Audio by Michael Sokolow

Mishnah Parah 3:8: They [the elders] would lean their hands on him [the priest] and say, "Our man, great priest, immerse once." He would descend and immerse and arise and dry. And wood was arranged there: wood of erez, oran, brosh [various types of cedar wood] and wood of smooth fig trees. And they would make from them a type of tower, and they would open windows [holes] in it, and it would face Westwards.

סָמְכוּ יְדֵיהֶם עָלָיו וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ, אִישִׁי כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, טְבֹל אֶחָת. יָרַד וְטָבַל וְעָלָה וְנִסְתַּפֵּג. וְעֵצִים הָיוּ מְסֻדָּרִים שָׁם, עֲצֵי אֲרָזִים וָאֳרָנִים וּבְרוֹשִׁים וַעֲצֵי תְאֵנָה חֲלָקָה. וְעוֹשִׂין אוֹתָהּ כְּמִין מִגְדָּל, וּמְפַתְּחִין בָּהּ חַלּוֹנוֹת, וַחֲזִיתָהּ מַעֲרָבָה:

Mishnah Parah 3:9: They would tie [the heifer] with a rope of rubber and place it upon the pyre, its head in the South and its face Westward. The priest would stand in the East and his face Westward. He would slaughter with his right hand, and receive [the blood] with his left. Rabbi Yehuda says: He would receive with his right and [then] place it in his left. And he would sprinkle [the blood] with his right. He would immerse [his finger into the blood] and sprinkle seven times in the direction of the holy of holies. For each sprinkling a [separate] immersion. Upon finishing the sprinkling, he would wipe his hands on the body of the cow, descend [from the pyre] and ignite the fire with twigs. Rabbi Akiva says: with branches.

כְּפָתוּהָ בְחֶבֶל שֶׁל מֶגֶג וּנְתָנוּהָ עַל גַּב הַמַּעֲרָכָה, רֹאשָׁהּ בַּדָּרוֹם וּפָנֶיהָ לַמַּעֲרָב. הַכֹּהֵן עוֹמֵד בַּמִּזְרָח וּפָנָיו לַמַּעֲרָב. שָׁחַט בִּימִינוֹ וְקִבֵּל בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בִּימִינוֹ הָיָה מְקַבֵּל וְנוֹתֵן לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ, וּמַזֶּה בִימִינוֹ. טָבַל וְהִזָּה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים. עַל כָּל הַזָּיָה, טְבִילָה. גָּמַר מִלְּהַזּוֹת, קִנַּח אֶת יָדוֹ בְּגוּפָהּ שֶׁל פָּרָה. יָרַד וְהִצִּית אֶת הָאֵשׁ בַּאֲלִיתוֹת. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, בַּחֲרִיּוֹת:

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