ויקרא, פרק ט״ז, פסוק י״א

At the height of the Yom Kippur service, the High Priest approaches the practical stage of his personal atonement, a strict prerequisite for the rest of the day's service. The narrative resumes the service of the bull, which had been temporarily paused to conduct the lottery for the two goats [אבן עזרא, רש"ר הירש]. The High Priest brings the bull back to the slaughter area [רלב"ג], or perhaps this refers to the act of leaning his hands upon the animal's head, an action required to happen immediately before the slaughter [פענח רזא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This specific sin-offering is purchased entirely with the High Priest's private funds, rather than from the public treasury [מלבי"ם, ברכת אשר על התורה]. Because it is his personal property, a special Commandment requires him to slaughter this animal himself [העמק דבר].

Before the slaughter, the High Priest achieves atonement for himself and his household. Since the animal has not yet been killed, commentators agree that this atonement is achieved through words rather than blood, taking the form of a verbal confession [ספורנו, מזרחי]. This marks his second confession of the day. While his first confession focused strictly on his immediate family, this second declaration expands to include the entire priestly tribe serving in the sanctuary [רש"י, פירושי רד"צ הופמן]. The primary approach among commentators is that the High Priest splits these confessions based on the principle that the innocent must atone for the guilty. He must first achieve complete personal purity before he is worthy to seek forgiveness for his fellow priests [מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, רש"ר הירש]. Even so, he includes himself again in this second confession. This covers any minor sins committed in the brief time between the two declarations, and it reinforces that since he paid for the offering, he remains the primary focus of the atonement, while the other priests are secondary [גור אריה, שפתי חכמים]. Notably, this specific priestly atonement is strictly limited to sins involving the impurity of the sanctuary and its sacred items; all other wrongdoings are addressed later by the goat sent into the wilderness [רש"י, משכיל לדוד].

Following the confession, the High Priest slaughters the animal and collects its blood in a sacred vessel. Symbolically, this act of slaughter represents his complete rejection of selfishness and his joyful, total dedication to the service of God [רש"ר הירש]. Practically, however, he faces a logistical challenge. Because he must immediately enter the Holy of Holies to offer the incense, he cannot sprinkle the blood right away. To preserve the blood, he hands the vessel to another priest who continuously stirs and shakes it, preventing it from clotting until the High Priest returns to complete the task [רלב"ג, חזקוני, ביאור יש"ר].