of hardened [limbs].1 Whence do we know it? (2) — Said Raba: One text states, [This is the law of the burnt-offering: it is that which goeth up on its firewood upon the altar] all night... and he shall burn thereon, etc. (3) Whereas another text states, all night... and he shall take up the ashes.4 How are these texts reconciled? (5) Divide it [the night]: half is for burning, and half for taking up [the ashes]. (6) R. Kahana raised an objection: Every day he [the priest] takes up [the ashes] (7) at cockcrow, or slightly before or slightly after. On the Day of Atonement, [he does this] at midnight; on festivals, at the first watch. (8) If then you maintain that [the altar must be cleared] from midnight [onwards], how may we advance it? — Said R. Johanan: From the implication of ‘all night’, do I not know that it is until the morning? Why then is ‘unto the morning’ stated? Add another morning to the morning of the night. (9) Therefore every day it is sufficient from cockcrow. On the Day of Atonement [it is done] at midnight, on account of the fatigue10 of the High Priest. (11) On festivals when there were many sacrifices and so the Israelites came very early, [it was done] at the first watch, as the sequel teaches: and before cockcrow the Temple court was full of Israelites. It was stated: If they sprang off (12) before midnight and he replaced them after midnight: Rabbah said:

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(1). ↑ The fire had hardened them and completely dried up all their natural moisture, yet had not turned them into charred coals.
(2). ↑ That the matter depends on midnight.
(3). ↑ Lev. VI, 2-5. The combination of these texts implies that ‘all night’ is meant in respect of burning.
(4). ↑ Ibid. 3. He assumes that ‘and he shall take up the ashes’ also means during the night, (i.e., ‘all night’), since the whole verse reads: And the priest shall put on his linen garment... and he shall take up the ashes: as it does not say that he must don his linen garment in the morning, it is assumed that he did it at night and straightway took up the ashes. Thus this contradicts the implication of the first verse.
(5). ↑ Emended text (Sh.M.).
(6). ↑ The first half is for burning, and during this time the flesh is not considered completely consumed unless it has actually been turned into ashes. The second half is for clearing, in the sense that even before the flesh has actually become ashes but has merely reached the stage of hardness it is regarded as ashes. If, however, it still retains the softness of flesh, it is obviously not ashes, and must not be removed.
(7). ↑ A shovelful of ashes which were placed at the east side of the ascent.
(8). ↑ Yoma 20a. The night (roughly from 6 P.M. to 6 A.M.) was divided into three or four watches (the matter is debated in Ber. 3a). The end of the first watch would be about (9) or (10) P.M., two or three hours before midnight.
(9). ↑ The morning of the night is dawn, while the additional morning is any earlier hour when the priests might rise to commence the service, according to the exigencies of the day. Since this is not fixed, it can be put forward or deferred as may be necessary.
(10). ↑ Lit., ‘weakness’.
(11). ↑ To enable him to rest after it until the morning burnt-offering. This assumes that the High Priest removed the ashes himself. Tosaf. however suggests that it may mean that the ashes were removed (by another priest) earlier to enable the wood pile to be arranged and likewise the other rites to be performed as early as possible, so that the High Priest could sacrifice the daily burntoffering at dawn, before he was hungry and fatigued.
(12). ↑ Lit., ‘separated’.