English: “On the side of the altar, northward” — that the “thigh” (side) be on the north and its face toward the south; from here [we learn] that the ramp was built on the south of the altar.
In the sugya: The geometry of “side… northward” implies the altar’s orientation and the placement of the ramp. North stays open for shechitah; the kevesh is on the south.
Type of Learning
Diyuk from “yerech… tzafonah” for the orientation of the ramp.
What Is Learned
The altar’s ramp (kevesh) is on the south; the north side remains the zone of shechitah for kodshei kodashim. The verse’s “side of the altar, northward” is the source of that layout.