Masechet Yoma (literally, “The Day”) deals with Yom Kippur (YK).
Structure of the masechet:
The masechet is arranged in chronological order, starting with the preparations for the day, moving through the details of the unique avoda and then concluding with the laws that apply to the entire nation. Of its eight chapters, seven focus on the complicated and unique avoda of the day in the Bet HaMikdash, when the Kohen Gadol entered the Kodesh HaKodoshim and when atonement was achieved for the entire nation. The final chapter deals with fasting, prohibited labor and teshuva (repentance) and kapara (atonement).
A confluence of sanctity
On Yom Kippur, in Rav Steinsaltz’ words, there is a confluence of sanctity: the holiest place – the inner
sanctum of the Bet HaMikdash, the holiest time – Yom Kippur, and the holiest person – the Kohen Gadol.
| Chapter 1 (2a-21b) שבעת ימים | The preparation of the Kohen Gadol, beginning a week before YK |
| Chapter 2 (22a-28a) בראשונה | The morning avoda |
| Chapter 3 (28a-39a) אמר להם הממונה | The morning avoda on YK, the remaining preparations, until the first vidui
confession recited by the Kohen Gadol |
| Chapter 4 (39a-46b) טרף בקלפי | The lots (the 2 goats), the second vidui, the slaughter of the Kohen Gadol’s bull, and the clearing of the coals |
| Chapter 5(47a-62a) הוציאו לו | The special ketoret service, the slaughter of the goats, the sprinkling of the blood in the Kodesh and the Kodesh HaKodoshim |
| Chapter 6 (62a-68b) שני שעירי | The need for keeping the procedures in order and how to correct errors, vidui, the goat sent to Azazel |
| Chapter 7 (68b-73b) בא לו כהן גדול | The Torah reading, the remainder of the day’s avoda |
| Chapter 8 (73b-88a) יום הכיפורים | Laws of the fast; prohibition of work; repentance and atonement |
Types of Korbanot
The Rambam, in Laws of Meilah (Tresspass), chapter 8:8, writes:
| ראוי לאדם להתבונן במשפטי התורה הקדושה, ולידע סוף ענינם כפי כוחו. ודבר שלא ימצא לו עילה אל יהי קל בעיניו, ולא יהרוס לעלות אל ה’ פן יפוץ בו. ולא תהא מחשבתו בו כמחשבתו בשאר דברי החול…החוקים הם המצוות שאין טעמן ידוע. אמרו חכמים: חוקיים חקתי לך ואין לך רשות להרהר בהן. ויצרו של אדם נוקפו בהן. ואומות העולם משיבין עליהן, כגון איסור בשר חזיר ובשר בחלב ועגלה ערופה ופרה אדומה ושעיר המשתלח…וכל הקורבנות כולן מכלל החוקים הן. אמרו חכמים שבשביל עבודת הקורבנות העולם עומד. שבעשיית החוקים והמשפטים זוכין הישרים לחיי העולם הבא. והקדימה התורה צווי על החוקים שנאמר “ושמרתם את חקותי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אותם האדם – וחי בהם”. It is appropriate for a person to meditate on the judgments of the holy Torah and know their ultimate purpose according to his capacity. If he cannot find a reason or a motivating rationale for a practice, he should not regard it
lightly. Nor should he break through to ascend to God, lest God burst forth against him. One’s thoughts concerning them should not be like his thoughts concerning other ordinary matters… The decrees are the mitzvot whose motivating rationales are not known. Our Sages said: “I ordained decrees and you have no license to question them.” A person’s natural inclination confronts him concerning them and the nations of the world challenge them, e.g., the prohibition of the meat of a pig, milk and meat, the calf whose neck is broken, the red heifer, and the goat sent to Azazel… All of the sacrifices are in the category of decrees. Our Sages said: “The world exists for the sake of the service of the sacrifices.” For through the performance of the decrees and the judgments the righteous merit the life of the world to come. And between the two of them, the Torah gave precedence to the command for the decrees, as Leviticus 18:5 states: “And you shall heed My decrees and judgments which a person will perform and live through them.” |
Categories of animal offerings:
- Chatat (sin offering)
- Olah (burnt offering)
- Asham (guilt offering)
- Shelamim (peace offering)
- Todah (thanksgiving offerubg
- Bechor (first born offering)
- Maaser (tithe offering)
- Pesach
Components of all animal offerings:
- Blood: Applied to mizbeach (sprinkle, throw, pour – depends on type of korban)
- Emurim (sacrificial parts): Burned on mizbeach • Meat: Eaten (by Kohanim and/or owners)/Olah is burned on mizbeach/ Some Chatat meat is burned outside Jerusalem
The YK offerings were all chatat or olah:
- Chatat- Distinguished by where their blood is applied:
- Chatat Penimit (Inner chatat). Only offered as a communal offering (1)This is the only type of korban that has its blood applied anywhere but the outer (copper) mizbeach.
