EXTRA 8 — Vayikra 4:17–21 · Sifra

Extra Credit · Toras Kohanim

The Complete Passuk

וְטָבַ֧ל הַכֹּהֵ֛ן אֶצְבָּע֖וֹ מִן־הַדָּ֑ם … לִפְנֵ֣י הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת … וְהוֹצִ֣יא אֶת־הַפָּ֗ר אֶל־מִחוּץ֙ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְשָׂרַ֣ף אֹת֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׂרַף אֵ֖ת הַפָּ֣ר הָרִאשׁ֑וֹן

And the kohen shall dip his finger from the blood… before the curtain… and he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull.

Source

Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura deChovah, Chapters 6 (on 4:17, 4:20–21).

Sefaria — Sifra DeChovah Ch. 6

The Midrash (longer context)

Core Text
״לִפְנֵי הַפָּרֹכֶת״ — כְּשֵׁם שֶׁ״לִפְנֵי פָּרֹכֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ״ שָׁם מְכֻוָּן כְּנֶגֶד בֵּין הַבַּדִּים, כָּךְ כָּאן. ״כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה״ — כְּמַעֲשֵׂה פַּר הַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ. ״אֶל מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה״ — חוּץ לְשָׁלֹשׁ מַחֲנוֹת. ״כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׂרַף אֶת הַפָּר הָרִאשׁוֹן״ — אִם שְׁנֵיהֶם מַמְתִּינִים, הָרִאשׁוֹן קוֹדֵם בְּכָל הָעֲבוֹדוֹת.

English: “Before the curtain” — just as “before the curtain of the holiness” there means aligned with the space between the ark-staves, so here. “So shall he do” — like the procedure of the anointed’s bull. “Outside the camp” — outside the three camps. “As he burned the first bull” — if both are waiting, the first takes precedence in all services.

In Sifra: Community chatas blood is aimed at the same spot as the anointed’s; the whole service copies the first bull; the carcass leaves all three camps; and when both bulls are ready, the earlier one is worked first.

Type of Learning

Gezera shava / custom (parochet alignment; precedence).

What Is Learned

Sanhedrin bull service matches the anointed’s in aim-point, sequence, outside-camp burning, and priority when both stand ready.