The ones who won the privilege to clear the ashes from the Inner Altar and from the Menorah would precede, and four vessels were in their hands: the basket, the jug, and two keys. The basket is similar to a large tarkav [vessel] [made] of gold; [it] holds two kavs and a half. And the jug is similar to a large pitcher made of gold. And [regarding] the two keys, [there is] one [that he] thrusts to the armpit and one [with which he] opens quickly.

He came to the northern minor doorway. The Great Gate had two minor doorways: one on the north and one on the south. The one to the south, no man ever entered through it, and [the reason for] this is explained by [the prophet] Ezekiel (Ezekiel 44:2): “Hashem said to me, `This gate shall be closed; it shall not be opened; a man shall not come through it, because Hashem, the God of Israel, comes through it; it shall be closed.’ ” [He] took the key and opened the minor doorway [and] entered the cell, and from the cell to the Heichal, until [he] reached the Great Gate. [When] he reached the Great Gate, he removed the bolt and the locks, and opened it. The slaughterer would not slaughter, until he heard the sound of the Great Gate being opened.

From Jericho they would hear the sound of the Great Gate being opened. From Jericho they would hear the sound of the “shovel.” From Jericho they would hear the sound of the wood that Ben Katin fashioned [into] a wheel for the Laver. From Jericho they would hear the sound of Gevini the Crier. From Jericho they would hear the sound of the flute. From Jericho they would hear the sound of the cymbals. From Jericho they would hear the sound of the [Leviim’s] song. From Jericho they would hear the sound of the shofar. And some say: Also the sound of the Kohen Gadol when he mentions the Name [of God] on Yom Kippur. From Jericho they would smell the fragrance of the compounded incense. R’ Eliezer ben Diglai said: There were goats in my father’s household on the mountain of Michvar, and they would sneeze because of the fragrance of the compounded incense.

[The Kohen] who won the privilege of clearing the ashes of the Inner Altar entered and took the basket, and he placed it in front of himself, and he would scoop up [the ashes] and place [them] into [the basket]. And at the end he swept the rest inside it, and he left [the basket] and went out. [The Kohen] who won the privilege of clearing the ashes from the Menorah entered [the Heichal] and [if] he found the two eastern lamps burning, he would clear the ashes from the rest [of the lamps] and [would] leave those [two] burning in their place. [If] he found that [the two eastern lamps] were extinguished, he would clear their ashes and relight them from those that were still burning, and afterward he would clear the ash from the rest. And there was a stone in front of the Menorah, in which were three steps, upon which the Kohen would stand and prepare the lamps, and he would place the jug on the second step, and exit.

They would not tie up the lamb; rather, they would bind it, akeidah style.  Whoever won the privilege of [carrying] the limbs would hold [the lamb]. And this is how [the lamb] was [positioned in] its binding: Its head [pointed] to the south and its face [was turned] to the west. The slaughterer stands on the east [side of the lamb] and his face was toward the west.  [The tamid] of the morning was slaughtered by the northwest corner [of the Altar], on the second ring. [The tamid] of the evening was slaughtered by the northeast corner, on the second ring. The slaughterer slaughtered and the receiver [of the blood] received it.  He came to the northeast corner [of the Altar] and would apply [the blood] to the east [and] to the north; [he came to the] southwest [corner] and would apply [the blood] to the west [and] to the south. [The Kohen] would pour the remainder of the blood onto the southern base [of the Altar].

He would not break a hindleg of [the tamid]; rather, he would make a hole in [the area of] its knee and hang [it] from [that hole]. He would skin [the lamb] as he went down until he reached the [area of the] breast. He reached the breast, [and] cut off the head, and gave it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it. He cut off the feet, and gave them to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] them. He completed the skinning. He tore open the heart and removed its blood. He cut off the forelegs and gave them to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] them. He went up to the right hindleg, cut it off, and gave it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it, and the two testicles were [left attached] to it. He tore open [the body cavity], and thus it was completely revealed to him. He took the fat and put it on the place of the incision of the head, on top.  He took the intestines and gave them to whoever had won the privilege of [carrying] them, [in order] to rinse them. They would rinse the stomach in the Rinsing Chamber, as much as it needs. The intestines would be rinsed at least three times, upon marble tables which [were] between the pillars.

He took the knife and separated the lung from the liver, and [separated] the liver appendage from the liver, but would not budge it from its place. He would pierce [the sides of] the breast and give it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it.  He went up to the right flank; he would cut down to the spine, but he would not touch the spine, until he reached the two soft ribs. He cut off [the right flank] and gave it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it, and the liver was suspended within [the right flank].  He approached the neck and left in it two ribs from this side and two ribs from that side; he cut off [this neck section] and gave it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it, and the trachea, heart, and lungs were suspended within it.  He approached the left flank and left two soft ribs above and two soft ribs below, and he would leave out the same in its counterpart; thus, he would leave out of both [flanks] two [and] two above, and two [and] two below. He would cut out the [left flank] and give it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it, and the spine was together with it, and the spleen was suspended within it. In truth, [the left flank] was greater, but it was the right [flank] that they referred to as “the greater one,” because the liver was suspended within it.  He approached the back portion, cut it off, and gave it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it, and the fatty tail, and the liver appendage, and the two kidneys were together with it.  He took the left hindleg and gave it to whoever won the privilege of [carrying] it. Thus, all of [the Kohanim] were standing in a row and the limbs [were] in their hands: The first [Kohen] with the head and the [right] hindleg; the head [was] in his right hand with its snout facing his arm, and its horns between his fingers, and the place of its incision [was] above with the fat placed upon it, and the right hindleg in his left hand, with the place of the skin [facing] outward. The second [Kohen] with the two forelegs; the right one in his right hand [and] the left one in his left hand, with the place of the skin [facing] outward. The third [Kohen] with the back portion and the [left] hindleg; the back portion in his right hand with the fatty tail hanging between his fingers, and the liver appendage and two kidneys with it. The left hindleg in his left hand, with the place of the skin [facing] outward. The fourth [Kohen] with the breast and the neck; the breast in his right hand, and the neck in his left hand with [the neck’s] ribs between his fingers. The fifth [Kohen] with the two flanks; the right one in his right hand and the left one in his left hand, with the place of the skin [facing] outward. The sixth [Kohen] with the intestines which were placed in a spoon, and the feet [were placed] atop [the intestines]. The seventh [Kohen] with the fine flour. The eighth [Kohen] with the chavitin. The ninth [Kohen] with the wine. [The Kohanim] went and placed [the limbs] from the halfway point of the ramp [and] down on its west side, and they salted [these items]. Then [these Kohanim] descended and came to the Chamber of Hewn Stone to recite the Shema.