- The blood is applied inside the Heichal:
- In the Kodesh
- On the inner (golden) mizbeach, also called the mizbach haKetoret (incense altar)
- SOMETIMES (on YK)– in the Kodesh haKodoshim.
- The emurim are burned on the outer (copper) mizbeach
- The meat and hide are burned outside Jerusalem
- The blood is applied inside the Heichal:
- Chatat Chitzona (outer chatat). Can be communal or personal (most commonly to atone for inadvertent violation of prohibition which has karet as penalty for willful transgression). The YK mussaf offerings include a male goat as a chatat chitzona.
- Blood applied to the 4 karnot (horns) of the outer mizbeach (see #4 in the picture)
- The emurim are burned on the outer (copper) mizbeach
- The meat is eaten by the Kohanim within the Azarah (courtyard of the Mikdash) by midnight of the night after it is brought. The Kohanim would eat the chatat of the YK mussaf after the fast was over.
- Chatat Penimit (Inner chatat). Only offered as a communal offering (1)This is the only type of korban that has its blood applied anywhere but the outer (copper) mizbeach.
- Olah – Can be communal or personal; required or voluntary.
- Blood is thrown on the lower corners of the copper (outer) mizbeach (see #1 in the picture)
- Entire korban is burned on the mizbeach
(1) On Yom Kippur, a bull and a male goat are offered as chatat penimit. The other ones are par he’elem davar shel tzibbur – bull for a communal error, and par Kohen Gadol – the Kohen Gadol’s chatat bull (Vayiqra 4:1-21)
The Avoda (Sacrifice Service)
The procedures for each type of korban are known as its avodot (plural of avoda). While all are necessary, interestingly, not all are essential. This means that if certain steps are omitted (while they should have been done according to Torah law), the korban is still valid.
The general process:
- Most personal korbanot: semicha (leaning): the owner places his/her hands on the animal’s head, leans down, and (where applicable) recites vidui (confession)
- Shechitah (slaughter)
- Blood is caught in a bowl and applied to mizbeach
- Emurim are burned on mizbeach. The Kohanim may only eat their portion (step 5) after the emurim have been burned, as long as they are still in existence and fit to be burned.(2) The emurim (3) are:
- The hard fats around the body cavity
- The fats on the stomach, kidneys and flanks
- The kidneys
- The diaphragm
- Part of the liver
- In a sheep: the tail
- Meat is eaten or burned. The consumption of the meat by the Kohanim is a part of the kapara (atonement) process(4), but not essential for the validity of the korban.
ONLY THE AVODOT ASSOCIATED WITH STEPS 2 AND 3 ARE ESSENTIAL AND THEIR OMISSION INVALIDATES THE KORBAN.
These are:
- Shechita – slaughter. This is done the same way as the slaughter of animals for consumption today is completed.
- Kabala – “receiving” the blood in a kli sharet (sacred utensil). The blood that spurts from the neck after the shechita is caught directly in the kli sharet.
