1) (Vayikra 6:3) "And the Cohein shall put on his linen (bad) garment (middo)": "middo": kemidatho ("fit to size"). "bad": byssus; "bad": new; "bad": doubled (with six-folded strands); "bad": that other garments not be worn with them. I might think that flaxen garments should not be worn with them, but that woolen garments could be worn with them; it is, therefore, (to negate this) written "bad." I might think that consecrated garments should not be worn with them, but mundane garments could be worn with them. It is, therefore, (to negate this) written "bad." "shall he put on his flesh": What is the intent of (the seemingly superfluous) "shall he put on"? To include the mitznefeth (the turban) and the avnet (the belt). These are the words of R. Yehudah. R. Dossa says: To include the (four linen) garments of the high-priest as being kasher for the ordinary Cohein. Rebbi says: There are two arguments against this: Is the avnet of the high-priest (on Yom Kippur) the same as that of the ordinary priest? (The first was of linen alone and the second, of a variety of materials!) And, furthermore, will the garments that served for the highest holiness "descend" to the service of a lesser holiness! The intent of "shall he put on," rather, is that even worn garments may be used. 2) R. Shimon says: From "bad" I already know that the four garments (of the high-priest) are subsumed, it being written (Vayikra 16:32): "And he (the high-priest) shall put on the linen garments, the holy garments." If so, why is "middo bad" needed? For kemidatho ("fit to size"). 3) "and linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh": and not a plaster (intervening) on his flesh. The intent of "linen breeches shall there be upon his flesh," stated elsewhere (Vayikra 16:4) is that nothing is to be put on before the breeches. 4) (Vayikra 6:3): ("And he shall lift up the ashes from the fire consuming the burnt-offering upon the altar") I might think (that this refers to the ashes of) the wood; it is, therefore, written "burnt-offering." If "burnt-offering," I might think (that this refers to) the limbs of the burnt-offering; it is, therefore, written "from the fire consuming" (lit., "that the fire shall consume"). How is this effected? He scoops out the inner coals (i.e., the wholly consumed portions), and goes down. ("and he shall place them beside the altar"): "and he shall place": gently; "and he shall place them": all of them; "and he shall place them": that they not scatter. "beside the altar": close to the altar. Whence is it derived that the limbs and fat-pieces that had not been consumed since the evening are removed to the sides of the altar, and if the sides cannot contain them they are arranged on the sovev (the gallery around the altar) or on the ramp until the wood pile is arranged, when they are returned to it? From: "that the fire shall consume the burnt-offering upon the altar." 5) Whence is it derived that (fire-hardened) limbs that sprang off the fire before midnight must be returned and that they are subject to me'ilah (their mitzvah not yet having been performed)? From "that the fire shall consume the burnt-offering upon the altar." 6) (Vayikra 6:4) ("And he shall take off his garments, and he shall put on other garments, and he shall take out the ashes outside the camp to a clean place." "And he shall take off … and put on": I might think that just as (the high-priest on) Yom Kippur (changes his garments from one sacrificial service to the next), he (the ordinary priest, too,) should change from consecrated garments (after removing the ashes) and put on everyday garments (to carry them out). It is, therefore, written "and he shall take off his garments" "and put on other garments." The garments that he puts on are likened to the garments that he takes off. Just as the garments that he takes off are consecrated ones, so the garments that he puts on must be consecrated ones. If so, why is "other garments" written? (They must be) lesser (than the first in value). R. Elazar says: "acherim (others), and he shall take out the ashes": We are hereby taught that blemished Cohanim, ("others"), who are unfit for other services, are kasher for taking out the ashes, (it not being considered a priestly service and not requiring consecrated garments). 7) (Vayikra 6:5) ("And the fire upon the altar shall burn thereby; it shall not be extinguished. And the Cohein shall kindle wood on it every morning. And he shall arrange the burnt-offering upon it. And he shall cause to smoke upon it the fats of the peace-offerings.") R. Yehudah said: Whence is it derived that the kindling of the fire is to take place only on top of the altar (and not by means of splinters kindled below)? From: "And the fire upon the altar shall burn thereby." R. Yossi said: Whence is it derived that a wood pile is provided for the sustenance of the fire? From "And the fire upon the altar shall burn thereby." Whence is it derived that all who put out (the altar fire) transgress a negative commandment? From "it shall not be extinguished." 