Kommentar zu Schemot 29:37

והיה המזבח קדש AND THE ALTAR SHALL BE [MOST] HOLY — and in what consists its holiness? In this: כל הנגע במזבח יקדש that WHATSOEVER TOUCHETH THE ALTAR SHALL BECOME HOLY — that even a sacrifice which is really invalid that has been brought upon it — even that does the altar sanctify making it a valid sacrifice in so far that it must not be taken down from the altar. Now since it is said, “Anything that toucheth the altar shall become holy”, I might infer that this applies to a thing whether it was fitting to be an offering at the time when it was brought into the Sanctuary or whether it was not so fitting as, for example, in the latter case, something the disqualification of which did not happen within the Sanctuary itself but had happened before it was brought there, such as, an animal, male or female, with which sexual sin had been committed, or an animal which had been set aside as a sacrifice to an idol, or one which had been worshipped as a god, or one which showed signs of incapacity to live owing to certain diseases (technically termed טרפה) and animals similar to these (with similar disqualifications); consequently it states, “Now this is that which thou shalt offer [upon the altar]”, which follows immediately after this (in v. 38). Now how is it in the case of the burnt-offering which is mentioned in the next verse as something commanded to be brought upon the altar? It must be fitted to be brought upon the altar! So, also, the preceding statement, “Whatever [touches the altar shall become holy]”, refers only to whatever was fitting, i. e. what was already fitting to be brought upon the altar and became disqualified only after it had been brought into the fore-court of the Sanctuary, as, for example, that which had been left over night (the blood or fat of a sacrifice which had been left until the morning without having been placed upon the altar), or that which, before it had been placed upon the altar, had been taken (lit., had gone forth) outside the forecourt, or that which had become unclean, or an animal which had been slaughtered with the intention to sprinkle the blood or to burn the fat or to eat the flesh outside the prescribed period or outside the prescribed place, and animals similar to these (Zevachim 83b).

כל הנוגע, anyone touching or approaching the altar too closely would become sanctified by this, i.e. he had to see to it that he was in a state of ritual purity prior to approaching the altar.

כל הנוגע במזבח יקדש, whatever touches the altar becomes sanctified.” The wording of this statement suggests that regardless of whether something is suitable for the altar or not, mere contact with it makes it holy. In order to prevent us from arriving at such a conclusion, the Torah wrote in the next verse: וזה אשר תעשה על המזבח כבשים בני שנה, “and this is what you shall prepare on the altar: sheep within their first year, etc.” Just as year-old sheep are suitable as sacrifices on the altar, so everything else which is suitable as a sacrifice on the altar will become sanctified by contact with it. Another law to be derived from the wording of our verse is that any priest who arrives first in order to offer the sacrifice will have some priority, i.e. he has been sanctified in respect of priests arriving later. Seeing he has been on the altar in order to perform sacrificial service he is not to be replaced in favour of someone else without having had a chance to perform his task.