English: Melikah is compared to hakatarah: just as hakatarah is at the top of the altar, so melikah is at the top of the altar.
In the sugya: The same hekesh that links the two acts also transfers the location. Because the burning takes place at the top of the altar, the melikah that is compared to it must likewise be performed there.
Type of Learning
Hekesh for place — melikah at the top of the altar.
What Is Learned
Melikah is performed at the top of the altar (near the corner). The comparison to hakatarah carries the location requirement: just as the burning is done on the altar’s upper surface, so is the nipping of the bird’s head.