Mishnayos Zevachim Perek 6 Mishnah 2

חטאת העוף היתה נעשית בקן מערבית דרומית 0 because that the meal-offering of a sinner is called a sin-offering, as it is written regarding the meal-offering of a sinner (Leviticus 5:11): “he shall not add oil to it or lay frankincense on it, for it is a purification (i.e., sin) offering.” And it implies also that a sin-offering is called a meal-offering, for a sin-offering turns into a meal-offering for the poorest of the poor, and the meal-offering we found that it requires offering in the southwestern corner, as it is written (Leviticus 6:7): “[And this is the ritual of the grain offering:] Aaron’s sons shall present it before the LORD, in front of the altar,” which direction is it that is “before the LORD” and” in front of the altar?” It would say that this is the southwestern direction, for “before the LORD” is westward, and the “front of the altar” is the south, for there was the inclined plane leading to the altar, and just as the meal-offering requires bringing near in the southwestern corner, even the sin-offering of fowl, its Divine service is in the southwestern corner. And the sprinkling of its blood is the essence of its Divine service.

מכל מקום היתה כשרה – for the pinching of the bird’s head.

אלא זה היה מקומה – for the sprinkling of its blood. And such is how they explain it in the Gemara (see Talmud Zevakhim 63b).

מלמטה – below the red line (i.e., a line painted in red encircling the Temple altar at precisely half its height – because the blood of animal sin-offerings and birds brought as burnt-offerings were sprinkled on the upper portion of the altar, above the red line, whereas the blood of all other sacrifices was sprinkled on the lower portion, below the red line).

הגשות – [bring near] of meal offerings (see Tractate Menahot, Chapter 5, Mishnah 5) prior to their taking a fistful of the meal offerings, as it is written (Leviticus 2:6): “[When you present to the LORD a grain offering that is made in any of these ways, it shall be brought to the priest] who shall take it up to the altar.”

ושיירי הדם (see Tractate Zevakhim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 3) – of the outer sin offerings, he would pour [the remnants of the blood] to the southern foundation, as we derived in the chapter [five of Tractate Zevakhim, Mishnah 3 – Talmud Zevakhim 53a].

ניסוך המים – on the holiday of Sukkot (see Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 9).

והיין – on each day, for there were the pits by the side of the altar into which the remainder of the libations were poured (see also Tractate Meilah, Chapter 3, Mishnah 3 and Talmud Meilah 11a) and it was not possible to offer libations other than there.

ועולת העוף כשהיא רבה במזרח – for he essence of its place was in the southeastern corner, because it was close to the place of the ashes to throw there its crop (of the bird) and its feathers, as it is written (Leviticus 1:16): “[He shall remove its crop with its contents,[ and cast it into the place of the ashes, [at the east side of the altar].” But when it is abundant there, that there are many Kohanim in that corner engaged with burnt-offerings, but there isn’t space for this to stand on the surrounding ledge (i.e., five cubits above the altar’s base, six cubits from the ground. It was one cubit wide on all sides surrounding the altar.) for the burnt-offering of fowl was done above, when he came to the southwestern corner, where even it was close to the place of the ashes more than the other two corners, for the place of the ashes was near the ramp in the eastern side of the ramp and to the south of the altar.