- Holacha – carrying the blood to the mizbeach.
- Zerika – throwing or dabbing the blood (depending on the type of korban) on the mizbeach.
- Most korbanot’s blood is thrown against the wall of the mizbeach (and if poured rather than thrown, is acceptable bediavad – after the fact)
- Outer chatat: blood is applied with a finger to the horns of the mizbeach
- Inner chatat: sprinkled in the Kodesh (and on YK also in the Kodesh HaKodoshim) and applied by dabbing on the horns of the golden (inner/incense) mizbeach. On YK, it is also sprinkled on the top of that mizbeach
The rest of the blood is poured on the base of the mizbeach, but this is not an essential avoda. All four steps of the blood avoda are essential – the zerika is the step that effectuates kapara (atonement).
(2) We learned that in Pesachim (59b)!
(3) An olah is totally burned after it is dismembered. The internal organs are carried separately in a kli sharet.
(4) Pesachim 59b again!
YOM KIPPUR KORBANOT
There are three categories of korbanot that were brought on YK:
- The “usual” two tamid offerings(a lamb olah that was offered twice daily every day – the “bookends” of each day’s korbanot)
- The korbanot associated with the entry of the Kohen Gadol into the Kodesh HaKodoshim:
- 2 personal
- Bull as a chatat penimit5
- Blood sprinkled inside the Kodesh HaKodashim and the Kodesh
- Kohen Gadol performed semicha and recited 2 vidui confessions:
- His own sins
- His owns sins and those of his fellow Kohanim
- Meat is burned outside Jerusalem
- Ram as an olah
- Bull as a chatat penimit5
- 2 communal – identical, role chosen by a lottery (goral)
- Male goat offered as chatat penimit
- Blood sprinkled inside the Kodesh HaKodashim and the Kodesh
- Meat is burned outside Jerusalem
- Male goat sent leAzazel
- Kohen Gadol performed semicha and recited vidui for the entire nation
- Sent off to the wilderness and pushed off a cliff (6)
- Male goat offered as chatat penimit
- 2 personal
- The mussaf offerings (additional korbanot specified for every holiday, Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat)
- Olot:
- Bull
- Ram
- 7 sheep
- Chatat chitzona:
- Male goat – eaten by Kohanim after YK
- Olot:
(5) Actually, this was quasi-personal, since all the Kohanim were joint owners of this korban and it was brought on behalf of all of them
(6) Fun fact: This is the origin of the word “scapegoat.”
The order of the Yom Kippur Avodah (based on Rambam)(7)
The Kohen Gadol would perform all aspects of the avoda on YK himself. As you can imagine, this was physically and spiritually demanding! The other kohanim were able to assist at certain points.
At midnight, begin preparing the outer mizbeach:
- Terumat haDeshen: Ash is separated from the mizbeach (8)
- Wood is arranged on top (9)
- Excess ash is removed (10)
At daybreak, people would begin arriving. A linen sheet would be spread out to serve as a screen between the Kohen Gadol and the people, and he would change out of his personal clothing, by first
immersing in a mikveh(11), putting on the “standard” golden garments of the Kohen Gadol(12), and performing kiddush yadayim veraglayim (sanctifying his hands and feet) with water from the kiyor (copper laver).
(7) Rashi and Rambam disagree on several points. The chazzan’s repetition of Mussaf on YK includes a poetic description of the avoda; different communities have different descriptions based on this (and other) disagreements.
(8) This is an actual avoda and not a preparation. However, since it was performed at night, there is a debate whether the Kohen Gadol had to do this himself.
