ויקרא, פרק ט״ז, פסוק כ״ז

The culmination of the central Yom Kippur service involves the final disposal of the High Priest's sin-offering bull and the people's sin-offering goat. Because their blood was brought into the Holy of Holies to achieve atonement, their meat cannot be eaten. These remnants embody the sins of the people, making them unfit to be offered on the altar or consumed. Instead, they require total destruction outside the living area [פירושי רד צ הופמן].

This specific procedure establishes a broader principle for all inner sin-offerings, dictating that they must be burned outside the camp and will transfer ritual impurity to those who handle them [תורה תמימה, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, אדרת אליהו]. However, this disposal process and its resulting impurity only take effect if the blood was sprinkled correctly, successfully securing atonement within both the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה, ביאור יש״ר, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו].

The physical removal of the sacrifices is treated as the task of a single individual. While [אבן עזרא] suggests the High Priest simply commanded a specific person to remove them, the primary approach among commentators is that the responsibility fell generally to a designated carrier, rather than the High Priest himself [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, אוהב גר]. This focus on the individual carrier conveys precise legal details regarding impurity. When a team carries the heavy carcasses on poles, the moment the first person crosses the boundary out of the Temple courtyard—the first of the three camps—he immediately contracts ritual impurity, even if the rest of the team remains inside [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו, רלב״ג]. Additionally, [העמק דבר] suggests that the bull's head was severed and carried out separately with dignity, preventing it from dragging along the ground with the massive body.

While the removal highlights the individual, the actual burning required a collective effort. A team managed this complex task, with different individuals responsible for bringing the fire, arranging the wood, and igniting the flame [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, העמק דבר, חזקוני]. Despite this group effort, the severe ritual impurity that affects a person's clothing generally falls only on the individual who actively lights and tends the fire until the majority of the animal is consumed [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, רלב״ג], though [מלבי״ם] maintains that even one who merely prepares himself to assist with the burning contracts this impurity.

The method of destroying these animals differs significantly from standard burnt offerings. Instead of being skinned before the meat is divided, these sin-offerings are cut into pieces with their hides still attached. They are then burned completely intact, along with their intestinal waste [תורה תמימה, חזקוני, אדרת אליהו, מלבי״ם].