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Text Excerpt
רבי יהודה סבר: מקום שמתכפרין בו פעם אחת בשנה. ורבי נחמיה סבר: דברים המתכפרין בהן פעם אחת בשנה.
R' Yehuda maintains that this is referring to the place where atonement is achieved once a year, namely the Holy of Holies. In his opinion, the order of actions is indispensable for the services performed in the Holy of Holies. And R' Neḥemya maintains that the verse is referring to the actions through which atonement is achieved once a year, meaning both the place and the garments. Consequently, in the opinion of R' Neḥemya, the order for all actions performed in white clothes is indispensable.
אטו לרבי יהודה ״מקום״ כתיב? אלא, היינו טעמיה דרבי יהודה: כתיב ״זאת״, וכתיב ״אחת״. חד למעוטי בגדי לבן מבחוץ, וחד למעוטי בגדי זהב.
The Talmud asks: Is that to say that according to the opinion of R' Yehuda the word place is written? The verse merely states “once a year,” which apparently is referring to the order of the service in general but not to a specific place. Rather, the Talmud retracts the previous explanation in favor of the following: This is the reasoning of R' Yehuda: It is written: “This” (Leviticus 16:34), which is a term of restriction and limitation, and it is written: “Once a year” (Leviticus 16:34), another term of restriction. One restriction comes to exclude actions performed in the white garments outside the Sanctuary, meaning that they are not indispensable; and one restriction comes to exclude actions performed in the gold garments.
ורבי נחמיה: חד למעוטי בגדי זהב, וחד למעוטי שירים דלא מעכבי. ורבי יהודה: אי מעכבי — מעכבי, ואי לא מעכבי — לא מעכבי.
And how does R' Neḥemya interpret these two restricting expressions? In his opinion, one of the restrictions comes to exclude actions performed in the gold garments, and one restriction comes to exclude the remainders of blood that are poured at the base of the altar, meaning that these are not indispensable. If the High Priest performed a service that is supposed to come after the spilling of the blood too early, the service is valid, despite the fact that the spilling of the blood is performed in white garments. The Talmud asks: And what does R' Yehuda maintain with regard to the remainders of blood? The Talmud answers: In his opinion, if the other actions performed outside are indispensable, this too is indispensable; and if the other acts performed outside are not indispensable, the remainders are not indispensable either. The pouring of the remainders of blood is no different from the sprinkling of blood in this regard.