ויקרא, פרק ח׳, פסוק י״ז

The sacrifice of this particular bull stands out as a temporary exception and a highly unusual event in the service. Under normal circumstances, an animal was completely consumed by fire outside the camp only if its blood had been brought into the inner sanctuary. In this unique instance, however, the entire animal was taken outside the camp to be burned, even though its blood remained outside the inner sanctuary [מלבי״ם, בכור שור, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The instructions carefully detail the specific parts of the animal destined for the fire, right down to the waste contained within its intestines [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Interestingly, the instructions first mention the bull as a whole before breaking down its specific parts. The primary approach among commentators is that this general mention ensures that every remaining part of the animal is included in the fire, even those not explicitly listed, such as the bones, sinews, horns, and hooves [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, פירושי רד צ הופמן]. A different perspective suggests that this phrasing specifically accounts for the head of the bull. To prevent the animal from being dragged on the ground in a degrading manner while being transported outside the camp, its head was severed and carried respectfully on its own [העמק דבר]. Another way to understand the phrasing is that the initial mention of the whole animal acts as a broad statement, which is then simply clarified by the specific list of its skin, flesh, and waste [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, פירושי רד צ הופמן].

The conclusion of the process notes that the burning was carried out just as God commanded Moses. Because Moses is the primary actor in this sequence, one might expect a statement that the action was done as God commanded him. The deliberate choice to use his name instead of a pronoun leads some to conclude that Moses did not tend to the fire himself, but rather delegated the task, commanding others to burn the remains [ברכת אשר על התורה, אבן עזרא]. On the other hand, a differing view maintains that Moses personally carried out the burning. According to this approach, the use of his name rather than a pronoun does not indicate a shift in who performed the action, but merely reflects the standard style of biblical writing [אבן עזרא].