion, we have returned to the normal case of the community being pure. Had the community been impure, we would eat the meat even if it was impure and ask no questions about the remaining parts' purity.

Art: A Young Lady at Breakfast by Gabriël Metsu