(9) This could be done by another Kohen
(10) This could be done by another Kohen
(11) This first tevila was done in a mikveh located on top of the “Water Gate.” The other immersions were done in a mikveh located on top of the lishkat haParva
(12) Described in Shemot 28
Outer avoda – Part I
- In the azara (Courtyard),he would slaughter the tamid by cutting only the majority of the windpipe and esophagus(13); shechita was completed by another Kohen so that the Kohen Gadol could…
- …catch the blood in a kli shareit…
- …carry it to the mizbeach, and…
- …throw the blood against the corners
- Enter the Kodesh:
- Burn the morning ketoret (incense)
- Prepare the lights of the menorah for kindling later
- Go back to the azara, and carry and burn the limbs of the tamid (14)on the mizbeach
- Offer his daily mandatory minchat chavitin
- Offer the mincha and nesech (libation) of the tamid
- Offer(15) the bull and the seven sheep of the day’s Mussaf (16) korbanot. The remainder will be offered later.
(13) The halachic minimum for kosher slaughter
(14) Which had been skinned and dismembered by another Kohen while he was in the Kodesh
(15) Same as with the tamid – start the slaughter, catch, carry and throw the blood
(16) The actual timing of the Mussaf is subject to debate between Rashi and Rambam. This is Rambam’s opinion
Inner avoda – Part I
- Perform kidush yadayim veraglayim
- Remove the golden garments
- Immerse in a mikveh
- Put on the special white garments(17)
- Perform kidush yadayim veraglayim
- Approach his personal bull, lean on it and recite vidui for his sins and those of his immediate household
- Draw lots between the two male goats
- Tie a strip of red wool to the head of the goat designated leAzazel
- Tie a strip of red wool around the neck of the goat for the chatat
- Return to personal bull, lean on it and recite vidui for himself, his household and on behalf of all the Kohanim
- Slaughter the bull and …
- …catch its blood and hand the bowl to a Kohen who will stir it to prevent coagulation
- Take a shovel and fill it with coals from a special pyre on the west side of the top of the mizbeach
- Place the shovel on the floor of the azara(18)
- The Kohanim brought out a vessel filled with extra finely-ground ketoret and an empty ladle
- Kohen Gadol would cup his hands together and scoop up ketoret and placed it into the ladle
- Taking the shovel in his right hand and the ladle in his left, he would enter the Kodesh HaKodashim
| In the time of the first Temple, he would place the shovel of coals between the staves of the Aron | In the time of the second
Temple, he would place the shovel on the even hashetiya (foundation stone(. |
- He would perform one of the most difficult avodot: Grasp the ladle with his fingertips or teeth, empty its contents back into his cupped hands (without spilling) and then place the ketoret on the coals.
- Once the Kodesh HaKodoshim was full of smoke, he would slowly exit, walking backwards as a sign of reverence.
- In the Kodesh, he would recite a brief prayer on behalf of the people.(19)
- Back in the azara, he would take the blood of the bull (that had been continually stirred to prevent coagulation), enter the Kodesh HaKodoshim, and sprinkle it 8 times (one up and seven down).(20)
- He would go back to the azara, leaving the blood in a vessel on a gold stand in the Kodesh.
- He would then slaughter the chatat goat, catch its blood, bring the blood into the Kodesh HaKodoshim and sprinkle it eight times (7+1) as he did with the blood of the bull.
- He would go into the Kodesh and place the remaining blood on a second stand.
- He would take the blood (of the bull) from the first stand, and (while standing in the Kodesh) sprinkle it 8 times (7+1) towards the Parochet (curtain) which separated between the Kodesh and the Kodesh HaKodoshim.
- He would replace the blood of the bull on the stand, and take the blood of the goat, and sprinkle it 8 times (7+1) towards the Parochet.
- He would mix the two bloods together and apply the mixture to the four keranot (“horns”) of the golden mizbeach, which was in the Kodesh.
- He would clear the coals from a section of the top of the golden mizbeach and sprinkle the mixed blood there seven times.
- He would go into the azara and pour the rest of the blood on the western side of the foundation of the copper mizbeach.
- He would go to the Azazel goat, lean on it and recite a vidui for the entire nation.
- The goat would be sent off to the desert, where it would be pushed off a cliff.
