“There was a chamber” – within the inner courtyard, near this gate – “its entrance”1Ibid.:38. was at the side of this gate, facing the gate. “There, they would wash the burnt-offering.” It appears that this chamber was the butchering area.2I.e., the place where the sacrificial animals were skinned and cut into pieces.
2
וּמַה שֶּׁפִּתְחָהּ לְצַד הַשַּׁעַר וְלֹא עַל הֶחָצֵר וּלְצַד הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, יֵשׁ לוֹמַר כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהָעָם הָעוֹמְדִים בָּעֲזָרָה רוֹאִים לְתוֹכָהּ כְּשֶׁהִיא לִפְעָמִים מְטֻנֶּפֶת מֵרֶעִי וּמִדְּמֵי הַבְּהֵמוֹת הַנִּשְׁחָטִים וְנִפְשָׁטִים לְשָׁם. אִי נַמִּי כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁמְעוּ וִדּוּי הַחוֹטְאִים הַמְּבִיאִים הַחַטָּאת וְהָאָשָׁם לְשָׁם, דַּהֲרֵי כְּשֶׁסָּמְכוּ עֲלֵיהֶם הֵם מִתְוַדִּים (תוספתא מנחות פ"י ה"ג), וְתֵכֶף לִסְמִיכָה שְׁחִיטָה (מנחות צג.), וּמְקוֹם הַשְּׁחִיטָה בַּשֻּׁלְחָנוֹת שֶׁבַּשַּׁעַר שֶׁלְּשָׁם. וְדוֹמֶה לָזֶה כָּתְבוּ (שם לט) הָרַדַ"ק וְהרי"א ז"ל בְּטַעַם יִיחוּד רוּחַ אַחַת בָּעֲזָרָה לִשְׁחִיטַת [הָעוֹלָה אבדפו”ר אינו, אולם מוכח להמעיין שהוא ט”ס. שהרי כל עיקר כוונת הרד”ק ורי”א ז”ל לפרש טעם שצוותה תורה במקום אשר תשחט החטאת תשחט העולה, שהוא כדי שלא יהא ניכר מי הם החוטאים עיי”ש. עִם] הַחַטָּאת וְהָאָשָׁם, שֶׁהוּא כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא לְפַרְסֵם הַחוֹטְאִים.
It is possible to explain that this chamber opened toward the gate and not to the main area of the courtyard, where the Altar was to prevent the kohanim and the people standing in the courtyard from seeing into it, for there were times when the chamber was soiled with the wastes and blood of the sacrificial animals that were slaughtered and skinned. Alternatively, this chamber may have opened toward the gate so that no one would hear the confessions of the sinners who would bring sin-offerings and guilt-offerings there. A person who brought a sin-offering or a guilt-offering was required to perform semichah, to lean on the sacrificial animal before it was offered as a sacrifice and confess his sins while doing so.3Tosefta, Menachos 10:3. Directly after semichah, the animal would be slaughtered.4Menachos 93a, b. Thus, the animals were slaughtered near the tables at this gate. Radak and Rav Yitzchak Abarbanel5Radak, Abarbanel, Yechezkel 40:39. explain that one side of the courtyard was designated solely for slaughtering the burnt-offerings,6The burnt-offerings are not mentioned in the original text. Nevertheless, the omission appears to be a printing error. Precisely because the burnt-offerings were also slaughtered in this area, the identity of the sinners could be protected. An onlooker would not necessarily assume that a person performing semichah on an animal was a repentant sinner; he could have been bringing a burnt-offering. the sin-offerings and the guilt-offerings so that the sinners’ identities would not become publicized.
