[Avodah] Throwing a Drop

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, November 26, 2006 3:59 am, R Akiva Blum wrote:
:>1. What is your source that the mizbeach hazahav was so far away from the
:>paroches?  I'm not arguing, just asking.  My mental picture is that  the
:>mizbeach hazahav was close to the paroches.

: Yoma 33b.
: Please note that the avodah for yom kippur was directly in front of the
: paroches.

As a little mizbei'ach hazahav was a front (east) of center, with 11 menoros
(the "real" one plus 10 for "zeh Keili ve'anveihu") in the back left, and the
shulchan in the back right. They in turn were 2-1/2 amos from the wall.
Picturing things, the menoros must have been a significant percentage of the
room. Since there had to be a line of sight from there to the shulchan, the
mizbei'ach may have been significantly closer to the front than center.

In any case, the gemara says that it's more than half the heichal away, and
therefore more than 20 amos.

:>2. Another subject, only tangentially related to what you asked, but
:>something I've always wondered:  did they clean the paroches (and the
:> bigdei kehuna) periodically, and if so, how? I have trouble picturing
:> beautiful, elegant clothing and curtains being esthetically pleasing once
:> they have blood stains all over them.
...
: Bigdei kehuna: The gemorah states, Pesochim 65b, that soiled bigdei kehuna are
: possul.

And in Sukkah we learn that old bigdei kehunah were turned into wicks for
Simchas Beis haSho'eivah.

But the question of blood stains on the paroches is answerable based on the
first issue. How much blood reached the paroches? The kohein is flinging a
drop with his finger a distance of 30-40 ft. I doubt it was "all over".

But in bayis shelishi, would it be proper to scotch-guard (TM) the paroches?

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             Spirituality is like a bird: if you tighten
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