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Tamid
תמיד
merged
https://www.sefaria.org/Tamid
This file contains merged sections from the following text versions:
-William Davidson Edition - English
-https://korenpub.com/collections/the-noe-edition-koren-talmud-bavli-1

Tamid



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<strong>MISHNA:</strong> <b>The priests</b> would <b>keep watch in three places in the Temple</b> courtyard, in honor of the Temple, like guards in royal courtyards: <b>In the Chamber of Avtinas,</b> which is the Chamber where the incense was prepared, <b>and</b> on the two sides of the northern section of the courtyard: <b>In the Chamber of the Spark,</b> where there was a small, perpetual fire, from which the fire of the altar would be lit if it went out; <b>and in the Chamber of the Hearth,</b> where there was also a fire, by which the priests would warm themselves when it was cold. <b>In the Chamber of Avtinas and in the Chamber of the Spark there were upper stories,</b> and <b>the young</b> priests, who were not yet eligible to serve in the Temple, would <b>keep watch there.</b>
In <b>the Chamber of the Hearth,</b> there was no upper story, as its ceiling was round like <b>a cupola. And it was a large hall, surrounded</b> by <b>rows of stone</b> that protruded from the walls and that served as benches. <b>The elders of the patrilineal</b> priestly <b>family</b> that would serve in the Temple the following day would <b>sleep there, and the keys to the</b> Temple <b>courtyard</b> were <b>in their possession.</b>
The <b>young men of the priesthood,</b> who were old enough to serve in the Temple, would also sleep in the Chamber of the Hearth. They would not sleep on benches, but instead <b>each</b> of the priests would sleep with <b>his garment on the ground.</b> Furthermore, <b>they would not sleep</b> dressed <b>in the sacred vestments; rather, they would remove</b> them and fold them up. <b>And</b> then <b>they</b> would <b>place</b> their vestments on the floor <b>beneath their heads, and cover themselves with their own</b> non-sacred <b>garments.</b> If <b>a seminal emission befell one of</b> the priests, rendering him ritually impure and unfit for service, <b>he would leave</b> the Chamber of the Hearth, <b>and he would walk</b>

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<b>through the circuitous passage that extended beneath the Temple,</b> as he could not pass through the Temple courtyard, due to his impurity. <b>And</b> there were <b>lamps burning on this</b> side <b>and on that</b> side of the passage. He would walk through the passage <b>until he reached the Chamber of Immersion. And there was a fire</b> burning <b>there</b> to warm the priests after they had immersed, <b>and</b> also <b>a bathroom of honor,</b> so that the priests could urinate before immersion. <b>This was</b> the manifestation of <b>its honor:</b> If one <b>found</b> the door <b>closed,</b> he would <b>know that there was a person there,</b> and he would wait for him to exit before entering. If one found the door <b>open, it was known that there was no person there,</b> and he could enter. In this manner, the one using it was afforded privacy.
After the priest <b>descended and immersed</b> in the ritual bath, he <b>ascended and dried himself</b> with a towel, <b>and warmed himself opposite the fire. He</b> then <b>came</b> back to the Chamber of the Hearth <b>and sat with his brethren the priests until</b> dawn, when the <b>gates</b> of the Temple courtyard <b>would be opened.</b> He would then <b>leave</b> the Temple <b>and go on his</b> way. Since the purification process of one who immerses is not complete until sunset, by rabbinic law he could not remain in the Temple during the daytime.
The mishna describes the commencement of the daily service in the Temple: Among the members of the priestly family who are to serve in the Temple that day, <b>whoever wants to remove</b> the ashes <b>from the altar rises early and immerses</b> himself in a ritual bath, as required of anyone who enters the Temple courtyard. He must immerse <b>before the appointed</b> priest <b>arrives,</b> as the appointed priest oversees the lottery that determines which priests perform the various rites of the Temple service, and the first of those lotteries determines who will be charged with the removal of the ashes. <b>And at what time does the appointed</b> priest <b>arrive? The times</b> of his arrival <b>are not all the same.</b> There are <b>times that he comes at the call of the rooster [<i>hagever</i>], or</b> he might come at <b>an adjacent</b> time, either <b>before</b> the call of the rooster <b>or after it.</b>
<b>The appointed</b> priest <b>arrived</b> at the Chamber of the Hearth, where the priests of the patrilineal family were assembled, <b>and he knocked</b> on the gate <b>to</b> alert <b>them</b> to open the gate for him. <b>And</b> when <b>they opened</b> the gate <b>for him, he said to them: Whoever immersed</b> in the ritual bath <b>may come and participate in the lottery. They</b> then <b>conducted the lottery,</b> and <b>whoever won</b> that lottery <b>won</b> the privilege to perform the rite of the removal of the ashes.
<strong>GEMARA:</strong> The mishna teaches that the priests would keep watch in three locations in the Temple. The Gemara asks: <b>From where are these matters</b> derived? <b>Abaye said</b> that they are derived from a verse, as <b>the verse states: “And those that were to camp before the Tabernacle eastward, before the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, keeping the watch of the Sanctuary, for the watch of the children of Israel,</b> and the non-priest who came near was to be put to death” (Numbers 3:38).
The Sages <b>say</b> in response: <b>Yes, we have found</b> in this verse <b>that in general</b> the Torah <b>requires a watch</b> to be kept. Furthermore, the verse indicates that it is the <b>priests and Levites</b> who are required to perform the <b>watch,</b> as it states the precedent of Moses, who was a Levite, and Aaron, who was a priest. <b>But the mishna</b> (<i>Middot</i> 1:1) <b>teaches: The priests</b> would <b>keep watch in three places in the Temple</b> courtyard…<b>and the Levites in twenty-one places.</b> According to the mishna, the priests and Levites kept watch in different locations, <b>whereas</b> in the <b>verse</b> the <b>priests and</b> the <b>Levites are written together,</b> indicating that they kept watch in the same places.
The Sages <b>say</b> that <b>this</b> is what the verse <b>is saying: “And those that were to camp before the Tabernacle eastward, before the Tent of Meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses,”</b> indicating that the Levites keep watch. <b>And then</b> the verse states with regard to the separate watch kept by the priests: <b>“Aaron and his sons, keeping the watch of the Sanctuary.”</b> Furthermore, the verse indicates that <b>Aaron</b> keeps watch <b>in one place, and his sons</b> keep watch <b>in two</b> other <b>places,</b> from which it is derived that the priests keep watch in three different places.
The Gemara asks: <b>From where</b> is it derived that the verse should be interpreted in this manner? This is derived <b>from</b> the fact <b>that it is written: “And those that were to</b> camp…were Moses,” <b>and it is written</b> separately: “Aaron and his sons, <b>keeping the watch.”</b> This indicates that those <b>who</b> were to <b>camp</b> and thereby keep watch <b>are discrete, and</b> those <b>keeping the watch are discrete,</b> i.e., they perform different watches in separate places.
