We are now beginning the fifth chapter in Tractate Zevachim, called "Eizehu Mekoman" - quite a famous chapter, which appears in the siddur during the morning prayers before "Baruch She'amar," and many recite it every single day. The Gemara in Kiddushin (12) states that a person must study Scripture, Mishnah, and Gemara every day, and the Mishnah component of the daily schedule is included here - this chapter in its entirety.
Why was this specific chapter established in the siddur?
Because of its subject matter: The chapter deals with sacrifices, and the order of prayers takes the exact place of the sacrifices and offerings.
Because it is an unusual chapter in that it has no disputes: It discusses all types of sacrifices, and nevertheless, there are no differences of opinion at all.
Because of its antiquity: There is a tradition that this chapter is very ancient, and perhaps even goes back to Moshe Rabbeinu himself. This ancient study text was given a special place of honor.
The intent of the Mishnah in "Eizehu Mekoman":
The Mishnah comes to clarify what is the proper place to perform the required actions for each of the sacrifices. The word "Zevachim" in the Chumash refers specifically to shelamim, but in the Mishnah, "Zevachim" refers to the eight types of animal sacrifices - not birds - and we will go through all eight types in this chapter.
"Kodshei kodashim... shechitatan batzafon" - Most holy sacrifices... their slaughter is in the north:
For the more holy sacrifices, the actions must be performed in the northern part of the Temple courtyard. "Shechitatan" means the slaughter, but the rule includes four actions:
Shechitah - Slaughtering the sacrifice.
Kabbalah - Receiving the blood in a vessel.
Holachah - Bringing the blood to the altar.
Zrikah - Applying the blood to the altar.
These four actions must be performed for kodshei kodashim in the north of the courtyard, and this is one of the three main characteristics that distinguish between kodashim kalim and kodshei kodashim.
These are the kodshei kodashim that the Mishnah discusses:
Olos - Olah sacrifices.
Chataos - Chatas sacrifices.
Ashamos - Asham sacrifices.
Communal shelamim, which are brought on Shavuos.
Where exactly is the north located?
Looking at a map or diagram of the courtyard will be helpful here. There are several opinions regarding this. The Rambam rules according to the opinion of Rabbi, that the north is the entire northern area of the Temple courtyard - the northern half between the entrance and the entrance to the Ulam. The entrance is from the east, at Nicanor's Gate, and the far western side is towards the Holy of Holies. The Ulam is the vestibule leading to the Heichal, the physical structure housing the Holy and the Holy of Holies. There are other opinions on exactly how the area is divided, as well as other opinions regarding the location of the altar, but this is the general idea.
The Bull and Goat of Yom Kippur:
The first Mishnah deals specifically with the bull and goat of Yom Kippur. These are two of the five inner sin offerings, and they are sometimes referred to as the "burned bull and goat," because they are two of the five sin offerings whose meat is not eaten but burned outside the Temple area. The fats are sacrificed on the altar, while the blood in these five sin offerings is not dashed on the outer altar but rather on the inner altar.
The language of the Mishnah: "Vekibel daman bikli shareis batzafon" - receiving the blood is in the north, since the northern part of the courtyard is where all these actions take place. The Mishnah continues: "Vedaman taun haza'ah al bein habadim ve'al haparoches ve'al mizbach hazahav" - the blood must be placed between the poles, before the curtain, and on the golden altar.
This is discussed at great length in Tractate Yoma. These two special sacrifices are brought on Yom Kippur: the bull comes to atone for the kohen and his family, and the goat is the goat for Hashem that comes to atone for the people of Israel. Their blood is brought inside the Heichal, in the Holy. In total, forty-three blood sprinklings are performed, and all of them are essential. As the Mishnah says, "Mattan achas meihen me'akeves" - if he missed even one of them, the sacrifice is not effective.
The kohen gadol takes the blood of the bull and sprinkles eight sprinklings in the Holy of Holies, which is referred to here as "between the poles." The Ark, which held the broken tablets and the tablets Moshe received, had two poles that had to be attached to it, and the blood had to be sprinkled on the floor in the area between the poles. In the Second Temple, there was no Ark and no poles, and therefore the kohen gadol would sprinkle on the floor, on the Even Shesiyah - the foundation stone in the Holy of Holies.
The order of the sprinklings, as it appears in the counting of Yom Kippur ("One, one and one, one and two," and so on):
Between the poles: One sprinkling upward and seven downward, for a total of eight sprinklings from the blood of the bull. Afterward, the blood of the bull is set aside and the blood of the goat for Hashem is taken, and again eight sprinklings - a total of sixteen sprinklings in the Holy of Holies.
Before the curtain: Eight from the blood of the bull and eight from the blood of the goat, a total of sixteen more in the same manner. The sprinkling is not on the curtain itself, which separates before the Holy of Holies, but on the floor before it. We now have thirty-two.
The corners of the inner altar: The bloods are mixed, and the kohen gadol places the blood on the four corners of the inner altar - another four, making a total of thirty-six.
The top of the golden altar: Seven placements, bringing the total from thirty-six to forty-three.
All forty-three of these sprinklings are performed inside, and if he missed even one of them - the entire matter does not count and is not effective.
Pouring the remainder of the blood on the Yesod:
The remaining blood that was not sprinkled in those forty-three sprinklings is poured on the Yesod - the base surrounding the outer altar - on its western side. The Yesod is a cubit high and a cubit wide, and it surrounds the entire northern side and the entire western side, and from there it curves around the corner one cubit towards the south and one cubit towards the east. In the southwestern corner, which is roughly before the entrance to the Ulam - the entrance rooms of the Temple - there are two holes in the base: one close to the west and one close to the south, and the blood is poured onto the western hole and goes down there.
Below runs an underground water channel, a flowing aqueduct that goes to the Kidron Valley, and it washes the blood outside. That is where the excess blood is supposed to go. Nevertheless, the Mishnah says, if the blood of the inner sin offerings and of the bull and goat of Yom Kippur was not poured onto the Yesod - this is not essential after the fact and does not invalidate the offering, but initially, that is where the blood is supposed to go, as stated in the verse.
In summary: In this Mishnah we learned the special place of the chapter "Eizehu Mekoman" in the siddur, the rule that kodshei kodashim are slaughtered in the north - which includes receiving, carrying, and sprinkling the blood - and the identity of the kodshei kodashim: the olah, chatas, asham, and communal shelamim. We clarified the parameters of the "north" in the azarah, and the laws of the bull and goat of Yom Kippur: the forty-three sprinklings between the poles, in front of the paroches, on the corners of the inner altar, and on its roof - all of which are indispensable, in contrast to pouring the remainder of the blood on the yesod, which is not indispensable after the fact.