Until now we have listed the indispensable conditions and the invalidations that can occur during the four main blood services: slaughtering, receiving, conveying, and sprinkling. Therefore, our Mishnah comes to establish that an action that is not one of these four services, even if performed by an unfit person, does not necessarily contain an invalidation.
Handing the Blood to an Unfit Person:
The receiving must be done by a pure kohen. If a fit kohen received the blood, and then handed the sanctified service vessel containing the blood to someone who is unfit for receiving - such as an impure kohen or a non-kohen - nothing is invalidated. The unfit person returns the vessel to the fit kohen, and the service continues. The mere fact that an unfit person held the vessel does not constitute a problem at all.
It is worth noting: if that unfit person took a single step toward the altar, this is conveying - bringing the blood to the altar - and conveying by an unfit person invalidates the entire process. But if he stood in his place, it is enough that he returns the vessel to the fit kohen.
Additional Actions that Do Not Invalidate:
Holding in the left hand - All the services (slaughtering, receiving, conveying, and sprinkling) must be performed with the right hand. If the kohen received the blood in a service vessel with his right hand and momentarily transferred the vessel to his left hand, the mere holding in the left hand does not invalidate; he returns the vessel to his right hand, and everything is fit.
Pouring into an unsanctified vessel - If the blood was received in a service vessel and then poured into another vessel that is not sanctified, since it was initially received in the proper vessel, everything is fit. They pour it back into the service vessel and continue.
Blood that spilled on the floor - If the blood was properly received in a service vessel and then spilled on the floor, and the kohen gathered it from the floor back into the vessel - it is fit.
Earlier we learned that blood which fell on the floor is invalid, but there is no contradiction: there we are speaking of blood that fell from the neck directly to the floor. The requirement in receiving is to receive the blood directly from the neck of the slaughtered animal into a sanctified service vessel. Once receiving was fulfilled according to halachah, the spilling of the blood on the floor afterward does not invalidate, and it is sufficient to gather the blood and bring it to the place it needs to reach. However, if it spilled directly from the neck to the floor - it is invalid.
Meaningless Actions in the Sprinkling Service:
"Nesano al gabei hakeves" - A person who is unfit for sprinkling, such as an impure kohen or a non-kohen, placed the blood in a location where it is not supposed to be placed. The ramp is the ascent to the altar, and as we saw in the previous chapter in the list of requirements, this is not a place for placing blood. Since the person was anyway unfit for sprinkling, and the ramp is anyway not a place for placement, the matter is considered as if no action occurred: whether the blood was placed on the ramp or spilled elsewhere, there is no difference. This is not called sprinkling, and therefore it is not an invalid sprinkling performed by an unfit person. The blood indeed spilled, but the service was not invalidated, and one can bring new blood and try again.
The same law applies in the other cases that the Mishnah lists:
"Shelo k'neged hayesod" - The blood was placed on the altar, but not opposite a section that has a base underneath it. As we said, this refers to the southern wall and the eastern wall, except for one cubit at the corners of each of them.
"O shenasan es hanitanin lematah lemaalah" - Blood that is supposed to be placed below the chut hasikra, the red line on the altar - and this is the law for all offerings except the chatas - and it was placed above that line. This is not considered an act of sprinkling.
"V'es hanitanin lemaalah lematah" - Blood that is supposed to be placed above the chut hasikra, like the blood of a chatas which is placed on the four corners, and it was placed below the line. This is not considered an act of sprinkling and is not valid, and therefore if a person who is not fit did this - he invalidated nothing.
"Es hanitanin bifnim bachutz" - Blood that is supposed to be placed inside, like those special chatas offerings that are offered on the inner altar, and it was placed on the outer altar. Even though this is not proper, the matter is considered a meaningless act and is not called sprinkling.
"V'es hanitanin bachutz bifnim" - Blood that is supposed to be placed on the outer altar, like a shelamim, chatas, or olah, and it was placed inside on the inner golden altar. This too is an act that has no meaning, and is not considered an act of sprinkling.
In all these cases, even though the blood is no longer in our hands, the offering is not invalidated, and one can try again.
"Im yesh dam hanefesh, yachazor hakesher viyekabel" - If there is lifeblood, a valid kohen may go back and receive it:
If blood is still flowing from the neck of the slaughtered animal - a situation that is uncommon, but theoretically possible when the time between the initial receiving and the sprinkling is very short - the valid kohen can get a second chance: to receive new blood and perform the service properly.
In summary: In this section we learned that an action which is not one of the four blood services is not invalidated by an invalid person: handing the service vessel to an invalid person standing in his place, holding the vessel in the left hand, pouring the blood into an unsanctified vessel, and collecting blood that spilled after a valid receiving - all of these do not invalidate. We also saw that placing blood in a place that is not the place of sprinkling - on the ramp, not opposite the base, above instead of below and vice versa, and inside instead of outside and vice versa - is not considered sprinkling at all, and therefore does not cause invalidation, and if there is still lifeblood - a valid kohen may go back and receive it.