The Gemara objects: One can <b>say</b> that <b>all of</b> the priests keep watch <b>in one place</b> that is <b>discrete</b> from the watches of the Levites, but not in three separate places. The Gemara explains: That possibility should <b>not enter your mind,</b> as the verse juxtaposes the watches of Moses and Aaron. This indicates that <b>just as Moses</b> keeps watch <b>in one place discretely, so too, Aaron and his sons</b> each keep watch <b>in one place discretely,</b> and they do not keep watch together.
<b>Rav Ashi said</b> that the <i>halakha</i> that the priests keep watch in three places is derived <b>from the end of the verse,</b> which states: “Moses and Aaron and his sons, <b>keeping [<i>shomerim</i>] the watch [<i>mishmeret</i>]</b> of the Sanctuary, <b>for the watch [<i>lemishmeret</i>]</b> of the children of Israel.” The verse uses three terms from the root <i>shin</i>, <i>mem</i>, <i>reish</i>, which means to watch, indicating that there should be three separate watches.

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§ The mishna teaches that <b>the Chamber of Avtinas and the Chamber of the Spark</b> were upper stories. Concerning this, <b>a dilemma was raised before</b> the Sages: <b>Were</b> these halls <b>actual upper stories? Or perhaps they were</b> merely very <b>tall,</b> built upon pillars, and therefore were <b>like upper stories.</b>
The Gemara explains: <b>Come</b> and <b>hear</b> a resolution, <b>as we learned</b> in a mishna that discusses the seven gates to the Temple courtyard (<i>Middot</i> 1:5): There were three gates <b>that were in the north,</b> and the first of these was the <b>Gate of the Spark.</b> It <b>was like a portico [<i>akhsadra</i>], and</b> there was <b>an upper story built atop it,</b> where the honor guard stood, <b>with the priests watching from above,</b> in the upper story; <b>and the Levites</b> would keep watch <b>from below. And</b> the hall <b>had an entrance toward the non-sacred</b> area of the Temple Mount. This mishna indicates that the Chamber of the Spark was an actual upper story.
The Gemara asks: <b>From where are these matters,</b> that the priests and Levites kept watch on different stories, derived? This is derived from a verse, <b>as the Sages taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>: The verse states that God said to Aaron: “And your brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, you shall bring near with you, <b>that they may accompany you and serve you”</b> (Numbers 18:2). <b>The verse is speaking of</b> the Levites accompanying Aaron in <b>your,</b> i.e., Aaron’s, <b>service</b> of keeping watch in the Temple, which is the only service performed by both priests and Levites. Since the verse speaks of the watch of the Levites only as an accompaniment to the watch of the priests, the Levites do not keep watch from above like the priests, but only from below.
The <i>baraita</i> asks: <b>Do you say</b> that <b>the verse speaks of</b> the Levites’ accompanying the priests in <b>your service,</b> of the priests keeping watch, <b>or</b> is it <b>only</b> stating that the Levites should accompany the priests <b>through their</b> own <b>service</b> of bearing the sacred vessels? The <i>baraita</i> explains that <b>when</b> the verse <b>states: “And they shall accompany you, and they shall keep</b> the watch of the Tent of Meeting” (Numbers 18:4), this is referring to keeping watch <b>of all</b> the Temple’s <b>vessels and all its service,</b> and consequently <b>their</b> own <b>service</b> of bearing the sacred vessels <b>is</b> already <b>stated. How,</b> then, <b>do I realize</b> the meaning of the previous verse: <b>“That they may accompany you and serve you”</b> (Numbers 18:2)? <b>The verse is speaking of</b> the Levites accompanying the priests in <b>your service,</b> of the priests keeping watch in the Temple. <b>How so?</b> The <b>priests keep watch from above, and</b> the <b>Levites</b> accompany them <b>from below.</b>
§ With regard to the third place in which the priests would keep watch, the mishna states: In <b>the Chamber of the Hearth</b> the ceiling was round like a <b>cupola, and it was a large hall.</b>
The Gemara asks: <b>But was there</b> only <b>one watchman in the Chamber of the Hearth? And</b> the Gemara <b>raises a contradiction</b> from a mishna (<i>Middot</i> 1:7): <b>The Chamber of the Hearth had two gates; one,</b> on the north side, was <b>open to the rampart, and one,</b> on the south side, was <b>open to the courtyard. Rabbi Yehuda said: This</b> gate <b>that was open to the courtyard had a small wicket</b> in the door of the gate, <b>through which</b> the priests would <b>enter</b> in order <b>to examine the courtyard</b> and ensure that everything was in order. The Chamber of the Hearth had two gates, and therefore there should have been two watchmen there. <b>Abaye said: Since</b> the two gates <b>stood next to each other,</b> i.e., directly opposite one another, it <b>was sufficient for them</b> to be watched <b>by one watchman,</b> who could <b>look here and look there.</b>
§ The mishna teaches that the Chamber of the Hearth was <b>surrounded</b> by <b>rows of stone</b> that protruded from the walls and that served as benches. The Gemara asks: <b>What are</b> these <b>rows</b> of stone? They are rows of <b>chiseled stones by which</b> the priests <b>ascend to</b> another row of <b>stone,</b> where they could lie down. The Gemara asks: <b>And would they split</b> the <b>stones</b> in the process of building the Temple? <b>But isn’t it written: “For the Temple, when it was being built,</b> was built <b>of whole stone</b> made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the Temple, while it was being built” (I Kings 6:7)?
<b>Abaye said:</b> It was prohibited to use iron implements to cut the stones only inside the Temple area. In this case it was permitted to have chiseled stones, <b>as</b> the builders <b>prepared</b> the stones in another location. <b>And</b> the builders <b>initially brought small stones and large stones</b> with which to build the Temple, <b>as it is written:</b> “And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, <b>stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits”</b> (I Kings 7:10). Accordingly, the larger stones were used for the lower tier, while the smaller stones were for the higher tier, forming protruding benches upon which the priests could sleep.
The mishna teaches that <b>the elders of the patrilineal family</b> that would serve in the Temple the following day would <b>sleep there,</b> on the rows of stone. The Gemara asks: <b>But why</b> did the priests sleep on the stones? <b>Let them bring beds</b> into the Chamber of the Hearth. <b>Abaye said:</b> It is <b>not proper conduct to bring beds into the Temple.</b>
The mishna further teaches that with regard to the <b>young men of the priesthood, each</b> of them would sleep with <b>his garment on the ground.</b> The Gemara asks: <b>Why</b> is it that <b>there,</b> in the earlier mishna, the <i>tanna</i> <b>calls them young</b> [<b><i>rovim</i></b>] priests, whereas <b>here,</b> the <i>tanna</i> <b>calls them</b>

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the <b>young men of the priesthood [<i>pirḥei khehunna</i>]?</b> Is there a distinction between these different terms? The Sages <b>say: Yes,</b> there is a distinction. <b>There,</b> with regard to the priests who keep watch in the Chamber of Avtinas and in the Chamber of the Spark, the mishna is referring to priests <b>who have not reached</b> the age at which they are eligible <b>to perform</b> the Temple <b>service,</b> and therefore the <i>tanna</i> <b>calls them young</b> priests. The older priests would not keep watch, as they preferred to perform the Temple service. <b>Here,</b> with regard to the priests who sleep in the Chamber of the Hearth in order to be ready to perform the morning rites, the mishna is referring to priests <b>who have reached</b> the age at which <b>they</b> are eligible <b>to perform</b> the Temple <b>service,</b> and consequently the <i>tanna</i> <b>calls them</b> the <b>young men</b> of the priesthood.
