Yoma 14 – The Para Aduma

Yoma Daf 14

Starting with the second mishna in Yoma – we encounter the listing of the avodah the Kohen Gadol does during the week he resides in the לשכת פרהדרין prior to Yom Kippur. For those seven days the Kohen Gadol is sprinkled with mei chatat from the Para Adumah.

Rav Chisda posits that the author of our mishna thus cannot be Rebbi Akiva who understands that when one sprinkles on a pure person the mei chatat that person becomes impure, in our case the Kohen Gadol – who would then not be able to do the avodah. Only mei chatat sprinkled on an impure person purifies. This Rebbi Akiva claims is what confounded King Solomon.

According to Rabbanan, the Cohen Gadol remains pure as the one who becomes impure from mei chatat is a person who touches or carries it for reasons other than sprinkling on an impure person. According to Rabannan this is what King Solomon didn’t understand.

The Rambam’s statement (משנה תורה, הלכות פרה אדומה ט״ו) that mei chatat is – אָב מֵאֲבוֹת הַטֻּמְאוֹת שֶׁל תּוֹרָה (One of the primary sources of impurity in the Torah) while it is also that which purifies the impure illustrates this complexity. To tie up the loose end of who is the author of this mishna, Abayee states that our mishna can be authored by Rebbi Akiva in the scenario where the Kohen Gadol is sprinkled with mei chatat before sunset and then he goes to the mikvah. This way the Kohen Gadol will be able to do Avodah the next day.

Amud bet focuses on the order of the avodah listed in this mishna vs the order in masechet Tamid – once again we are in search of the author of the mishnayot both in Yoma and in Tamid and again Abayee offers a resolution to the conflict. This discussion continues through to tomorrow’s daf and please note to keep this discussion in mind when we get to daf 33. It is also important to note that it is Abayee’s listing as per Aba Shaul that we say in Korbanot each morning.

Teachers: Susan Suna and Dena Rock