Siman - Yoma Daf 48

  • Unusual ways to place the kometz in a kli

Rav Pappa inquired, דבקיה לקומץ בדופניה דמנא מאי – What is the halachah, if after performing kemitzah, the Kohen pasted the kometz to the wall of the kli shareis, rather than placing it at the bottom of the kli? תוך כלי בעינן והא איכא – Do we require merely that the kometz be placed inside the kli, which is the case here, או דילמא הנחה בתוכו כתקנו בעינן והא ליכא – or do we require that it be placed properly inside the kli shareis, which is not the case here? The Gemara leaves it as a תיקו.

Mar bar Rav Ashi made a similar inquiry: אפכיה למנא ודבקיה לקומץ בארעיתיה דמנא מהו – What is the halachah if the Kohen inverted the kli shareis and pasted the kometz to its bottom? Rashi in Menachos 11a explains the case, as one in which the kli had a hollow stand that could serve as a receptacle when the kli was turned upside down. Do we require merely that the kometz be placed inside the kli, which is the case here? Or do we require that it be placed inside the kli properly, which is not the case here? The Gemara leaves it as a תיקו.

  • The case of the ketores scattering from the Kohen Gadol’s hands

The Gemara prefaces Rav Pappa’s next query by introducing the following halachah. If the blood of the shechted korban spilled on the floor from the incision on the animal’s neck, and the Kohen gathered it up, it is passul, whereas if it was first received in a kli shareis, and then spilled on the floor and he gathered it up, it is kosher. Rav Pappa inquired, נתפזר הקטורת ממלוא חפניו מהו – What is the halachah if the ketores scattered from the Kohen Gadol’s full cupped hands and fell to the ground? May he gather it up from the ground and use it, or not? Do we say, ידו כצואר בהמה דמי ופסולה – his hand is analogous to the neck of the animal, and the ketores that fell to the ground is passul, or do we say, ככלי שרת דמי ולא פסולה – that perhaps the hand is analogous to the kli shareis, and the ketores that fell is not passul?  On the one hand, the Torah does not require the ketores to be placed in a kli shareis, in which case the special consecration of the ketores occurs when it is placed in the Kohen Gadol’s hands. On the other hand, since we learned that the Kohen Gadol practically requires the kaf, the ladle, to carry the ketores into the kodesh hakedoshim, the consecration occurs in the kaf, and the Kohen Gadol’s hands are considered like the neck of the animal. The Gemara leaves it as a תיקו.

  •  הולכה בשמאל מהו

When Rav Sheishess was asked, הולכה בשמאל מהו – What is the halachah regarding carrying the blood to the mizbayach in the left hand. He answered that it was taught in a Mishnah regarding the Kohen Gadol bringing the ketores, נטל את המחתה בימינו ואת הכף בשמאלו – He takes the shovel of coals in his right hand and the ladle of ketores in his left hand. Clearly, הולכה is valid if it is done in the left hand. The Gemara successfully refutes Rav Sheishess, based on a Baraisa  that states, זר ואונן שיכור ובעל מום בקבלה ובהולכה ובזריקה פסול – If a zar, or a Kohen who is an onein, drunk, or blemished, does the receiving, conveying or throwing of the blood, it is passul, וכן יושב וכן שמאל פסול – and so too, if a valid Kohen does any of these avodos while sitting or with his left hand. The Gemara on 49a will address how Rav Sheishess could have overlooked this refutation .  Maybe leave this out, as it is from the next daf.