Blood Placed on the Four Horns of the Altar

"And the priest shall put some of the blood" (Leviticus 4:7) that is spoken of in this matter "upon the horn" -- "horns" makes two, and below it says "upon the horn, the horns" -- behold four; these are the words of Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Yehudah says: "(upon the altar) which is in the Tent of Meeting" -- to include the horns that are in the Tent of Meeting. "The altar of incense" -- so that the altar should be inaugurated with incense. "Incense" -- that it should be from the community. "The spices" -- that its spices should be from within it. "Before the LORD" -- what does the text come to teach? Rabbi Nechemyah said: Because we find regarding the bull of the Day of Atonement that the priest stands inside, before the altar, and sprinkles upon the curtain at the time he sprinkles, one might think this one is so too; the text therefore says "the altar of fragrant incense before the LORD" -- and the priest is not before the LORD. The sin-offering of the community and of the individual requires four applications upon the four horns. How does he do it? Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Elazar: one said he applies a cubit this way and a cubit that way, and one said he sharpens his finger and brings it down along the point of the horn. According to Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon, who said it is itself done only at the point of the horn, all agree; where they differ is according to Rabbi, as it was taught: the lower bloods are applied from the red line downward, and the upper from the red line upward. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon says: in what case is this said? Regarding the bird burnt-offering; but a beast sin-offering is itself done only on the body of the horn. They raised an objection: the sin-offerings of the community and of the individual, how is the order of applying their blood? He would ascend the ramp and turn to the ledge, come to the southeastern horn, dip his designated right finger -- the chief one of the right hand -- in the blood that is in the basin, pressing his thumb here and his little finger there, and apply it and bring it down along the point of the horn until all the blood on his finger is used up, and so for each and every horn. This is what it means: the commandment is at its point, and if he did a cubit this way and a cubit that way, we have no objection to it. "And all the blood [of the bull] he shall pour out" -- what does "the bull" come to teach? To include the bull of the Day of Atonement, which requires application of blood to the base; these are the words of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Yishmael said: it is an inference from minor to major [kal vachomer]. If one whose blood does not enter within as an obligation requires a base, one whose blood enters within as an obligation -- is it not right that it should require a base? Rabbi Akiva said: and if one whose blood does not enter within -- neither commandment nor obligation nor into the innermost place -- requires a base, one whose blood enters within as an obligation, whether for obligation or for commandment, is it not right that it should require a base? One might think this would invalidate the rite; the text says "and he shall make an end of atoning for the holy place and the Tent of Meeting and the altar" (Leviticus 16:20) -- all the atonements have been completed; these are the words of Rabbi Yishmael. An inference from minor to major to the anointed priest's bull: now if one whose blood does not enter within for neither obligation nor commandment requires a base, this one whose blood enters within whether for commandment or obligation -- is it not right that it should require a base? One might think this would invalidate the rite; the text says "and all the blood [of the bull] he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering" -- Scripture detached it and made it the remnant of a commandment, to say that remnants do not invalidate.