- He would remove the emurim of the bull and the goat whose blood had been sprinkled in the Kodesh and place them in a kli sharet.
- The rest of those 2 animals were sent out of Jerusalem to be burned.
- He would go to the Ezrat Nashim (Women’s Courtyard) and read from the Torah.
(17) One of the reasons for the kittel worn by Ashkenzai men and for the general custom of wearing white on YK.
(18) Specific location was the fourth row of the paving stones
(19) So that people don’t get worried – no one could be in the Mikdash while this was happening
(20) Between the staves or on the stone
Outer avoda – Part II
- Return to the azara, and change clothes by:
o Performing kidush yadayim veraglayim
o Removing the white garments (21)
o Immersing in a mikveh
o Putting on the usual Kohen Gadol garments
o Performing kidush yadayim veraglayim
- Offer the rest of the mussaf:
o Chatat goat
o Olah ram
- Offer his personal olah ram
- Burn the emurim of the bull and the goat whose blood had been sprinkled in the Kodesh
- Offer the afternoon tamid
Inner avoda – Part II
- Change into a new set of white garments:
o Perform kidush yadayim veraglayim
o Remove the golden garments
o Immerse in a mikveh
o Put on the special white garments
o Perform kidush yadayim veraglayim
- Enter the Kodesh HaKodoshim for the last time, remove the coal shovel and the ladle.
(21)These were stored and not re-used
Outer avoda – Part III
- Return to the azara, and change clothes by:
o Performing kidush yadayim veraglayim
o Removing the white garments22
o Immersing in a mikveh
o Putting on the usual Kohen Gadol garments
o Performing kidush yadayim veraglayim
- Enter the Kodesh and offer the afternoon ketoret
- Light the Menorah
He would then leave the Kodesh, perform kidush yadayim veraglayim and change into his own clothes. Masses of people would accompany him as he left the Bet HaMikdash, and he would make a great celebration at the conclusion of the fast.
If you want to learn about the Bet HaMikdash’s architecture, this website is very informative:
https://templeinstitute.org/illustrated-tour-of-the-holy-temple index/
This link is an article by Dr. Shmuel Safrai about YK in the times of the Second Temple:
http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/mahanaim/avodat-4.htm 22These were stored and not re-used
Summary Chart
| What he wore | Where | When | What he did |
| His own clothes | Lishkat
HaPalhedrin (The chamber of the officials) |
7 days before YK | Sequestered in the chamber and was taught the complexities of the avoda |
| Bet HaMikdash | During the week
before YK |
Practiced specific parts of the avoda so that he could be accustomed to them | |
| Eastern Gate | Erev YK | Reviewed all the animals that would be used | |
| The Chamber of the Avnitas family | Oath that he would do the ketoret in accordance with Halacha | ||
| Copper mizbeach | Midnight of YK | Terumat hadeshen23 | |
| The Chamber of the Avnitas family | The rest of the night | Learned until daybreak (was not allowed to sleep)24 | |
| The mikve on top of the Water Gate | Daybreak | First tevila (followed by kiddush yadayim veraglayim25) |
23 According to some; others hold that he did not do it
24 Fear of tumat keri (seminal emission)
25 The first of ten that he will do
| What he wore | Where | When | What he did |
| Golden garments (“regular” KG attire) |
Bait Mitbachaim (slaughterhouse) | Slaughtered the tamid and threw its blood on the copper mizbeiach26 | |
| Heichal | Prepared 5 candles of the menora | ||
| Offered ketoret on the golden mizbeach | |||
| Prepared the final 2 candles of the menora | |||
| Copper mizbeiach | Carried the limbs of the tamid from the ramp and burned them on the mizbeiach | ||
| Steps of the ulam | Performed birkat kohanim (with the other kohanim) | ||
| Copper mizbeiach | Offered the menachot and the wine (nisuch hayayin).
