Sifra Chovah Chapter 4

¹1) (Vayikra 4:8): "And all the fat of the bullock (of the sin-offering he shall remove from it"): "the bullock": to include the fat of the Yom Kippur bullock for (sacrifice along with) the two kidneys and the lobe above the liver. "the sin-offering": to include the Yom Kippur goats for all of the particulars mentioned here. "he shall remove from it": he shall remove it while it is (still) attached (and not cut the meat before removing the devoted portions.) ²2) (Vayikra 4:10): "as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings": What is explicit in "the sacrifice of the peace-offerings" which is not explicit here? But (the understanding is): Just as peace-offerings must be intended as such (lishmah), this, too, must be lishmo; just as peace-offerings (shelamim) bring peace (shalom) to the world, this, too, brings peace to the world. ³3) — But, then, why not say: Just as shelamim require separation of the fat-tail (for sacrifice), this, too, requires separation of the fat-tail! It is, therefore, written (to negate this): "from the ox of the sacrifice" — I have likened it to the peace-offerings of an ox, (where there is no sacrifice of a fat-tail); I have not likened it to the peace-offerings of a sheep (where there is). R. Yehudah b. Shimon says: Just as shelamim bring peace to the world, so this brings peace to the world. ⁴4) — But why not say: Just as the sacrifice of communal peace-offerings overrides the Sabbath and tumah (ritual uncleanliness [i.e., they are sacrificed even where tumah obtains]), this, too, should override the Sabbath and tumah! It is, therefore, written (to negate this): "from the ox of the sacrifice" — I have likened it to the peace-offerings of an ox; I have not likened it to the peace-offerings of a sheep. ⁵5) (Vayikra 4:10): "And the Cohein shall smoke them on the altar of the burnt-offering": For (if not for the exclusion clause), does it not follow (that it should be sacrificed on the inner, golden altar?), viz.: The outer altar merited the application of blood, and the inner altar merited the application of blood. Just as with the outer altar — in the place of (the application of) the blood on its horns, there is (the place of) the smoking of its fats — so, with the inner altar — in the place of (the application of) the blood on its horns, there (should be the place of) the smoking of its fats! ⁶6) But then, how would I satisfy (Shemoth 30:9): "You shall not bring up upon it (the golden altar) strange incense nor burnt-offering"? — (I would understand it) as applying to offerings where it had not merited the application of their blood; but with offerings where it had merited the application of their blood, (I would say that) it should merit the smoking of their fats. It is, therefore, written (to negate this): "on the altar of the burnt-offering" — not on the inner altar.