שמות, פרק כ״ט, פסוק י״ז

Offering an animal on the altar involves a careful, deliberate process of dismantling it into its natural components. Unlike the sin-offering bull, which is burned in its entirety without any cutting, the ram is deliberately divided into distinct pieces [אבן עזרא]. Among these parts, the internal organs removed from the body [ביאור שטיינזלץ] and the legs require special attention. The legs encompass all the limbs used for walking that bend, including the knees and thighs, even after the lower extremities have been removed [ביאור יש"ר, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These specific parts—the innards and the legs—must be washed with water. This washing is a permanent requirement in the High Priest's service [אבן עזרא הקצר], and these are the only sections of the animal that require cleaning, unlike the rest of the meat [ברכת אשר על התורה].

Once prepared, these parts are brought to the altar. The primary approach among commentators is that the washed innards and legs are not physically stacked directly on top of the other pieces and the head. Such a literal arrangement presents a practical difficulty, as they cannot rest on both simultaneously, and their actual destination is the altar itself [מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה]. Instead, the guidance is simply to offer the cleaned internal organs and legs together with, or in addition to, the previously severed head and pieces [רש"י, ביאור יש"ר, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In practice, they are handled separately and placed in their own vessel before being presented for the offering [משכיל לדוד].

Beyond the physical procedure, the careful separation of the animal's limbs carries deep symbolic meaning. Offering the ram with all its distinct parts represents the complete surrender of a person's entire character to the service of God. The head and the various cuts of meat symbolize a person's capacities for thought and action. Meanwhile, the internal organs and the legs represent the basic drives for physical survival, nutrition, and the pursuit of a livelihood. The priest is required to harness every aspect of his existence, blending his spiritual pursuits with his everyday survival needs, and dedicate his complete being to God [רש"ר הירש].