Zevachim Daf 64 זבחים דַף 64

The Mishnah on the previous Daf taught that an עולת העוף is sacrificed on the southwest corner of the מזבח when there were too many Kohanim bringing עולות on the east side. Normally, an עולת העוף is brought on the east side, מפני שקרובה מבית הדשן – because it is close to the place of the ashes, which is where the Kohen must throw the crop and its feathers of the עולת העוף. Rebbe Yochanan observed: בא וראה כמה גדול כחן של כהנים – Come and see how great the strength of the Kohanim was. שאין לך קל בעופות יותר ממוראה ונוצה – For there is nothing lighter in birds than their crop and feathers, yet there were times when the Kohen would throw them more than thirty amos! Since the בית הדשן was to the east of the כבש, ten amos north of its entrance, a Kohen standing on the southwest corner of the מזבח stood 22 amos to the north of the בית הדשן (since the כבש was 32 amos long), and was about 21 amos west of the בית הדשן (the כבש was 16 amos wide, plus five amos between the כבש and the קרן). The diagonal of this area of 21 by 22 amos is about 30 amos.

The next Mishnah details the avodah of חטאת העוף: he performed מליקה from the back of its neck, ואינו מבדיל – and he would not separate the head from the body, and would sprinkle some of its blood on the wall (at the southwest corner) of the מזבח. The remainder of the blood is squeezed out onto the יסוד. ואין למזבח אלא דמה – The mizbeiach only receives its blood (i.e., no part is burned on the מזבח), וכולה לכהנים – and its entire body is for the Kohanim to be eaten. Rav described how מליקה is performed: he holds its wings with his middle and index fingers, and its legs with his ring finger and pinky, and stretches its neck over the outer width of his thumb and performs מליקה. A Baraisa teaches that the bird was held on the outside of the Kohen’s hand (behind his fingers). It concludes: וזו עבודה קשה שבמקדש – and this was the difficult avodah performed in the Mikdash (in addition to קמיצה of menachos and חפינה of the קטורת on Yom Kippur, as the Gemara points out).

The next Mishnah details the avodah of עולת העוף: the Kohen ascends the כבש and turns to the southeast corner, where he performs מליקה on the back of the neck, ומבדיל – and he separates the head from the body (in contrast to חטאת העוף). He squeezed the body’s blood on the מזבח wall, and then squeezed its head against the מזבח. The Mishnah then details the process of burning the bird’s head and body on the מזבח, and states: כל ששינה בה מאחר שמיצה את דמה כשירה – if he deviated in any way from the procedure after he squeezed out its blood, it [remains] valid, because its acceptance was already achieved. If he separated the head of a חטאת העוף from its body, or did not separate the head of an עולת העוף from its body, it is פסול. If he only squeezed out the blood of the head but not the body, it is פסול, but if he only squeezed out the body, it is כשר. The Mishnah then details the laws of improper intentions (שלא לשמה or פיגול) during the avodah, paralleling those taught for animal korbanos.