זבחים 54 — Soncino English Talmud

¹Yearning for Him all day. Therefore was Benjamin privileged to become a host to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: And He dwelleth between his shoulders. An objection is raised: How was the burnt-offering of a bird sacrificed? He [the priest] pinched off its head close by its neck and divided it, and drained out its blood on the wall of the altar. Now if you say that it had no base, did he simply apply it in the air? — Said R. Nahman b. Isaac: Perhaps they thus stipulated that the air-space should count as Benjamin's and the soil as Judah's. What does ‘it had no base’ mean? — Rab said: In the construction. R. Levi said: In respect of blood. Now Rab interpreted [the text just quoted]: In his [Benjamin's] heritage shall the altar be built. While Levi interpreted it: In his heritage shall the sanctuary be built, which means, a place sanctified for [the reception of] blood. Come and hear: The base ran along the whole of the north and the west sides, and extended one cubit into the south and one cubit into the east? — By ‘extended’ is meant in respect of blood. Come and hear: The altar was thirty-two [cubits] by thirty-two? — This was the side length. Come and hear: Thus it was found that it overhung a cubit over the base and a cubit over the balcony? — Say: a cubit corresponding to the base area and a cubit of the balcony. Come and hear: For Levi taught: How did they build the altar? They brought a frame thirty-two [cubits] square and one cubit deep; and they brought round smooth stones of all sizes; then they brought plaster, molten lead and pitch, melted them down and poured them in; and this was the place of the base. Then they brought a frame thirty cubits square and five cubits deep, and they brought smooth stones etc, [and this was the place of the balcony]. Then they brought a frame twenty-eight cubits square, and three cubits deep; and they brought smooth stones etc., and this was the place of the [wood] pile. Then they brought a frame one cubit square, and they brought smooth round stones, of all sizes, and pitch and molten lead, melted them down, and poured them in, and this formed the horn; and similarly for each horn. And should you answer^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ

^ᵃnote:Deut. XXXIII, 12. E.V.: He (sc. God) covereth him (Benjamin) all day.
^ᵇnote:Ibid. The significance of this is explained anon.
^ᶜnote:By pinching through both organs, the windpipe and the gullet. In the case of a sin offering of a bird only one organ was pinched.
^ᵈnote:And this was done on the south-east born; v. infra 64a.
^ᵉnote:I.e., the blood would simply fall to the earth. Surely that was not permitted!
^ᶠnote:Possibly there was a little ledge on that side, more than three hand-breadths from the ground, where it would not count as belonging to Judah, and on this ledge the blood fell and was thus sacred. Nevertheless, this ledge could not count as a base, where blood actually had to be poured out on the base.
^ᵍnote:The base, which was a separate structure, did not reach under the south-eastern horn.
^ʰnote:The base did run along the whole length of the eastern side of the altar, but blood was not poured out nor applied in Judah's portion.
^ⁱnote:‘And he dwelleth between his shoulders.’
^ʲnote:Hence the base, which was the understructure and foundation of the altar, was omitted from that side which belonged to Judah.
^ᵏnote:There was a base under the south-east horn, but it was not sanctified for the purpose, since it was not in Benjamin's portion.
^ˡnote:The blood could be poured out there, yet there was no actual construction.
^ᵐnote:This implies that it was of equal length on all sides, whereas according to Rab it was a cubit short on the east and the south.
^ⁿnote:Only the north and west sides were of this length; the other two sides were each a cubit less.
^ᵒnote:V. infra 62b. This refers to the ascent, which joined the altar from the south, and thus implies that there was the base on the south.
^ᵖnote:I.e., the cubit which would have been occupied by the base, had there been one on the south side.
^ᵠnote:The original implies fresh from the ground.
^ʳnote:Lit., ‘both large and small’.
^ˢnote:I.e., the top of the altar, where the wood for the fire was placed.
^ᵗnote:Thus the base consisted of a complete square, which implies the inclusion of the south and the east sides too!

