Talmud - Yoma 34a יומא ל״ד א׳

The verse states: “And the priest shall burn wood upon it in the morning, in the morning, and he shall place the burnt-offering upon it” (Leviticus 6:5), and Rava said: The verse could have simply said: And he shall place upon it, indicating that everything sacrificed on the altar is placed upon it; but instead, the verse states: “And he shall place the burnt-offering upon it,” to teach that it ascends the altar first.

Abaye continued: The sacrifice of the meal-offering precedes the sacrifice of the High Priest’s daily griddle-cake offering, half of which he sacrifices in the morning and half in the afternoon, as the verse states: “To bring offerings by fire to the Lord, burnt-offerings, meal-offerings, sacrifices, and libations, on each day what is proper to it” (Leviticus 23:37). Since the Torah states burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, apparently the daily burnt-offering precedes the meal-offering. And since the meal-offering is part of the burnt-offering sacrifice, it precedes the griddle-cake offering, which is a meal-offering unrelated to the burnt-offering.

Abaye continued: And the griddle-cake offering precedes the pouring of the libations of the daily offering. This is because it is in the category of meal-offering. Since it has been established that the meal-offering that accompanies the daily offering is sacrificed after the daily offering, all meal-offerings are sacrificed after the daily-offering prior to any other service.

Abaye continued: And the libations precede the sacrifice of the additional offerings, as it is written: Offerings and libations, from which it is derived that the libations are brought immediately after the daily offering, before any other offering is sacrificed. And the additional offerings precede the vessels of frankincense that are brought on Shabbat. The Gemara asks: But wasn’t it taught in a baraita: The vessels of frankincense precede the additional offerings? The Gemara answers: This is the subject of a dispute between the tanna’im Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva (Pesaḥim 58a).

Abaye said: It is reasonable that the sequence should be in accordance with the opinion of the one who said the additional offerings precede the vessels of frankincense, as didn’t you say that the repetition of the term: In the morning, in the morning, comes to prioritize the daily offering? Here too, repetition within the clause: “He shall arrange them on Shabbat day, on Shabbat day” (Leviticus 24:8), with regard to the vessels of frankincense, comes to postpone that service until the peak of the day.

The Gemara asks: What is the rationale for the opinion of the one who said: The vessels of frankincense precede the additional offerings? The Gemara explains: By means of a verbal analogy he derives: Statute, written with regard to the vessels of frankincense: “A statute for all time” (Leviticus 24:9), from: Statute, written with regard to the griddle-cake offering: “A statute for all time” (Leviticus 6:15). Just as the griddle-cake offering precedes the additional offerings, so too, the vessels of frankincense precede the additional offerings.

The Gemara asks: If he derived it from there, let him derive the entire matter from there, and let the vessels of frankincense be burned immediately after the griddle-cake offering; why are the libations offered between them? The Gemara answers: It is to that end that the verse: “He shall arrange them on Shabbat day, on Shabbat day,” with regard to the vessels of frankincense, is effective, to postpone their offering until later.

§ After analyzing Abaye’s tradition with regard to the sequence of the daily service, the Gemara returns to analyzing the passage in the mishna: The morning incense was burned between the receiving and sprinkling of the blood and the burning of the limbs. The Gemara asks: In accordance with whose opinion is the mishna? If it is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis elsewhere (15a), the mishna should say that the incense was burned between the sprinkling of the blood and the removal of the ashes from the lamps. If it is in accordance with the opinion of Abba Shaul, the mishna should say that the incense was burned between the removal of the ashes from the lamps and the burning of the limbs.

The Gemara responds: Actually, the mishna is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis, but the mishna is not speaking of the sequence of the entire service. The mishna states that the incense was burned between the sprinkling of the blood and the burning of the limbs of the daily offering, although other services were performed then as well, including the removal of ashes from the lamps.

The mishna continues: The afternoon incense was burned between the taking of the limbs up to the altar and the pouring of its libations. The Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived? Rabbi Yoḥanan said that the verse states: “And the other lamb you shall present in the afternoon, as the meal-offering in the morning and its libation, you shall present it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet fragrance unto the Lord” (Numbers 28:8). Just as with regard to the morning meal-offering incense precedes libations, so too here, in the afternoon, incense precedes the libations.

The Gemara asks: If so, just as there, in the morning, incense even precedes limbs, so too here, in the afternoon, incense should precede limbs. The Gemara rejects this: Is it written: As the limbs in the morning? As the meal-offering in the morning, is written, indicating with regard to the daily afternoon offering that it is like the meal-offering in the morning, and not like the burning of the limbs of the morning.

The Sages taught in a baraita that it is written: “And its libation shall be a quarter-hin for the one lamb, in the sacred area it shall be poured as an offering of strong drink unto the Lord” (Numbers 28:7). The Sages understand this verse as referring to the daily afternoon offering; therefore, one will derive the manner and order of the daily morning offering from the manner and order of the daily afternoon offering. Just as libations are required for the daily afternoon offering, so too, they are required for the daily morning offering.

Traduction : The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz.

Yoma 34a examines the precise order of Temple offerings, ranking burnt-offerings, meal-offerings, the High Priest's griddle-cake, and libations by Torah verses.