Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Yoma 59: Fingers וְהִזּהָ בְאֶצְבּעָוֹ and Other BodyParts

jyungar June 10, 2021

For the source text click/tap here: Yoma 59

To download, click/tap here: PDF

The Mishnah on the previous daf taught that the remnants of the blood from the sacrifices were poured down a drain on the altar, from where they emptied into the Kidron and were sold as fertilizer. Our daf quotes a baraita that teaches a difference of opinion between the sages with regard to the status of this blood – specifically, whether the rules of me’ilah would apply to it. Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Shimon believe that me’ilah applies, while the Chachamim argue that it does not.

We explore the notion of the fingers וְהִזָּה בְאֶצְבָּעוֹ as described by the gemorro and Philo, (including other body parts such as ear and toe) and how the changes that took place in the observance of Yom Kippur during the Second Temple period were significant.

Philo describes the day as one in which it was customary to spend the entire time, from morning to evening, in prayer. Regarding the ritual of the Temple itself, the descriptions that we have in the Mishnah and Tosefta were not edited in their present form until a century or more after the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.

There is little doubt, however, that these texts reflect an authentic tradition dedicated to preserving the Avodah of the Temple in the hope that they would one day be restored.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​