"וְלִשְׁכָּה " בְּתוֹךְ הָעֲזָרָה הַפְּנִימִית אֵצֶל הַשַּׁעַר הַזֶּה, "וּפִתְחָהּ" שֶׁל לִשְׁכָּה זוֹ אֶל כִּתְפוֹת הַשַּׁעַר, לְצַד הַשַּׁעַר, "שָׁם יָדִיחוּ אֶת הָעֹלָה" (יחזקאל מ, לח). וְיֵרָאֶה שֶׁזּוֹ הַלִּשְׁכָּה הִיא בֵּית הַמִּטְבָּחַיִם.
“There was a chamber” – within the inner courtyard, near this gate – “its entrance”1Ibid.:38. was at the side of this gate, facing the gate. “There, they would wash the burnt-offering.” It appears that this chamber was the butchering area.2I.e., the place where the sacrificial animals were skinned and cut into pieces.
וּמַה שֶּׁפִּתְחָהּ לְצַד הַשַּׁעַר וְלֹא עַל הֶחָצֵר וּלְצַד הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, יֵשׁ לוֹמַר כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהָעָם הָעוֹמְדִים בָּעֲזָרָה רוֹאִים לְתוֹכָהּ כְּשֶׁהִיא לִפְעָמִים מְטֻנֶּפֶת מֵרֶעִי וּמִדְּמֵי הַבְּהֵמוֹת הַנִּשְׁחָטִים וְנִפְשָׁטִים לְשָׁם. אִי נַמִּי כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁמְעוּ וִדּוּי הַחוֹטְאִים הַמְּבִיאִים הַחַטָּאת וְהָאָשָׁם לְשָׁם, דַּהֲרֵי כְּשֶׁסָּמְכוּ עֲלֵיהֶם הֵם מִתְוַדִּים (תוספתא מנחות פ"י ה"ג), וְתֵכֶף לִסְמִיכָה שְׁחִיטָה (מנחות צג.), וּמְקוֹם הַשְּׁחִיטָה בַּשֻּׁלְחָנוֹת שֶׁבַּשַּׁעַר שֶׁלְּשָׁם. וְדוֹמֶה לָזֶה כָּתְבוּ (שם לט) הָרַדַ"ק וְהרי"א ז"ל בְּטַעַם יִיחוּד רוּחַ אַחַת בָּעֲזָרָה לִשְׁחִיטַת [הָעוֹלָה אבדפו”ר אינו, אולם מוכח להמעיין שהוא ט”ס. שהרי כל עיקר כוונת הרד”ק ורי”א ז”ל לפרש טעם שצוותה תורה במקום אשר תשחט החטאת תשחט העולה, שהוא כדי שלא יהא ניכר מי הם החוטאים עיי”ש. עִם] הַחַטָּאת וְהָאָשָׁם, שֶׁהוּא כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא לְפַרְסֵם הַחוֹטְאִים.
It is possible to explain that this chamber opened toward the gate and not to the main area of the courtyard, where the Altar was to prevent the kohanim and the people standing in the courtyard from seeing into it, for there were times when the chamber was soiled with the wastes and blood of the sacrificial animals that were slaughtered and skinned. Alternatively, this chamber may have opened toward the gate so that no one would hear the confessions of the sinners who would bring sin-offerings and guilt-offerings there. A person who brought a sin-offering or a guilt-offering was required to perform semichah, to lean on the sacrificial animal before it was offered as a sacrifice and confess his sins while doing so.3Tosefta, Menachos 10:3. Directly after semichah, the animal would be slaughtered.4Menachos 93a, b. Thus, the animals were slaughtered near the tables at this gate. Radak and Rav Yitzchak Abarbanel5Radak, Abarbanel, Yechezkel 40:39. explain that one side of the courtyard was designated solely for slaughtering the burnt-offerings,6The burnt-offerings are not mentioned in the original text. Nevertheless, the omission appears to be a printing error. Precisely because the burnt-offerings were also slaughtered in this area, the identity of the sinners could be protected. An onlooker would not necessarily assume that a person performing semichah on an animal was a repentant sinner; he could have been bringing a burnt-offering. the sin-offerings and the guilt-offerings so that the sinners’ identities would not become publicized.