§ <b>We learned</b> in a mishna <b>elsewhere</b> (<i>Middot</i> 1:1): <b>The priests</b> would <b>keep watch in three places in the Temple</b> courtyard: <b>In the Chamber of Avtinas, and in the Chamber of the Spark, and in the Chamber of the Hearth.</b>
<b>And the Levites</b> would keep watch <b>in twenty-one places,</b> as follows: <b>Five upon</b> the <b>five gates of the Temple Mount; four upon</b> the <b>four corners of</b> the Temple Mount, <b>within</b> the wall surrounding the Temple Mount; <b>five upon</b> the <b>five gates of</b> the Temple <b>courtyard, and four upon</b> the <b>four corners of</b> the Temple courtyard <b>outside</b> the courtyard wall, surrounding the Temple courtyard. <b>One</b> watch is observed <b>in the Chamber of the Offering,</b> where animals that had been checked for blemishes were held in readiness for sacrifice; <b>one</b> watch is kept <b>in the Chamber of the Curtain,</b> where the Curtain separating the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies was woven; <b>and</b> finally, <b>one</b> watch is kept <b>behind the Chamber of the Ark Cover,</b> in the area between the Holy of Holies and the western wall of the Temple Mount.
With regard to these twenty-one places where the Levites keep watch, the Gemara asks: <b>From where are these matters</b> derived? <b>Rav Yehuda of Sura said, and some say</b> that <b>it was taught in a <i>baraita</i>:</b> This is derived <b>as it is written</b> with regard to the Levites assigned by David to serve as gatekeepers upon the future construction of the Temple: <b>Eastward were six Levites, northward four Levites, southward four Levites, and for the <i>Asuppim</i> two and two. For the <i>Parbar</i> westward, four at the causeway, and two at the <i>Parbar</i></b> (see I Chronicles 26:17–18).
The Sages <b>say</b> that if these verses are the source for the twenty-one places in which the Levites keep watch, that is difficult, as <b>these</b> watches enumerated in the verse <b>are twenty-four</b> in total. <b>Abaye said: This</b> is what the verse <b>is saying: “For the <i>Asuppim</i></b> two,” and they are always only <b>two.</b> It is not uncommon for a verse to repeat a word for emphasis in this manner, especially at the end of a verse.
The Gemara objects: Even if two locations are removed from the list, according to the verse <b>there are still twenty-two</b> watches, rather than twenty-one. The Gemara explains: <b>That</b> watch, <b>which</b> was situated at the <b><i>Parbar</i>, was</b> composed of only <b>one</b> watchman, <b>and</b> as for <b>the other</b> Levite mentioned in the verse, <b>it was</b> merely to serve <b>as company that he went and sat with</b> the watchman, <b>due to</b> the fact <b>that</b> the <i>Parbar</i> <b>was situated on the outer</b> side and was isolated from the other watches.
The Gemara asks: <b>What</b> is the meaning of the term <b>“at the <i>Parbar</i> [<i>laParbar</i>]”</b> (I Chronicles 26:18)? <b>Rabba bar Rav Sheila said:</b> This term is a contraction of two Aramaic words, and it is <b>like one who says: Toward the outside [<i>kelapei bar</i>].</b>
The Gemara presents an alternative answer to the question with regard to the verse: <b>And if you wish, say</b> instead that <b>actually</b> there are <b>twenty-four</b> watches, and the verse may be interpreted literally <b>as it is written. Three of them</b> are the watches kept <b>by</b> the <b>priests, and</b> the remaining <b>twenty-one</b> are the watches kept <b>by</b> the <b>Levites.</b>
The Gemara asks: <b>But isn’t it written here</b> in the verse that all twenty-four watches are kept by the <b>Levites?</b> The Gemara answers: This interpretation is <b>in accordance with</b> the opinion of <b>Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: In twenty-four places</b> in the Bible the <b>priests are called Levites, and this is one of them: “But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok,</b> that kept the charge of My Sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to serve Me” (Ezekiel 44:15).
The mishna (<i>Middot</i> 1:1) teaches that <b>five</b> watches are kept <b>upon</b> the <b>five gates of the Temple Mount, and four</b> watches are kept <b>upon</b> the <b>four corners of</b> the Temple Mount <b>within</b> the Temple Mount wall. <b>Five</b> watches are kept <b>upon</b> the <b>five gates of</b> the Temple <b>courtyard, and four</b> are kept <b>upon</b> the <b>four corners of</b> the Temple courtyard <b>outside</b> the courtyard wall, on the Temple Mount. The Gemara asks: <b>What is different</b> with regard to <b>the Temple Mount that we perform</b> the watch <b>within</b> the walls, <b>and what is different</b> with regard to the Temple <b>courtyard that we perform</b> the watch <b>outside</b> its walls?
The Sages <b>say:</b> With regard to the watches on <b>the Temple Mount, if</b> the watchman <b>tires and wants</b> to <b>sit</b> down, <b>he may sit</b> down, as it is permitted to sit on the Temple Mount. Therefore, <b>we say</b> that the watch is kept <b>within</b> the Temple Mount. By contrast, if a watch is observed in the Temple <b>courtyard,</b> even <b>if</b> the watchman <b>tires and wants to sit</b> down, <b>he may not sit</b> down, <b>as the Master said: Sitting in the</b> Temple <b>courtyard</b> is <b>permitted only for kings of the house of David.</b> Therefore, <b>we say</b> that the watch is kept <b>outside</b> the walls of the Temple courtyard, so that the watchman may sit down if he wishes.
