Halachaהלכה

Bal Tosif and Sacrificial Blood Application

Sources examining the laws governing how sacrificial blood must be sprinkled on the altar's corners, including the required number of applications for different offerings and the halakhic restrictions against excessive repetition in the same location.

וְצָרִיךְ לִטְבּל אֶצְבָּעוֹ עַל כָּל קֶרֶן וְקֶרֶן

2 sources · all verified

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What the sources say

The Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Sacrificial Procedure 5:8–10) rules that for each corner of the altar a kohen must dip his finger afresh into the blood, because the residual blood remaining on the finger after one application is invalid for use on another corner — establishing that a single dipping may serve only one corner and not be repeated there.

The Malbim (Bamidbar 18:17) explains that the Torah's instruction regarding the blood of the bechor was needed precisely to distinguish its sprinkling from that of other sacrifices — specifically noting that the sin-offering requires four applications on four corners, while the bechor requires only two applications that count as four — indicating a fixed, defined number of blood applications per corner, any departure from which would be a deviation from the prescribed rite.

Source 1 · Rishonim

Verified

Mishneh Torah, Sacrificial Procedure 5:8-10

משנה תורה, הלכות מעשה הקרבנות ה׳:ח׳-י׳

Mishneh Torah, Sacrificial Procedure 5:8-10

Rambam codifies the laws of receiving and applying sacrificial blood, including the required number and location of applications for different korbanot.

וְצָרִיךְ לִטְבּל אֶצְבָּעוֹ עַל כָּל קֶרֶן וְקֶרֶן. וּכְשֶׁגּוֹמֵר הַנְּתִינָה עַל הַקֶּרֶן מְקַנֵּחַ אֶצְבָּעוֹ בִּשְׂפַת הַמִּזְרָק. וְאַחַר כָּךְ טוֹבֵל פַּעַם שְׁנִיָּה. שֶׁשְּׁיָרֵי הַדָּם שֶׁבְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ פְּסוּלִין לִתֵּן מֵהֶן עַל קֶרֶן אַחֶרֶת: אֵין בְּכָל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת קָרְבָּן שֶׁטָּעוּן הַזָּיַת דָּם בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ אֶלָּא חַטָּאת בִּלְבַד שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהּ (ויקרא ט ט) "וְטָבַל אֶצְבָּעוֹ בַּדָּם". וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׁם דָּם כְּדֵי טְבִילָה לֹא שֶׁיִּסָּפֵג אֶצְבָּעוֹ מִדָּם:

He must dip his finger [in the blood] before applying it to each corner. When he finishes applying it to the corner, he should clean his finger on the [outer] edge of the container. He then dips it in a second time, for the blood on his finger is unacceptable to place on another corner. None of the other sacrifices require the application of the blood on the altar with one's finger aside from the sin-offering, for with regard to it [Leviticus 4:6] states: "And he shall dip his finger into the blood." There must be enough blood so that he can dip his finger into it. He should not collect the blood with his finger.

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Source 2 · Acharonim

Verified

Malbim on Numbers 18:17

מלבי"ם על במדבר י״ח:י״ז

Malbim on Numbers 18:17

The passage explains that the verse about sprinkling a firstborn's blood comes to indicate that its sprinkling differs from other sacrifices—specifically, it requires two applications (constituting four sprinklings) rather than one application, which is derived by inference from how the burnt-offering requires only a single application, whereas the sin-offering receives four sprinklings on the four corners.

את דמם תזרוק זה א"צ להשמיענו שאחר שהבכור מובא לעזרה מדאי זורקים את דמו ככל הקדשים, רק שבא להשמיענו שזריקתו משונה מיתר קדשים וא"ל שקמ"ל שמשונה מדם חטאת שניתן על ד' קרנות והוא טעון שתי מתנות שהן ארבע שזה נלמד מעצמנו מק"ו שכאן מיעט בחלבים נגד עולה שכולה כליל, והוא א"צ ד' מתנות כמ"ש וזרקו הכהנים את דמו שלמד שהם ב' מתנות שהן ארבע, וע"כ בא לומר שמשונה מדין עולה שא"צ רק מתנה אחת

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