²that he [subsequently] cut it away, [surely] ‘unhewn [whole] stones’ are prescribed! — They placed a plank there, and then removed it. For if you will not say thus, when R. Kahana said: The horns were hollow, for it is written, And they shall be filled like the basins, like the horns of the altar, here too [you may object that] the Divine Law prescribed ‘whole stones’? But [you must answer] that something was [first] placed there and then removed; so here too, planks were [first] placed there and then removed. Raba lectured: What is meant by the verse, [And he asked and said: ‘Where are Samuel and David?’] And one said: ‘Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah’: What connection then has Naioth with Ramah? It means, however, that they sat at Ramah and were engaged with the glory [beauty] of the world. Said they, It is written, Then shalt thou arise, and ascend unto the place [which the Lord thy God shall choose]: this teaches that the Temple was higher than the whole of Eretz Israel, while Eretz Israel is higher than all other countries. They did not know where that place was. Thereupon they brought the Book of Joshua. In the case of all [tribal territories] it is written, ‘And the border went down’ ‘and the border went up’ ‘and the border passed along’, whereas in reference to the tribe of Benjamin ‘and it went up’ is written, but not ‘and it went down’. Said they: This proves that this is its site. They intended building it at the well of Etam, which is raised, but [then] they said: Let us build it slightly lower, as it is written, And He dwelleth between his shoulders. Alternatively, there was a tradition that the Sanhedrin should have its locale in Judah's portion, while the Divine Presence was to be in Benjamin's portion. If then we build it in the highest spot, [said they,] there will be a considerable distance between them. Better then that we build it slightly lower, as it is written: ‘And He dwelleth between his shoulders’. And for this Doeg the Edomite envied David, as it is written, Because envy on account of Thy house hath eaten me up. And it is written, Lord, remember unto David all his affliction; how he swore unto the Lord, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob: ‘Surely I will not come into the tent of my house, nor go up into the bed that is spread for me; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids; until I find out a place for the Lord, a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it as being in Ephrath; we found it in the field of the forest.’ ‘In Ephrath’ means in the Book of Joshua, who [Joshua] was descended from Ephraim. ‘In the field of the forest’ alludes to [the territory of] Benjamin, as it is written, Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth. MISHNAH. THE PEACE-OFFERINGS OF THE CONGREGATION AND THE GUILT-OFFERINGS (THESE ARE THE GUILT-OFFERINGS: THE GUILT-OFFERING FOR ROBBERY; FOR TRESPASS; FOR A BETROTHED BONDMAID; A NAZIRITE'S GUILT-OFFERING; A LEPER'S GUILT-OFFERING; AND THE GUILT-OFFERING OF SUSPENSE) ARE SLAUGHTERED IN THE NORTH, AND THEIR BLOOD IS RECEIVED IN A SERVICE VESSEL IN THE NORTH, AND THEIR BLOOD REQUIRES TWO SPRINKLINGS, WHICH CONSTITUTE FOUR. AND THEY ARE EATEN WITHIN THE HANGINGS, BY MALE PRIESTS, PREPARED IN ANY MANNER, A DAY AND A NIGHT, UNTIL MIDNIGHT.^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ

^ᵘnote:After the base was built, a cubit was cut away on the south side.
^ᵛnote:Deut. XXVII, 6. Cutting away from the base would inevitably cut into the stones, so that they would not be whole.
^ʷnote:In the first mould planks were placed on the south and the east sides, a cubit from the edge, so that when the stones etc. were poured in, these strips would be left empty; subsequently they were removed.
^ˣnote:So emended by Sh. M.
^ʸnote:Zech. IX, 15. — That implies that the horns were hollowed out to form a receptacle.
^ᶻnote:Whereas if the horns were hollowed or perforated after they were made, the stones would have to be cut into.
^ᵃᵃnote:Thin laths formed the hollow or channels before the stones etc. were poured into it, and these were not filled in.
^ᵃᵇnote:I Sam. XIX, 22.
^ᵃᶜnote:Connecting Naioth with na'eh, beautiful, glorious. The reference is to the Temple-they sought to determine its exact site.
^ᵃᵈnote:Deut. XVII, 8.
^ᵃᵉnote:Since one had to ‘ascend’ to it from wherever he might be.
^ᵃᶠnote:To study the topography of Eretz Israel.
^ᵃᵍnote:Cf. Josh. XV-XVIII.
^ᵃʰnote:The border of other tribes ran in a southerly direction from the well of Etam, and the north as far as the well of Etam constituted Benjamin's boundary. Now, the boundaries of other tribes as they proceeded south from the well of Etam are described as going down, whereas the boundary of Benjamin as it proceeded to the well of Etam is described as going up. Hence the well of Etam must have been the highest spot of all. Rashi identifies the well of Etam with ‘the waters of Nephtoah’ (ibid. XVIII, 15.) V. also J.E. art. ‘Etam’.
^ᵃⁱnote:Sc. in Jerusalem.
^ᵃʲnote:Deut. XXXIII, 12. ‘Shoulders’ but not ‘head’ implies that it should not be at the very highest point.
^ᵃᵏnote:An alternative reason why they did not build it at the well of Etam.
^ᵃˡnote:The Supreme Court of seventy-one; v. Sanh. 2a. Its seat was in a special chamber (‘Chamber of Hewn Stone’) in the Temple court.
^ᵃᵐnote:The Temple.
^ᵃⁿnote:Lit., ‘if we raise it’.
^ᵃᵒnote:I.e., because David had thus decided the site of the Temple.
^ᵃᵖnote:Ps. LXIX, 10. E.V., ‘zeal for Thy house etc.’
^ᵃᵠnote:Ps. CXXXII, 2-6.
^ᵃʳnote:Emended text (Aruk).
^ᵃˢnote:Gen. XLIX, 27. Being a ‘wolf’, he would naturally be found in the forest
^ᵃᵗnote:The lambs offered on Pentecost, Lev. XXIII, 19.
^ᵃᵘnote:V. Lev. V, 20-25.
^ᵃᵛnote:V. p. 176, n. 10.; ibid 15f.
^ᵃʷnote:V. ibid. XIX, 20 seq.
^ᵃˣnote:A nazirite who became defiled through a corpse, v. Num. VI, 9 seq.
^ᵃʸnote:At his purification, v. Lev. XIV, 12.
^ᵃᶻnote:V. p. 240, n. 8.
^ᵇᵃnote:V. supra 53a p. 266, n. 6.