<b>The Master said</b> above that <b>five</b> watches are kept <b>upon</b> the <b>five gates of</b> the Temple <b>courtyard.</b> The Gemara asks: <b>But was it</b> only <b>five gates that were</b> constructed <b>in the</b> walls of <b>the</b> Temple <b>courtyard? And</b> the Gemara <b>raises a contradiction</b> from a mishna (<i>Middot</i> 1:4): <b>There were seven gates in the</b> Temple <b>courtyard: Three in the north, and three in the south, and one in the east.</b>
<b>Abaye said:</b> Although there were seven gates, <b>two of them,</b> the gate to the Chamber of the Spark and the gate to the Chamber of the Hearth, <b>did not require a watch</b> of the Levites, as the priests kept watch there. <b>Rava said:</b> The number of gates <b>is</b> a dispute between <b><i>tanna’im</i>, as it is taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>: <b>There must be no fewer than thirteen treasurers and seven trustees</b> appointed over the Temple administration. <b>Rabbi Natan says: There must be no fewer than thirteen treasurers, corresponding to</b> the <b>thirteen gates. Remove</b> from the total of thirteen gates the <b>five</b> gates <b>of the Temple Mount,</b> and <b>there remain eight</b> gates <b>to the</b> Temple <b>courtyard. Evidently, there is a <i>tanna</i> who said</b> that <b>there were eight</b> gates, <b>and there is a <i>tanna</i> who said</b> that there were <b>seven</b> gates, <b>and there is</b> also <b>a <i>tanna</i> who said</b> that <b>there were five</b> gates.
§ The mishna (25b) teaches that the priests <b>would not sleep</b> dressed <b>in the sacred vestments;</b> rather, they would remove them and place them beneath their heads. The Gemara infers from here that <b>it is</b> only <b>sleep that is not</b> permitted while a priest is dressed in the sacred vestments, lest he pass wind during his sleep. <b>But</b> with regard to wearing such vestments while the priests are awake and engaged in various activities, e.g., <b>walking, they may walk</b> about dressed in the vestments, even when they do not need to wear them for the Temple service. <b>You may</b> therefore <b>conclude from</b> the mishna that <b>it is permitted to derive benefit from priestly vestments.</b>
The Sages <b>say</b> that this inference is incorrect. <b>The same is true</b> of walking, <b>as even walking</b> while wearing the vestments <b>is not</b> permitted, <b>and</b> the reason <b>that</b> the <i>tanna</i> <b>teaches</b> specifically that the priests <b>would not sleep</b> dressed in the vestments is <b>due to</b> the fact <b>that</b> the <i>tanna</i> <b>wanted to teach the latter clause: Rather, they</b> would <b>remove</b> them <b>and fold</b> them, <b>and</b> then <b>they</b> would <b>place them beneath their heads.</b> Since the latter clause is referring specifically to sleeping, the <i>tanna</i> <b>teaches</b> in <b>the former clause as well</b> that the priests <b>would not sleep</b> dressed in the vestments.
The Gemara objects: <b>But</b> according to this interpretation, the mishna <b>itself is difficult,</b> as the mishna states: <b>And they</b> would <b>place</b> the priestly vestments <b>beneath their heads,</b> as a cushion. One may <b>conclude from</b> this statement that <b>it is permitted to derive benefit from priestly vestments.</b> The Gemara rejects this interpretation: <b>Say</b> that the mishna means that they would place the vestments <b>next to their heads,</b> not literally beneath them.
<b>Rav Pappa said:</b> One may <b>conclude from</b> this interpretation of the mishna that if one places <b>phylacteries by the side</b> of his head while he sleeps, <b>they are</b> in <b>a permitted</b> place. <b>And we are not concerned</b> that <b>perhaps he will roll over</b> in his sleep <b>and fall upon them,</b> which would degrade the phylacteries.
The Gemara comments: <b>So too, it is reasonable</b> to say <b>that</b> the mishna permits the vestments to be placed only <b>next to their heads. As, if you say</b> that the mishna permits the vestments to be placed literally <b>beneath their heads,</b> this is difficult. <b>Granted that it is permitted to derive benefit from them,</b> but one <b>could derive</b> that it is prohibited to sleep upon them <b>due to the prohibition of diverse kinds</b> of wool and linen. The priestly vestments contain both wool and linen, which is a prohibited mixture in every other context. The Torah specifically permits the priests to wear them while they are performing the Temple service, but this does not extend to using the vestments as a cushion while sleeping.

Daf 27b

The Gemara explains the difficulty: If one maintains that the mishna permits the priests to place the vestments beneath their heads, <b>this works out well according to the one who said</b> that <b>the belt of the High Priest is not the same as the belt of an ordinary priest.</b> Although the belt of the High Priest was made of both wool and linen, the belt of ordinary priests, like the rest of their vestments, were made entirely of linen and did not contain diverse kinds. <b>But according to the one who said</b> that <b>the belt of an ordinary priest is the same as the belt of the High Priest, what is there to say?</b> Since the belt contained diverse kinds, how could the mishna possibly permit the priests to sleep upon their vestments?
<b>And if you would say</b> that with regard to <b>diverse kinds it is</b> only <b>placing</b> the garment <b>upon</b> oneself <b>or wearing</b> it <b>that is prohibited, but</b> as for <b>spreading</b> it <b>beneath you,</b> it is <b>permitted,</b> this explanation is difficult. <b>But isn’t it taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>: The verse states: <b>“Neither shall there come upon you</b> a garment of diverse kinds” (Leviticus 19:19). One should infer as follows: <b>But you may spread</b> a garment of diverse kinds <b>beneath you,</b> in order to lie upon it. The <i>baraita</i> continues: This is the <i>halakha</i> by Torah law, <b>but the Sages said</b> that <b>it is prohibited to do so, lest a single fiber wrap</b> itself <b>upon his flesh,</b> which would cause him to be in transgression of the Torah prohibition. Accordingly, the priests should not be permitted to place vestments made of diverse kinds beneath their heads.
<b>And if you would say</b> that the priests could place the vestments beneath their heads in such a manner <b>that something separates</b> between their flesh and the vestments, as the fibers could not wrap themselves upon their flesh, such conduct would still be prohibited. <b>Doesn’t Rabbi Shimon say</b> that <b>Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says</b> that <b>Rabbi Yosei ben Shaul says in the name of the holy community in Jerusalem: Even</b> if there are <b>ten mattresses</b> piled <b>one atop the other and</b> a garment of <b>diverse kinds</b> is placed <b>beneath</b> all of <b>them, it is prohibited to sleep upon them?</b> This is because the rabbinic decree applies equally to all cases, irrespective of whether the concern that motivated the decree exists. <b>Rather,</b> one may <b>conclude from</b> here that the mishna permits the vestments to be placed only <b>next to their heads.</b>
The Gemara suggests alternative solutions: <b>And if you wish, say</b> instead that the mishna does permit the priests to place the vestments beneath their heads, as it is referring <b>to those</b> vestments <b>that do not contain diverse kinds. Rav Ashi says:</b> The mishna permits the priests to place even the belt that contains diverse kinds beneath their heads. This is because the <b>priestly vestments,</b> and specifically the belt, <b>are stiff,</b> and therefore it is not prohibited to lie on them. <b>As Rav Huna, son of Rabbi Yehoshua, said: This stiff felt [<i>namta</i>],</b> which is manufactured <b>in</b> the city of <b>Neresh</b> and is made of diverse kinds, <b>is permitted.</b> The prohibition of diverse kinds applies only to items that are similar to garments, which one derives pleasure from wearing. A stiff garment does not provide warmth, and is therefore not included in this prohibition.
