Midrasch zu Wajikra 1:15

1) (Vayikra 1:15): "And the Cohein shall bring it near to the altar"): Why "And he shall bring it"? (In context the "it" is superfluous). Because it is written (Vayikra 1:14): "And he shall offer his offering from the turtle-doves or from the young," I might think that he could offer no fewer than two; it is, therefore, written "And he shall bring it near" — even one suffices.

2) "And the Cohein shall bring it near … and he shall pinch off (malak) its head" — whence we are taught that melikah is performed by a Cohein. (For we would otherwise reason:) Is it not a kal vachomer (that a non-priest could also perform melikah), viz.: If a sheep, for (whose shechitah) "north" was mandated (see Vayikra 1:11), a Cohein was not mandated — melikah, for which north was not mandated, how much more so should a Cohein not be mandated! It is, therefore, written: "the Cohein … umalak" — melikah is performed only by a Cohein.

3) I might think that he should perform melikah with a knife. And it would follow by kal vachomer, viz.: If shechitah, for which a Cohein was not mandated, an instrument (i.e., a knife) was mandated — melikah, for which a Cohein was mandated, should it not follow that an instrument be mandated! It is, therefore written: "the Cohein … umalak" — concerning which R. Akiva says: Now would it enter your mind that a non-priest could offer it on the altar? What, then, is the intent of "the Cohein … umalak"? To teach us that melikah must be performed with the body (i.e., with the fingernail) of the Cohein.

4) I might think that he could perform melikah either above or below (the red line in the middle of the altar); it is, therefore, written "… umalak its head and smoke it upon the altar." "upon the altar" refers to both smoking and melikah. Just as smoking is "above," so is melikah.

5) "umalak" ("And he shall pinch, etc."): I might think from anywhere (i.e., even from the throat); I, therefore, reason: "melikah" is written here, and it is written elsewhere (in reference to a bird-offering [Ibid. 5:8]: "And he shall pinch its head alongside its oref" [the back of the head sloping to the nape]). Just as melikah there is alongside the oref, so, here. — But, in that case, why not say: Just as there, he pinches but does not sunder (the head from the body, pinching only one of the shechitah signs, gullet or windpipe), here, too, he pinches but does not sunder! — It is, therefore, written (in negation of this supposition): "umalak its head and he shall smoke it upon the altar, and its blood shall be wrung out on the wall of the altar." Can this possibly mean that after he smokes it he wrings out his blood! It must mean that he pinches it in the manner that he smokes it, viz.: Just as in smoking, the head (is smoked) by itself, and the body, by itself — so in melikah, the head by itself and the body by itself (i.e., the head is severed completely).

6) And whence is it derived that the head is smoked by itself? "And the Cohein shall smoke it on the altar" (Ibid. 17) refers to the body. What, then, must "and he shall smoke" (Ibid. 15) refer to? The head. And just as we find with smoking that the head (is smoked) by itself, and the body by itself, so, with melikah, etc.

7) "And its blood shall be wrung out" — the blood of all of it. He holds both the head and the body and wrings (the blood of) both of them out against the wall of the altar — not the wall of the ramp, not the wall of the foundation, not the wall of the heichal, but the upper wall of the altar (i.e., above the red line). I might think (he could do so) on the lower wall, and derive it by kal vachomer, viz.: If the (blood of the) sin-offering of a beast is (applied) above (the red line), and the (blood of its) burnt-offering, below — the (blood of the) sin-offering of a bird, whose blood is (applied) below (the red line), how much more so should (the blood of) its burnt-offering be applied below! It is, therefore, written (to negate this): "And he shall pinch its head and smoke it on the altar, and its blood shall be wrung out against the wall of the altar." "the altar" mentioned in respect to smoking is "the altar" mentioned in respect to wringing. Just as smoking is "above," so is wringing.

8) How was this done? He (the Cohein) ascended the ramp and turned to the sovev (the gallery around the altar). When he came to the northeast corner, he pinched its head alongside its oref, sundered it, and wrung out its blood on the wall of the altar. And if he processed it beneath his feet, even as much as one ell, it is kasher, (this still being above the red line). R. Nechemiah and R. Eliezer b. Yaakov say: All of it must be done near the top of the altar.

10) (Vayikra 5:10) "And the second one he shall make a burnt-offering as prescribed": As prescribed for the sin-offering of a beast or as prescribed for the sin-offering of a bird, (that does not require sundering in its "pinching," viz. Vayikra 5:7) above)? (Vayikra 1:15) "And the Cohein shall bring it" (a bird burnt-offering — as distinct from the "pinching" of a bird sin-offering (Vayikra 5:8) —) distinguishes a burnt-offering from a sin-offering. For you could say "as prescribed for the sin-offering of a beast" — Just as the sin-offering of a beast comes from chullin (mundane monies, and not from monies of the second tithe), and (is sacrificed only in) the daytime, and (only with) the right hand, so (do these apply to) a bird burnt-offering. R. Yishmael says: "As prescribed" (means) as prescribed for the sin-offering of a bird, (which precedes [Vayikra 5:8]). Just as with the sin-offering of a bird — "opposite its nape," so with the burnt-offering of a bird, opposite its nape. R. Elazar b. R. Shimon says: As prescribed for the sin-offering of a bird. Just as with the sin-offering of a bird, he holds its head and its body and sprinkles (viz. Vayikra 5:9), so (does he do) with the burnt-offering of a bird. I might think that just as there (with the sin-offering of a bird), (only) one sign (is severed), here, too, (with the burnt-offering of a bird), (only) one sign should be severed. It is, therefore, (to negate this) written (in respect to the donative burnt-offering of a bird [Vayikra 1:15]): "And he shall bring it," (and not the prescribed burnt-offering of a bird — our case — with the severing of the two signs).