Slaughtered and offered the mussaf offerings |
||
| Roof of the
Lishkat HaParva |
Second tevila (preceded and followed by kiddush yadayim veraglayim) and changed to white garments |
26 Kohanim dismember it and leave the limbs on the ramp of the mizbeach
| What he wore
White garments |
Where | When | What he did |
| Between the ulam and the
mizbeiach |
First vidui (for himself and immediate household) – on the bull | ||
| East side of azara | Lots between the 2 goats | ||
| Between the ulam and the
mizbeiach |
Second vidui (for himself, immediate household, and the kohanim) – on the bull | ||
| Between the ulam and the
mizbeiach |
Slaughtered the bull, put the blood in a vessel, gives it to someone to stir | ||
| Copper mizbeiach | Takes a shovel, goes up on the altar and takes burning coals, places shovel on the fourth row of paving stones | ||
| Azara | Takes an empty ladle and fills it with special ketoret from a shovelful | ||
| Kodesh
HaKodoshim |
Enters with the coals in his right hand and the ketoret in his left, places the shovel with the coals between the staves of the Aron,27 offers the ketoret. After he leaves, he recites a brief prayer |
27 Second Temple: On the stone
| What he wore | Where | When | What he did |
| 4th row of paving stones | Retrieves the blood of the bull | ||
| Kodesh
HaKodoshim |
Sprinkles the blood (7+1)
between the staves towards the kaporet (cover) |
||
| Heichal | Puts the bull’s blood on a stand | ||
| North of the
copper mizbeaich |
Takes the goat “for Hashem” (the chatat), slaughters it, places blood in a basin and brings it into Kodesh
HaKodoshim |
||
| Kodesh
HaKodoshim |
Sprinkles the blood (7+1)
between the staves towards the kaporet (cover) |
||
| Heichal | Puts the goat’s blood on a stand | ||
| Sprinkles the bull’s blood towards the parochet | |||
| Sprinkles the goat’s blood towards the parochet | |||
| Mixes the bloods | |||
| Golden mizbeiach | Sprinkles the mixed blood on the four corners/horns. | ||
| Moves the coals from on top of the mizbeach to the sides | |||
| Sprinkles the mixed blood 7 times on top |
| What he wore | Where | When | What he did |
| Azara | Pours out the leftover blood mixture on the west side of the mizbeach | ||
| South side of the azara | Third vidui (for the nation) is recited on the goat for Azazel. Goat is then sent to the desert | ||
| Near the copper mizbeaich | Separates the emurim of the bull and the goat, and prepares them to be burned on the copper mizbeiach28 | ||
| Sends the rest of the meat to be burned outside Jerusalem | |||
| Ezrat Nashim | Reads from the Torah | ||
| Roof of the
Lishkat HaParva |
Third tevila (preceded and followed by kiddush yadayim veraglayim) and changed to golden garments | ||
| Golden garments | Copper mizbeaich | Dusk | Offered the goat, 2 rams, the emurim of the bull and the goat and the afternoon tamid lamb |
| Roof of the
Lishkat HaParva |
Fourth tevila (preceded and followed by kiddush yadayim veraglayim) and changed to white garments |
28 The avoda cannot proceed until the goat has reached its final destination
| What he wore
White garments |
Where | When | What he did |
| Kodesh
HaKodoshim |
Removes the shovel and the ketoret ladle | ||
| Roof of the
Lishkat HaParva |
Fifth tevila (preceded and followed by kiddush yadayim veraglayim) and changed to golden garments | ||
| Golden garments | Heichal | Offered the ketoret on the golden mizbeiach | |
| Lit the menorah | |||
| Copper mizbeaich | Offered the mincha of the tamid, the remainder of his personal minchat chavitin and the wine nesesch of the tamid | ||
| Roof of the
Lishkat HaParva |
Performs kiddush yadayim veraglayim 29and changes into his own clothes | ||
| His personal
clothes |
Home | Stars come out | Goes home, accompanied by the crowds |
29 The tenth – and last- one!