The Gemara returns to discuss the earlier dilemma, of whether it is permitted to derive benefit from priestly vestments. <b>Come</b> and <b>hear</b> a <i>baraita</i>: With regard to the <b>priestly vestments,</b> the act of <b>one who leaves</b> the Temple dressed <b>in them</b> and goes out <b>to the country,</b> i.e., outside the Temple, is <b>prohibited. But in the Temple, both at the time of</b> the Temple <b>service and not at the time of</b> the <b>service,</b> wearing the vestments is <b>permitted, as it is permitted to derive benefit from the priestly vestments.</b> The Gemara concludes: One may <b>conclude from</b> the <i>baraita</i> that it is permitted to derive benefit from the priestly vestments.
According to the <i>baraita</i>, the priestly vestments may not be worn outside the Temple. The Gemara asks: <b>And</b> is it <b>not</b> permitted to wear the priestly vestments <b>in</b> the rest of <b>the country,</b> outside the Temple? <b>But isn’t it taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>, in connection with a date mentioned in <i>Megillat Ta’anit</i>: <b>On the twenty-first of</b> Tevet, this is <b>the day of Mount Gerizim, which</b> was established as a festive day, and therefore it is <b>not</b> permitted <b>to eulogize.</b> This date was established as a festive day because the Temple was saved from destruction on that day, due to the actions of Shimon HaTzaddik, the High Priest, <b>as it is</b> related <b>in</b> tractate <b><i>Yoma</i></b> (69a), in the seventh <b>chapter,</b> which begins: <b>The High Priest came close</b> to read the Torah.
The <i>baraita</i> relates that Shimon HaTzaddik went to greet Alexander the Macedonian wearing the priestly vestments. The Gemara in <i>Yoma</i> cites the complete <i>baraita</i>, <b>up to</b> the Gemara’s explanation as to why Shimon HaTzaddik wore the priestly vestments outside the Temple: <b>If you wish, say</b> that Shimon HaTzaddik did not wear consecrated priestly vestments. Rather, he wore garments that were <b>fit to be priestly vestments,</b> i.e., they were made of the same material and design.
<b>And if you wish, say</b> instead that he did in fact wear consecrated priestly vestments. Although this is usually prohibited, in this instance it was permitted due to the principle: <b>“It is time to act for the Lord; they have nullified Your Torah”</b> (Psalms 119:126). In times of great need, such as when one seeks to prevent the destruction of the Temple, it is permitted to violate the <i>halakha</i> for the sake of Heaven, and the actions of Shimon HaTzaddik indeed averted the destruction.
§ The mishna teaches (25b): If <b>a seminal emission befell one of</b> the priests and rendered him ritually impure, he would leave the Chamber of the Hearth and he would walk through the circuitous passage that extended beneath the Temple, as he could not pass through the Temple courtyard, due to his impurity.
The Gemara notes that this mishna <b>supports</b> the opinion of <b>Rabbi Yoḥanan, who says:</b> The <b>tunnels</b> beneath the Temple Mount <b>were not sanctified,</b> neither with the sanctity of the Temple courtyard nor with the sanctity of the Temple Mount. The Gemara cites a related statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan: <b>A man who experienced a seminal emission is sent outside of two camps,</b> the camp of the Divine Presence and the camp of the Levites. Accordingly, he may not remain in the Temple courtyard, which has the status of the camp of the Divine Presence, nor on the Temple Mount, which has the status of the camp of the Levites.
The mishna teaches: <b>And the lamps were burning on this</b> side <b>and on that</b> side of the passage…and there was a bathroom of honor in the Chamber of Immersion. This was its honor: If one found the door closed, he would know that there was a person there, and he would wait for him to exit before entering. The Gemara relates: <b>Rav Safra was sitting in the bathroom</b> when <b>Rabbi Abba came</b> along. Since there was no door, Rabbi Abba <b>coughed</b> outside <b>to</b> alert anyone within of his presence and thereby inquire whether he could enter. Rav Safra <b>said to</b> Rabbi Abba: <b>Enter, Master,</b> and Rabbi Abba therefore entered the bathroom.
<b>When he came out, Rabbi Abba said to</b> Rav Safra: <b>Until now,</b> although you have traveled widely, <b>you have never entered Seir,</b> the land of the Edomites, who behave immodestly. Nevertheless, <b>you have learned the ways of Seir. Didn’t we learn this</b> in the mishna: If one <b>found</b> the door <b>closed, it was known that there was a person there,</b> and one would wait for him to exit before entering. This serves <b>to say that</b> a person <b>should not enter</b> the bathroom while another person is inside. Therefore, Rav Safra should not have told Rabbi Abba to enter.
The Gemara explains that <b>Rav Safra</b> told Rabbi Abba to enter because he <b>thought: Perhaps</b> Rabbi Abba <b>is in danger.</b> Rav Safra was concerned that if Rabbi Abba waited for him to exit, Rabbi Abba might jeopardize his health, <b>as it was taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i> that <b>Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: A column</b> of feces <b>that is held back,</b> because one refrains from relieving himself, <b>causes a person to</b> suffer from <b>edema [<i>hidrokan</i>]. A stream</b> of urine <b>that is held back causes a person to</b> suffer from <b>jaundice [<i>yerakon</i>].</b>
<b>Rav said to his son Ḥiyya, and likewise Rav Huna said to his son Rabba: Relieve yourself</b> when it <b>gets dark, and relieve yourself before</b> daybreak, even if you have no particular need to do so. The reason is that the streets are mostly empty at these times, and one can relieve himself near his home without concern that he might be seen. This is important, <b>so that</b> you <b>will not</b> have to relieve yourself during the day, when the streets are full, and you will be compelled to retain your feces while you <b>distance yourself,</b> which is liable to jeopardize your health. Furthermore, when relieving yourself, you should behave modestly. <b>Sit</b> down first <b>and</b> only then <b>uncover</b> yourself; afterward, <b>cover</b> yourself first <b>and</b> only then <b>stand up.</b>
With regard to drinking, these <i>amora’im</i> instructed their sons: When you drink wine, <b>rinse</b> the cup first <b>and</b> only then <b>drink</b> from it; after you drink, <b>rinse</b> the cup <b>and</b> only then <b>set</b> it back in its place. <b>But when you drink water,</b> it is not necessary to rinse the cup afterward; rather, <b>pour</b> out some <b>of the</b> water to rinse the rim of the cup, <b>and afterward you may give</b> the cup <b>to your student,</b> if he wants to drink.
