Yoma 4A

לטומאת ביתו.

about the ritual impurity of the priest’s home, i.e., his wife. This is done lest he become impure through sex with a menstruating woman, which is ritual impurity lasting 7 days. Therefore, he is removed from his home for 7 days.

אמר ליה רבי יוחנן לריש לקיש: בשלמא לדידי דיליפנא ממלואים, היינו דתניא: זה וזה מזין עליו כל שבעה מכל חטאות שהיו שם, דהואי נמי הזאה במלואים. אלא לדידך דילפת מסיני, הזאה בסיני מי הואי?

R' Yoḥanan said to Reish Lakish: Granted, according to my opinion, that I derive the halakha of sequestering from the inauguration, that explains that which is taught in the baraita: With regard to both this priest engaged in the burning of the red heifer and that High Priest prior to Yom Kippur, one sprinkles upon him for all 7 days the purification water mixed with ashes from samples from all the previous red heifer sin-offerings that were safeguarded there in the Temple. The reason for this practice is that there was also sprinkling during the inauguration. However, according to your opinion, that you derive it from Sinai, was there in fact sprinkling at Sinai? According to your opinion, why are the priests sprinkled?

אמר ליה: ולטעמיך מי ניחא? במלואים דם, הכא מים! הא לא קשיא, דתני רבי חייא: נכנסו מים תחת דם. אלא לדידך, הזאה בסיני מי הואי? אמר ליה: מעלה בעלמא.

Reish Lakish said to him: And according to your reasoning, does it work out well? At the inauguration, the sprinkling was with blood; here, the sprinkling was with water. R' Yoḥanan answered: That is not difficult, as R' Ḥiyya taught: Water replaced blood, but both have the status of sprinkling. However, according to your reasoning, at Sinai, was there sprinkling at all? Reish Lakish said to him: The rabbis merely established a higher standard, and this sprinkling is not a requirement.

תניא כוותיה דרבי יוחנן, תניא כוותיה דריש לקיש. תניא כוותיה דרבי יוחנן: ״בזאת יבא אהרן אל הקדש״, במה שאמור בענין, מאי היא ⁠— בענין דמלואים. ומה אמור בענין דמלואים ⁠— אהרן פירש שבעה ושמש יום אחד, ומשה מסר לו כל שבעה כדי לחנכו בעבודה.

§ The Talmud comments: A baraita was taught in accordance with the opinion of R' Yoḥanan that the sequestering is derived from the inauguration; and a baraita was taught in accordance with the opinion of Reish Lakish that it is derived from Sinai. The Talmud elaborates: A baraita was taught in accordance with the opinion of R' Yoḥanan: It was stated with regard to the inauguration: “With this Aaron will come into the Sanctuary, with a young bull for a sin-offering and a ram for a burnt-offering” (Leviticus 16:3). To what is the term: With this, referring? It is referring to that which is stated in the matter. What is the matter? It is the matter of the inauguration. In the manner that the priest was prepared for the inauguration, so too is he prepared for Yom Kippur. And what is stated in the matter of the inauguration? It is that Aaron the priest withdrew for 7 days and served one day, and Moses transmitted the Torah guidelines to him all 7 days in order to train him in the Sanctuary service.