{"id":10168,"date":"2006-08-02T21:29:00","date_gmt":"2006-08-02T21:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_yoma_5864\/"},"modified":"2015-10-21T14:34:09","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T19:34:09","slug":"masechet_yoma_5864","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_yoma_5864\/","title":{"rendered":"Masechet Yoma 58a-64b"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Coming Week’s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n

This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n

This month’s Steinsaltz Daf Yomi is sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Alan Harris, The Lewy Family Foundation, and Marilyn and Edward Kaplan<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yoma 58a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mishnah<\/a> on our daf<\/em>\u00a0 describes how the kohen gadol<\/a><\/em>, having completed the zerikat ha-dam<\/em> – the sprinkling of the blood – on the parokhet<\/a><\/em> of the Holy of Holies<\/a>, now turns his attention to the zerikat ha-dam<\/em> that he is obligated to do on the\u00a0golden altar<\/a> in the heikhal<\/a><\/em> (see Vayikra<\/a> 16:18<\/a>). As the Torah<\/a> commands, the kohen gadol<\/em> takes the blood of the par <\/em>(bull) and of the se’ir<\/em> (goat), mixes them together, and places blood from the mixture on each of the four karnot ha-mizbe’ah<\/em> (“horns” of the altar).<\/p>\n

According to the Tanna<\/a> Kamma<\/em>, the kohen gadol<\/em> walks around the altar, sprinkling blood on each corner. Rabbi Eliezer<\/a> disagrees, arguing that the kohen gadol<\/em> stood in one spot and simply reached over the altar, sprinkling blood as necessary. To understand Rabbi Eliezer’s position, it is important to remember that the mizbe’ach ha-zahav <\/em>– the golden altar – was only two cubits<\/a> tall and one cubit in length and width (see diagram<\/a>), which allowed him to easily reach over it.<\/p>\n

Once the kohen gadol<\/em> completed the sprinkling of the blood on the corners of the mizbe’ach<\/em>, the Mishnah teaches that he sprinkled blood on the altar itself (see Vayikra 16:19<\/a>) before pouring the remainder of the blood down a drain that was built into the foundation of the altar itself. This blood mixed in the plumbing pipes of the Temple with the remainder of other blood that had been poured into a similar drain in the outer altar<\/a>. \u00a0From there they emptied into the Kidron Valley<\/a>, where their remains were sold as fertilizer. From this topographical map<\/a>, which includes, in its center, the Second Temple<\/a>-era platform on which the mikdash<\/a><\/em> stood, it is clear that the Kidron valley, running to the east of the Temple Mount<\/a>, is the natural run-off point for sewage from the Temple. The walls of the Temple Mount actually stand at the very edge of the banks of the dry river, in which the Shiloach<\/a> spring flows.<\/p>\n

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Yoma 59a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mishnah<\/a> on the previous daf<\/em><\/a>\u00a0taught that the remnants of the blood from the sacrifices<\/a> were poured down a drain on the altar<\/a>, from where they emptied into the Kidron<\/a> and were sold as fertilizer. Our Gemara<\/a> quotes a baraita<\/a><\/em> that teaches a difference of opinion between the sages with regard to the status of this blood – specifically, whether the rules of me’ilah<\/em> would apply to it. Rabbi Meir<\/a> and Rabbi Shimon<\/a> believe that me’ilah<\/em> applies, while the Chachamim<\/a><\/em> argue that it does not.<\/p>\n

Me’ilah<\/em> is, in essence, stealing or deriving benefit from something owned by the Temple<\/a>. Once something is consecrated to the Temple, it is forbidden for someone to derive benefit from it. The laws of me’ilah<\/em> are briefly mentioned in the Torah<\/a> (see Vayikra<\/a> 5:14-16<\/a>), but the many detailed precepts associated with it are discussed at length in Masechet<\/a> Me’ilah<\/a><\/em> in the Talmud<\/a>. The rules and regulations surrounding me’ilah<\/em> are more stringent than those in the rest of the Torah in that someone who derives such benefit will be held liable for it even if it was done accidentally, or even against his will. Similarly, someone who sends an agent to use something that belongs to the Temple will be considered to have been mo’el<\/em>, even though in the rest of the Torah we rule that ein shali’ah le-devar aveirah<\/em> \u2013 a person cannot be considered to have sent someone else to perform a sinful act, but rather, everyone is responsible for their own actions.<\/p>\n

In Masechet Me’ilah<\/em> we learn that there are different rules and regulations regarding various sacrifices and objects donated to the Temple and that the holiness attached to a given object will, on occasion, be removed.<\/p>\n

The discussion in our case revolves around the status of the blood from a sacrifice and whether the laws of me’ilah<\/em> apply to it. The Gemara asserts that the aforementioned disagreement between the tanna’im<\/a><\/em> is only on a Rabbinic level, but on a Biblical level all are in agreement that there is no me’ilah<\/em> in our case. Several sources are given for the fact that the Torah does not forbid use of the blood, but the conclusion of the Gemara is that once the mitzvah<\/a><\/em> is completed, the rule of me’ilah<\/em> can no longer apply.<\/p>\n

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Yoma 60a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

We learned on the previous daf<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that use of an object belonging to the Temple<\/a> whose mitzvah<\/a><\/em> has already been fulfilled can no longer be considered me’ilah<\/em> (deriving benefit from an object consecrated to the Temple). The Gemara<\/a> points out that there are a number of other things that belong to the Temple which retain their status even after the mitzvah<\/em> has been completed. They include:<\/p>\n