<b>As it is taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>: <b>A person should not drink water and give</b> the remaining water <b>to his student, unless he</b> first <b>poured</b> some <b>of it</b> out. <b>And</b> there was <b>an incident involving a certain</b> individual <b>who drank water and did not pour</b> some <b>of it</b> out, <b>and he gave</b> the cup <b>to his student. And that student was a delicate person [<i>istenis</i>], and</b> due to his sensitivity <b>he did not want to drink</b> from the cup, <b>and he died of thirst. At that time,</b> the Sages <b>said: A person should not drink water and give</b> the remaining water <b>to his student unless</b> he first <b>poured</b> some <b>of it</b> out. <b>Rav Ashi said: Therefore,</b> in the case of <b>this student who pours</b> water from the cup that his teacher drank from first, even if he does so <b>in the presence of his teacher,</b> his actions <b>are not</b> prohibited <b>due to disrespect [<i>afkiruta</i>].</b>
With regard to eating, these <i>amora’im</i> instructed their sons: In the case of <b>anything</b> that you are eating, if the food causes you to salivate and you need to spit out the saliva, <b>do not spit</b> it <b>out in the presence of your teacher,</b> as it is disrespectful, <b>except</b> in the case <b>of</b> a dish of <b>gourd or porridge.</b> If one is eating gourds or porridge he may spit out the saliva even in the presence of his teacher, <b>as</b> the saliva generated by these items is <b>like</b> a molten <b>bar of lead,</b> and refraining from spitting it out would be dangerous.
§ <b>We learned</b> in a mishna <b>elsewhere</b> (<i>Middot</i> 1:2): <b>The man [<i>ish</i>]</b> in charge of overseeing the watches <b>of the Temple Mount would circulate</b> nightly <b>among each and every watch post,</b> to ascertain that the watchmen were awake and performing their duty properly. <b>And</b> there were <b>lit torches</b> carried <b>before him,</b> so that the watchmen would see him approaching. <b>And</b> at <b>every watch post where</b> the watchman would <b>not stand</b> up, the man would test whether the watchman was sleeping; <b>and the man of the Temple Mount</b> would <b>say to him:</b>

Daf 28a

<b>Peace be upon you.</b> If he would not reply, <b>it was evident that he</b> was <b>sleeping.</b> The man of the Temple Mount would therefore <b>strike him with his staff, and he</b> even <b>had license to burn</b> the watchman’s <b>garment,</b> in order to discipline him. <b>And those</b> overhearing the watchman being rebuked would <b>say</b> to one another: <b>What is</b> that <b>sound in the</b> Temple <b>courtyard?</b> It is the <b>sound of a Levite</b> being <b>flogged and</b> having <b>his clothing burned, as he was</b> caught <b>sleeping during</b> his <b>watch. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: Once,</b> the supervisors <b>found my mother’s brother sleeping</b> on his watch, <b>and they burned his garment.</b>
<b>Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says: When Rabbi Yoḥanan would reach this mishna</b> in his studies, he <b>would say this: The early</b> generations <b>were praiseworthy, as they meted out judgment even in</b> the case of an offense caused by <b>unavoidable sleep;</b> and <b>all the more so</b> would they mete out judgment <b>in</b> the case of offenses that were <b>not</b> caused by <b>unavoidable sleep.</b>
<b>It is taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i> that <b>Rabbi</b> Yehuda HaNasi <b>says: Which</b> way of life <b>is an upright path that a person should select for himself;</b> what should be his guiding principle? One <b>should love admonition, for as long as</b> statements of <b>admonition</b> from the wise are heard <b>in the world, pleasantness comes into the world, goodness and blessing come into the world, and evil departs from the world, as it is stated: “But to those who admonish shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them”</b> (Proverbs 24:25). <b>And some say:</b> The path one <b>should</b> select is to <b>adhere to utmost faithfulness</b> in business and interpersonal relations, <b>as it is stated: “My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me;</b> he who walks in a way of integrity, he shall serve Me” (Psalms 101:6).
<b>Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says</b> that <b>Rabbi Yonatan says: Anyone who rebukes another for the sake of Heaven is privileged to</b> dwell in <b>the portion of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: “He that rebukes a man shall be behind Me”</b> (Proverbs 28:23), i.e., with Me. <b>Moreover,</b> the heavenly court <b>extends over him a cord of</b> divine <b>grace, as it is stated</b> in the same verse: <b>“He will find more favor than he who flatters with the tongue.”</b>
§ The mishna teaches (26a): If one <b>found</b> the bathroom door <b>closed, he would know</b> that there was a person there. The mishna then describes the commencement of the daily service in the Temple: <b>Whoever wants to remove</b> the ashes <b>from the altar</b> rises early and immerses himself before the appointed priest arrives. The Gemara objects: <b>This</b> mishna <b>itself</b> is <b>difficult. You</b> first <b>said: Whoever wants to remove</b> the ashes <b>from the altar rises early and immerses</b> himself <b>before the appointed</b> priest <b>arrives. Evidently, the matter</b> of determining who removes the ashes <b>is not dependent upon a lottery;</b> rather, whoever is ready first is entitled to remove the ashes. Otherwise, only the one selected would then immerse. <b>But afterward,</b> the mishna <b>teaches</b> that the appointed priest says to the other priests: Whoever immersed <b>may come and participate in the lottery. Evidently, the matter is dependent upon a lottery.</b> How can this contradiction be resolved?
<b>Abaye said:</b> This is <b>not difficult. Here,</b> when the mishna indicates that whoever is ready first is entitled to remove the ashes, it is describing the procedure <b>before</b> the Sages enacted the <b>ordinance</b> of a lottery. <b>There,</b> when the mishna states that the appointed priest conducts a lottery, it is describing the procedure <b>after</b> they enacted the <b>ordinance.</b>
<b>As we learned</b> in a mishna (<i>Yoma</i> 22a): <b>Initially,</b> the practice was as follows: <b>Whoever wants to remove</b> the ashes <b>from the altar removes</b> them. <b>When there are many</b> priests who wish to perform that task, the matter is determined by a race: The priests <b>run and ascend on the ramp</b> leading to the top of the altar. <b>Any</b> priest <b>who precedes the other</b> and reaches <b>within four cubits</b> of the top of the altar first <b>is privileged</b> to remove the ashes. If <b>two</b> priests <b>were equal</b> and neither preceded the other, <b>the appointed</b> priest <b>says to them: Raise</b> your <b>fingers,</b> and a lottery is performed.
<b>And what</b> fingers <b>do they extend</b> for the lottery? They may extend <b>one or two</b> fingers. The lottery was then conducted when the priests chose an arbitrary number, after which the appointee counted the raised fingers of the priests, who stood in a circle. He would go around the circle counting the fingers until he reached the chosen number, and the priest at whom the count ended won the lottery. <b>And</b> the priests <b>do not extend a thumb in the Temple,</b> as using the thumb might enable someone to manipulate the lottery. As the count progressed, a priest could calculate the result and surreptitiously extend his thumb and an additional finger. Since there is separation between the thumb and the forefinger it might appear as though they belonged to two different priests, and in this manner one could cause the lottery to conclude with a different priest.
