Leviticus 6:24-30

Special Directions for the Sin Offering. It is most holy; that is, it must be killed by the altar, like a burnt offering, and it can only be eaten by priests. Victims whose blood is brought within the shrine are for priests as well as laymen, and therefore their flesh must not be eaten at all. [The reason for this regulation (Leviticus 6:30) is that the holiness is present in a degree so intense that it is dangerous even for the priests to eat the flesh. It has to be burnt, not of course to convey the sacrifice to God, for this has already been done in the offering of the fat and the blood (Leviticus 4:5), but to dispose of the flesh safely and effectively. A. S. P.] Even a splash of holy blood is contagious; it can (and must) be removed from a garment or brass vessel by rinsing or scouring; a porous (and less valuable) pot which has been used for cooking the animal must be destroyed. (Cf. W. R. Smith, RS 2, pp. 349, 451.) [The idea is that the holiness in the liquid will sink into the very texture of the porous earthenware, so that no washing will remove it; accordingly it must be broken, that it may not be used again. On the other hand, the broth could not sink into the closer texture of the brazen vessel, so that cleansing of the surface sufficed to remove the holiness. A. S. P.]