Yoma 26A

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Text Excerpt

למאי אתא? לכדתניא: כיצד היה עושה? נותן את הפדר אבית השחיטה ומעלהו, וזה הוא דרך כבוד של מעלה.

what does that come to teach us? The Talmud explains: As it was taught in a baraita: In what manner would the priest placing the pieces on the altar do so? He would place the fat right over the place of slaughter, that is, on the cut neck, and bring it up that way, and that is the most respectful way toward the Most High, that the bloody point of slaughter not be exposed.

מתני׳ הפייס השלישי: חדשים לקטרת באו והפיסו. והרביעי: חדשים עם ישנים ⁠— מי מעלה אברים מן הכבש למזבח.

Mishnah: Before the third lottery, the appointee declared: Let only those priests who are new to offering the incense come and participate in the lottery for the incense. The 4th lottery was open to those new to the service along with those old hands who had already performed it, to determine who would take the limbs up from the ramp, where they had been placed earlier, to the altar.

גמ׳ תנא: מעולם לא שנה אדם בה. מאי טעמא? אמר רבי חנינא: מפני שמעשרת.

Talmud: A Sage taught in the Tosefta: No person ever performed the service of the incense twice, as a new priest was always found for this service. The Talmud asks: What is the reason that they were insistent that no priest should be assigned this task more than once in his life? R' Ḥanina said: It is because it brings wealth to the one who performs it. Since bringing the incense was a blessing for wealth, it was decided that as many different priests as possible should have an opportunity to do this service.

אמר ליה רב פפא לאביי: מאי טעמא? אילימא משום דכתיב: ״ישימו קטורה באפך״, וכתיב בתריה: ״ברך ה׳ חילו״, אי הכי עולה נמי, הכתיב: ״וכליל על מזבחך״!

Rav Pappa said to Abaye: What is the reason for this assertion that the one who burns the incense becomes wealthy? If we say it is because it is written: “They should put incense before You and whole burnt-offerings on Your altar” (Deuteronomy 33:10), and it is written immediately after that: “Bless, O YHWH, his substance” (Deuteronomy 33:11), if so, we should also make the same assertion concerning those who perform the sacrifice of a burnt-offering, since it is written in that same verse: “And whole burnt-offerings on Your altar.”

Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.