The mishna continues: That used to be the procedure, but <b>an incident</b> occurred in which <b>two</b> priests <b>were equal</b> as they were <b>running and ascending on the ramp; and one of them shoved the other</b> and he fell, <b>and his leg was broken. And when the court saw that</b> people <b>were coming to</b> potential <b>danger, they instituted that</b> the priests <b>would remove</b> the ashes <b>from the altar only by</b> means of <b>a lottery.</b>
<b>Rava said:</b> Both <b>this</b> clause, which states that to remove the ashes the priests must rise early and be prepared, <b>and that</b> clause, which states that a lottery is conducted, are describing the procedure <b>after the ordinance. And this</b> is what the mishna <b>is teaching: Whoever wants to come and to participate in the lottery rises early and immerses before the appointed</b> priest <b>arrives</b> to conduct the lottery among those priests who are ready to participate.
<strong>MISHNA:</strong> At some time near dawn the appointed priest <b>took the key</b> that was kept beneath a marble tablet set in the floor of the Chamber of the Hearth <b>and opened</b> with it <b>the wicket [<i>hapishpesh</i>]</b> in the gate of the Chamber of the Hearth. <b>And he entered</b> through the wicket <b>from the Chamber of the Hearth to the</b> Temple <b>courtyard; and the priests</b> of the patrilineal family <b>entered after him, and two torches of fire</b> were <b>in their hands,</b> to light the way.
The priests <b>divided into two groups; these</b> priests would <b>walk along the portico</b> that surrounded the Temple courtyard, starting in the <b>direction of east, and those</b> priests would <b>walk along the portico</b> starting in the <b>direction</b> of <b>west.</b>The priests would ensure that all the service vessels were in place, ready for use in the daily service. Both groups <b>would continue inspecting</b> the vessels <b>until they reached the place</b> where the Chamber of <b>the Preparer of the</b> High Priest’s daily <b>Griddle-Cake</b> Offering was located. When <b>they reached</b> that place, <b>these</b> priests <b>and those</b> priests <b>said</b> to each other: It is <b>well; all is well,</b> and all the vessels are in place. <b>They</b> then <b>set the preparer of</b> the <b>griddle-cake</b> offering <b>to prepare</b> the <b>griddle-cake</b> offering.
The priest <b>who won</b> the lottery <b>to remove</b> the ashes <b>from the altar shall</b> then <b>remove</b> the ashes. <b>And</b> the other priests <b>say</b> to him: <b>Be careful that you do not touch the vessel</b> with which you perform the rite <b>until you sanctify your hands and your feet from the Basin,</b> as a priest may not perform any service in the Temple before sanctifying his hands and feet. The priests would continue their reminders: <b>The coal pan</b> with which the ashes are removed <b>is placed in</b> the <b>corner between the ramp and the altar, on the western</b> side <b>of</b> the <b>ramp.</b>
<b>No person would enter with</b> the priest who was removing the ashes, as it was permitted to enter the area between the Entrance Hall of the Sanctuary and the altar only when performing the Temple service. <b>And</b> there was <b>no lamp in his hand</b> when he went to fetch the coal pan. <b>Rather, he would walk by the light of the arrangement</b> of wood on the altar, upon which the portions of the offerings sacrificed the previous day were burned during the night. The other priests <b>would not see him,</b> as the altar hid him from their sight,

Daf 28b

<b>nor could they hear the sound of his</b> steps. They were therefore unaware of his progress <b>until they heard</b> the <b>sound of the wood that ben Katin crafted</b> into <b>a mechanism [<i>mukhani</i>]</b> of pulleys that was used <b>to</b> sink <b>the Basin</b> into flowing water during the night, so that its water would not be disqualified by remaining overnight. When the priests heard the sound of the pulleys raising the Basin from the water, <b>they said</b> to each other: <b>The time</b> for sanctifying hands and feet <b>has come.</b> The priest <b>sanctified his hands and his feet</b> with water <b>from the Basin</b> after he raised it. <b>He</b> then <b>took the silver coal pan</b> from the corner between the ramp and the altar, <b>and ascended to the top of the altar.</b>
The priest <b>cleared the</b> upper layer of <b>coals to this side</b> and to that side and <b>scooped</b> into the coal pan <b>the inner</b> coals that were completely <b>consumed.</b> He then <b>descended</b> the ramp. When <b>he reached the floor,</b> in the southeast of the Temple courtyard, <b>he turned his face toward the north. He</b> would <b>walk along the east</b> side <b>of the ramp</b> toward the south side of the altar, walking a distance of <b>about ten cubits</b> from the bottom of the ramp, which was twenty cubits from the altar. <b>He</b> then <b>heaped the coals upon the floor</b> in a location <b>three handbreadths distant from the ramp,</b> in the <b>place where</b> the priests would <b>place the crop of the bird</b> burnt offering, <b>the ashes</b> removed <b>from the inner,</b> golden <b>altar, and the ashes</b> removed <b>from the Candelabrum.</b>
<strong>GEMARA:</strong> The mishna teaches that the priests would walk along the portico surrounding the Temple courtyard. Since porticoes were usually made of wood, the Gemara asks: <b>And were there porticoes in the courtyard? But isn’t it taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i> that <b>Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: From where</b> is it derived <b>that one may not build</b> wooden <b>porticoes in the</b> Temple <b>courtyard? The verse states: “You shall not plant for yourself an <i>ashera</i> of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God”</b> (Deuteronomy 16:21).
The Gemara explains that <b>this</b> is what the verse <b>is saying: You shall not plant for yourself an <i>ashera</i>,</b> i.e., a tree used as part of idolatrous rites. Moreover, <b>you shall not plant</b> or otherwise place <b>for yourself any kind of tree</b> or wood <b>beside the altar of the Lord your God. Rav Ḥisda says:</b> The mishna is referring <b>to porticoes</b> made <b>of building</b> materials, i.e., stone, whereas the prohibition of erecting porticoes in the Temple courtyard applies only to porticoes of wood.
§ The mishna teaches: Both groups <b>would continue inspecting</b> the vessels until they reached the place where the Chamber of the Preparer of the Griddle-Cake Offering was located. They would then set the preparer of the Griddle-Cake Offering to prepare the griddle-cake offering. The Gemara asks: Is this <b>to say that</b> the <b>griddle-cake</b> offering <b>was</b> sacrificed <b>before</b> the other rites of the Temple service were performed?
<b>But isn’t it taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>: <b>From where</b> is it derived <b>that there is nothing</b> that is sacrificed on the altar <b>prior to the daily morning offering? The verse states:</b> “And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not be extinguished; and the priest shall kindle wood upon it every morning, <b>and he shall prepare the burnt offering upon it</b> and shall cause the fats of the peace offerings to go up in smoke upon it” (Leviticus 6:5). <b>And Rabba says</b> that the term: <b>The burnt offering,</b> with the definite article, indicates that the <b>burnt offering</b> is important and is the <b>first</b> offering sacrificed each day. <b>Rav Yehuda says:</b> The griddle-cake offering was not burned on the altar at that early hour. Rather, it was necessary to set the preparers of the griddle-cake offering <b>to heat hot water for</b> preparing <b>the parboiled</b> griddle cakes.

