In the south-western corner, there were two holes resembling two
narrow nostrils, into which the blood deposited on the western yesod
and the southern yesod drained and mixed in the ditch, whence it passed
to the Kidron Valley.
Kehati
This mishnah continues the description of the altar.
In the south-western corner - of the yesod-
there were two holes - one facing south and one west -
resembling two narrow nostrils, into which sacrificial blood
drained. The residual blood of the sacrifices, after sprinkling, was
emptied on the yesod. The blood deposited on the western yesod
- i.e., that of sin offerings sprinkled inside the Sanctuary (e.g.,
the Yom Kippur offerings) - and the southern yesod
- all other sacrifices (see Zev. 5: 1-3) - drained
- through these holes - and mixed in the ditch -
a canal with running water traversing the azarah - whence
it passed to the Kidron Valley - agricultural ground near
Jerusalem, where it was sold as fertilizer to the farmers (Yoma 5:6).
Masechet Midot
Chapter 3
Mishnah 3
Down on the floor by the same corner there was a place, an amah
by an amah, and a slab of marble, and a ring was fixed to it, for
with it they would descend to the pit and clean it. There was a ramp
to the south of the altar, 32 by a width of 16, and it had a cavity
in its western part, where they would deposit the disqualified bird
sin-offerings.
Kehati
Down on the floor by the same - south-western -
corner - of the altar on - there was a place,
an amah by an amah, and - it was covered with-a slab
of marble, and a ring was fixed to it-to lift it up-for
with it they would descend to the pit - the cavity under
the altar where the wine from the libations drained (cf. shitin in
our commentary on 3: 1; and see Tiferet Yisrael) - and clean
it - periodically from all the congealed wine. There
was a ramp - a bridge-like connection no of the azarah floor
to the altar roof, standing - to the south of the altar, 32
- amot from end to end - by a width of 16, and it
had a cavity in its western part
- i.e., a covered window-like cubby-hole one amah square in the western
wall of the ramp (Rambam, following Tos. Zev. 7:2); alternatively,
a trap-door on the western side of the floor of the ramp (Tiferet
Yisrael) - where they would deposit the disqualified bird
sin-offerings - of women who gave birth (see Lev. 12:6),
but were uncertain if their sacrifice was required (e.g., after a
miscarriage). Such sacrifices were not eaten; they were deposited
in this cavity overnight, whereupon they became notar and could be
destroyed (tiferet Yisrael).