Yoma 59 - The remainder of the blood

On the previous page, we learned that the blood of the sacrificial ox was mixed with the goat's blood and then put on the four corners of the Inner Altar, with the High Priest walking around this Altar. We also saw that according to some, he was actually walking around the Altar, but according to others, he was "walking by hand" - that is, reaching out to each corner of the Altar.

Two High Priests remained alive from the time of the First Temple, and they argued about this walking. (This sounds too improbable, and some versions of the text simply read "from the time of the Temple," omitting the word "first.") One said that he walked around the Altar "with his hand," and another that he walked "with his foot." Each gave a reason for his words.

In any case, after the service was done, the remaining blood was poured onto the western corner of the Outside Altar. That is just because when he exits the Holy, he meets this corner first. But for all other sacrifices, they poured the blood at the southern corner. All that blood flowed into the canal and further into the Kidron Valley, where it was sold to gardeners for fertilizer. 

Art: The Lincolnshire Ox  by George Stubbs