על ירך המזבח צפונה. ודרשו רז"ל רוח צפונית אינה מסובבה, וכסא של שלש רגלים אינו עומד ויצטרך רגל רביעי, ולכך הקרבנות רגל העולם, וכן הכתוב אומר (תהילים מ״ח:ג׳) הר ציון ירכתי צפון, ומזה שנינו איזהו מקומן של זבחים קדשי קדשים שחיטתן בצפון, אין ספק כי התנא הזה היה יודע כי ביהמ"ק הוא מקום הקרבנות, אבל מה שהזכיר בלשון שאלה איזהו מקומן של זבחים, הכוונה באיזה רוח, והוא משיב שחיטתן בצפון, כי כן הוכיחו רז"ל מן הכתוב הזה הנזכר בקרבן עולה. ומה שאמר ודמן טעון הזיה על בין הבדים, פירושו כנגד הבדים שהוא מקום שהשכינה שם, וכענין שכתוב (שיר השירים א׳:י״ג) בין שדי ילין, כלומר בי"ן שד"י ובאור אותיותיו שני בדי הארון. על ירך המזבח צפונה, “on the side of the altar, at the northern side.” Our sages (Baba Batra 25) say that the world is like a small house and the north wind can turn only inside its confines. It is just like a three-legged stool which cannot stand properly and requires a fourth leg (Berachot 32). The sacrifices may be viewed as if they supplied the fourth leg for the stool called the universe. This is also the meaning of Psalms 48,3 that ירכתי צפון קרית מלך רב, Mount Zion, summit of Zaphon, city of a great king.” [without Mount Zion the world would not be able to function properly. Ed.] When the Mishnah in Zevachim 47 asks “where is the correct site to slaughter the sacrificial animals?” The answer given is that the most sacred sacrifices had to be slaughtered on the north side of the altar. Surely it is preposterous to assume that the editor of that Mishnah did not know something as elementary as this, i.e. that these animals had to be slaughtered in the holy precincts of the Temple! However, the inquiry concerned in which direction of the precincts of the Temple (on which side) did this slaughtering have to take place? The scholar editing the Mishnah answers that it had to take place on the north side (if the animals were of the type called קדשי קדשים, the most sacred ones). The Mishnah cites our verse here where the north side is made mandatory for the slaughtering of the עולה offering, one of those called קדשי קדשים as proof.. When the Mishnah continues that the blood of the עולה has to be sprinkled על בין הבדים, “between and above the staves,” the meaning is that the officiating priest has to stand between the staves of the Holy Ark while sprinkling both above and below the thickness of the kapporet. In other words, the blood had to be sprinkled in the direction where the Shechinah was located between the outstretched wings of the cherubs. This corresponds to what is written in Song of Songs 1,13 בין שדי ילין, literally: (“he will sleep between my breasts”). However, the words בין שדי derive their profound meaning from the individual letters of the expression. The letters ש-ד refer to the שני בדים, two staves by means of which the Ark was carried. The whole expression is to be viewed as an allegorical comparison of the intimacy which existed between G’d and the Jewish people.
ובפרקי ר' אליעזר ארבע רוחות נבראו בעולם, מזרח שמשם האור יוצא לעולם, דרום שמשם טללי ברכה וגשמי ברכה יוצאין לעולם, מערב שמשם אוצרות שלג ואוצרות ברד וקור וחום וגשמים יוצאין לעולם, צפון שמשם החשך יוצא לעולם, ורוח צפון בראו ולא גמרו, אמר הקב"ה כל מי שיאמר אני אלוה יבא ויגמור הפנה הזאת שהנחתי. We are told in Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer chapter 3 that four directions (of the compass) were created in the world. Light originates from the east; beneficial dew as well as beneficial rains originate in the south, whereas snow, hail, cold and heat and normal rain originate in the west. Whereas G’d had “created” i.e. initiated the north also, He did not assign to it any specific function. G’d reputedly said that anyone who claimed to be a deity should prove his ability by assigning a useful function to the north, i.e. the corner of the universe that He had left incomplete.
וע"ד הקבלה צפונה היא מדת הגבורה כדי להשלימם אליו, וזהו ששנינו עלה בכבש, כלל הבנין נקרא כבש, ופנה לסובב, הוא ראשית הראשית המקיף את הכל, ובא לו, במחשבה, לקרן דרומית, היא מדת החסד, וזהו שכתוב (בראשית י״ב:ט׳) ויסע אברם הלוך ונסוע הנגבה, שהרי הכהן היה מעורר על ישראל החסד שהיא מדתו ומהדרומית למזרחית הוא תפארת ישראל שמשם הרחמים יוצאים, וממזרחית לצפונית, כדי להשלים לו מדת הגבורה, ומצפונית למערבית, שהיא מלכות, וזהו שאמרו שכינה במערב, ומשם יפרד לעולם הנפרדים, ואז יתברך העולם השפל, וממערבית לדרומית שהוא חוזר למקום שהתחיל. A kabbalistic approach: the word צפונה is a reference to the attribute of גבורה, i.e. it is meant to be perfected still. [In order for man to perfect himself, such as to atone for his sins, he needs to turn northwards. Ed.] This is what is meant in Zevachim 53 that the officiating priest ascended the ramp called כבש, i.e. that the entire structure (the world) was called כבש. [The priest’s actions were perceived as steps in bringing completion and perfection to our terrestrial universe by means of ceremonies and rituals performed as part of the sacrificial rites. The Kabbalah sees in the walk around the altar by the priest and in the direction in which he walks such symbolic significance. Ed.] Avraham’s journey through the Holy Land described in Genesis 12,9 mentioning also a southward journey is considered a parallel to the priest’s manner of walking on the altar when performing his service in the Temple. The priest awakens the attribute of חסד, love, in G’d. This is why he has to start out in the south (like Avraham proceeding southwards. This means that Avraham embarked on his mission for mankind from a southerly direction.) Having aroused G’d’s love he turns to the east the seat of תפארת, the emanation harmony from where the attribute of Mercy emerges. From there he turns northwards in order to make his peace also with the attribute of גבורה, the attribute of Justice. From the north he turns westwards the site of the emanation מלכות, the emanation representing the עולם העשיה, our terrestrial part of the universe. This is the deeper meaning of the statement by our sages in Baba Batra 25 that the Shechinah resides in the west. Having completed this circle, he addresses himself to the world of the angels, the disembodied creatures. As a result of the priest’s performing this procedure the terrestrial world will enjoy G’d’s blessing. Having reached the westernmost part of his walk, the priest returns to the south, the place from which he started out at the base of the כבש.