Yoma 31 a, b

At the end of yesterday's daf, Rabbi Yehuda and other rabbis held different opinions regarding immersion before entering the Temple courtyard.  Rabbi Yehuda believed that immersion was not necessary while others believed that all should immerse before entering the Temple courtyard.  The case of a leper was used as an example: should the leper not immerse at all?  Should s/he immerse twice?

Today's daf continues that conversation, introducing the notion of partial entry.  The rabbis note that a leper's thumbs are not allowed to enter the Temple courtyard if the leper is still ritually impure.  Thus partial entry should not be allowed. But what about a case where someone with an extremely long knife slaughters an offering within the Temple courtyard while he has not himself entered yet?  The rabbis wish to understand whether or not one who is performing services in the Temple should immerse before entering the Temple courtyard.  The question is left unresolved.

The rabbis deduce that the height of the ground floor of the Temple is 23 cubits lower that the height of Ein Eitam, the source of water flowing to Jerusalem.  This is because we were taught in the last Mishna that the High Priest immersed five times and sanctified his hands and feet ten times on Yom Kippur.  The first of these was by his chamber, in the Gate of the Water.  Thus the rabbis can deduce measurements.  They even consider the thickness of the marble ceilings and mikvah walls.  Personally I find it very difficult to keep track of the measurements as described in the Talmud.

Amud (b) continues with the order of the High Priest's day.  He removes his linen clothes, immerses, dries off, dresses in golden clothing, partially slaughters the goat - which is finished by another priest - and collects its blood, sprinkles the blood, moves to the Sanctuary, offers the incense, removes the menorah's ashes, proceeds to the courtyard, offers the head and limbs of the sheep, and offers the daily griddle-cake and wine libations (and perhaps the meal offering of flour). In the afternoon, we know that the High Priest will offer incense again, bringing animal limbs to the Altar for further offerings.  We also learn that an old or sick priest's immersion water can be warmed with hot stones.

In attempting to understand this Mishna, the rabbis try to understand why the High Priest dries himself (perhaps to avoid the water droplets between the skin and the fabric; perhaps to avoid the pleasure of the cooling water drops thus observing the prohibition on bathing on Yom Kippur).  They wish to understand exactly when he immerses and sanctifies his hands and feet throughout the day.  Rabbi Meir holds that sanctification is related to the High Priest's change of clothing.  Through the teaching of a baraita, he understands that the High Priest must be unclothed while sanctifying his hands and feet.  Believing that this is undignified (and unwarranted based on their own baraitot), other rabbis insist that the High Priest must be clothed while sanctifying his hands and feet.

I wish that I could access the baraitot to which the rabbis continually refer.  Without knowing the context of their learnings, it is almost impossible to interpret their teachings.  I am unclear as to whether the baraitot were passed down only orally or whether they too were captured in a textual form.