8) "And the Cohein shall kindle wood on it every morning (lit., "in the morning, in the morning")": It is written here "in the morning, in the morning," and in respect to the daily burnt-offering (the tamid) "in the morning" (Bamidbar 28:4): "And the one lamb shall you offer in the morning." I would not know which takes precedence, (the placing of the two logs on the wood pile, "wood" in our instance, or the slaughtering of the tamid). — Let that of which it is written "in the morning, in the morning" take precedence to that of which only one "in the morning" is written. It is written in respect to the wood "in the morning, in the morning," and in respect to the incense (Shemoth 30:7): "in the morning, in the morning, when he cleans the lamps he shall burn it (the incense)." I would not know which takes precedence. Which is a prerequisite for which? The wood (i.e., the placing of the two logs) is a prerequisite for the incense, (being a prerequisite for the entire altar service). — Let them precede the incense. 9) It is written in respect to the incense "in the morning, in the morning," and it is written in respect to the lamps (Shemoth 30:7) "in the morning, in the morning." I would not know which takes precedence. "when he cleans the lamps he shall burn it (the incense)" indicates that they, too, precede the incense. Whence is it derived that the great wood pile (on the altar) is to be set up so as to accommodate all of the burnt-offerings (both the mussaf burnt-offerings and the gift burnt-offerings, as well as that of the tamid)? From (Vayikra 6:2): "It is the burnt-offering," (implying all burnt-offerings). Whence is it derived that the devoted portions of the peace-offerings, those of the guilt-offering, those of holy of holies, and those of lower order offerings, (of the atzereth peace-offerings, are also sacrificed thereon)? From "upon it the fats of the peace-offerings," (implying the other offerings as well). Whence do we derive (the same for) the fistful, the frankincense, the meal-offering of the Cohanim, the meal-offering of the anointed (high-) priest and the libation meal-offering? From "upon it." (Vayikra 6:2): "And he shall cause to smoke, etc.": I might think that (the fire for the daily burning of the) incense, too, should be upon it (i.e., that it should be taken from the great wood pile to the inner altar). It is, therefore, (to negate this) written "And he shall arrange the burnt-offering upon it. And he shall cause to smoke upon it": Arrange one burning for the wood pile and a separate burning for the incense. 10) Whence is it derived that nothing is to take precedence to the morning tamid? From "upon it the burnt-offering," (implying that nothing is to take precedence to it). Whence is it to be derived that nothing is offered up later than the afternoon tamid? From "upon it (the afternoon tamid, the shelamim, lit., the "completers," i.e., complete all of the offerings with it). (Vayikra 6:6) ("A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not be extinguished.") "continuous" — (The wood pile is to be made for the temidim and the mussafim) even on the Sabbath; "continuous" — even (if the Cohanim are) in a state of tumah. "it shall not be extinguished" — even during their journeyings. What did they do (to keep the fire from going out)? They inverted a psachter (a large vessel) over it. These are the words of R. Yehudah. R. Shimon says: In their journeyings they would remove the fire from the altar (and place it in a vessel until they camped), as it is written (Bamidbar 4:13): "And they shall remove the fire from the altar and spread upon it (the vessel) a purple cloth." 11) R. Yehudah says: There were two wood piles (on the altar) every day, and three on Yom Kippur, (a pile being added for the coals taken in the fire pan). R. Yossi says: There were three every day and four on Yom Kippur: one, the great wood pile; one, the wood pile for (the daily burning of) the incense; one, for the sustenance of the fire (on the great wood pile); and one, added for Yom Kippur. R. Meir says: There were four wood piles every day and five on Yom Kippur: one, the great wood pile; one, for the incense; one, for the sustenance of the fire; one, for the limbs and the fat-pieces that had not been consumed in the evening; and one, for Yom Kippur.
Sifra Tzav Chapter 2
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