<strong>MISHNA:</strong> The previous mishna described the performance of the removal of the ashes by the priest who was selected to perform this task. This mishna continues: <b>The brethren</b> of the priest who removed the ashes, i.e., the other members of the patrilineal family, <b>saw that he had descended</b> from the altar with the coal pan, <b>and they</b> would <b>run and come</b> to the Basin. <b>They made haste and sanctified their hands and their feet with</b> the water in <b>the Basin,</b> and then <b>they took the shovels and the forks and ascended</b> with them <b>to the top of the altar.</b> The shovels were for shoveling the ashes to the center of the altar, while the forks were required to remove from the altar those limbs that had not been consumed.
With regard to <b>the limbs</b> of burnt offerings <b>and the fats</b> of other offerings <b>that had not been consumed</b> and burned to ashes during the time <b>from the</b> previous <b>evening,</b> the priests would <b>clear them to the sides of the altar. If</b> the remaining limbs and fats were so abundant that the <b>sides</b> of the altar were <b>unable to hold</b> them, the priests would <b>arrange them on the ramp, opposite the surrounding ledge</b> of the altar.
The priests then <b>began raising the ashes onto</b> the <b>circular heap</b> upon which the ashes were piled. The <b>circular heap was in the middle of the altar. Sometimes there was</b> as much <b>as three hundred <i>kor</i></b> of ashes <b>upon it.</b> When the heap of ashes became excessively large, the priests would remove the ashes and pour them outside the city. <b>But during the Festivals they would not remove the ashes</b> from the altar, <b>as</b> the ashes <b>were</b> considered <b>an adornment to the altar,</b> since they were a sign of the great number of offerings that were sacrificed on it. <b>In all the days</b> of the altar, even when there was an abundance of ashes upon it,

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<b>the priest</b> tasked with removing the ashes from the circular heap <b>was never indolent in removing the ashes.</b>
After the ashes were cleared to the middle of the altar, the priests <b>began raising logs</b> onto the altar in order <b>to assemble the arrangement</b> of wood on which the offerings were burned. The <i>tanna</i> asks: <b>And is</b> wood from <b>all the trees fit for the arrangement?</b> The <i>tanna</i> replies: Wood from <b>all the trees is fit for the arrangement, except for</b> wood <b>from</b> the <b>vine and from</b> the <b>olive</b> tree, <b>but</b> the priests <b>were accustomed</b> to assemble the arrangement <b>with</b> wood from <b>these</b> trees: <b>With young branches of</b> the <b>fig</b> tree, <b>of</b> the <b>nut</b> tree, <b>and of pinewood.</b>
The priest who removed the ashes then <b>assembled the large arrangement</b> of wood upon which the daily offering and the sacrificial portions of the other offerings are burned. It was assembled <b>on the eastern</b> side of the altar, <b>and its opening</b> was <b>on the eastern</b> side of the altar, <b>and the inner end of</b> the <b>logs would touch the circular heap</b> of ashes. <b>And there was space between the logs,</b> in which the priests placed twigs, <b>as they would ignite the kindling [<i>ha’alita</i>] from there,</b> so that the fire would spread to the logs.
The priests <b>selected from</b> among the logs that were <b>there fine</b> logs from <b>fig trees,</b> as when this type of wood was burned it would become coals rather than ashes. The priest who removed the ashes then <b>assembled the second arrangement</b> of wood, from which the coals were taken to the golden altar in the Sanctuary <b>for</b> the burning of <b>the incense.</b> The second arrangement was assembled <b>next to the southwestern</b> corner of the altar and was <b>removed from the corner toward the north</b> side of the altar by a distance of <b>four cubits.</b>
The second arrangement was assembled <b>of</b> an amount of wood <b>estimated</b> to produce <b>five <i>se’a</i> of coals. And on Shabbat,</b> it was assembled <b>of</b> an amount of wood <b>estimated</b> to produce <b>eight <i>se’a</i> of coals, as there</b> the priests <b>would place</b> the <b>two bowls of frankincense that</b> accompanied <b>the shewbread</b> and that were burned on the altar on Shabbat. With regard to <b>the limbs and the fats that were not consumed</b> during the time <b>from the</b> previous <b>evening,</b> the priests would <b>return them to the</b> large <b>arrangement</b> to be burned. <b>And</b> the priests <b>kindled</b> those <b>two arrangements with fire</b> and <b>descended</b> from the altar. <b>And they</b> then <b>came to the Chamber of Hewn Stone,</b> where they would conduct the second lottery in order to determine who would perform the subsequent rites.
<strong>GEMARA:</strong> The mishna teaches that sometimes there was as much as three hundred <i>kor</i> of ashes upon the circular heap in the middle of the altar. <b>Rava said:</b> This is <b>an exaggeration.</b> The mishna merely means that the heap contained a large quantity of ashes, not that it reached that actual amount. Similarly, the mishna states (30a) that before slaughtering the daily offering the priests <b>gave</b> the lamb selected for <b>the daily offering</b> water <b>to drink in cup of gold,</b> so that it would be easier to flay it after it was slaughtered. With regard to this mishna, <b>Rava said:</b> This is <b>an exaggeration,</b> as the priests would not give the animal to drink from an actual golden vessel.
In this connection, <b>Rabbi Ami says:</b> In certain instances, the <b>Torah spoke</b> employing <b>exaggerated [<i>havai</i>] language,</b> the <b>prophets spoke</b> employing <b>exaggerated language,</b> and <b>the Sages spoke</b> employing <b>exaggerated language.</b>
The Gemara cites examples for this statement: The <b>Torah spoke</b> employing <b>exaggerated language, as it is written:</b> “Hear, Israel: You are passing over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, <b>cities great and fortified up to heaven”</b> (Deuteronomy 9:1). Does it <b>enter your mind</b> to say that the cities were literally fortified <b>up to heaven? Rather,</b> this is <b>an exaggeration.</b>
Likewise, <b>the Sages spoke</b> employing <b>exaggerated language,</b> as in <b>this</b> example <b>that we stated</b> with regard to the <b>circular heap</b> of ashes, <b>and</b> in the description: The priests <b>gave</b> the lamb selected for <b>the daily offering</b> water <b>to drink in a cup of gold.</b>
The <b>prophets spoke</b> employing <b>exaggerated language, as it is written</b> with regard to the coronation of King Solomon: “And all the people of the land came up after him, and the people <b>piped with pipes,</b> and rejoiced with great joy, <b>so that the earth rent with the sound of them”</b> (I Kings 1:40). The verse merely means that the sound was very great, not that it actually caused the earth to split.
<b>Rabbi Yannai bar Naḥmani says</b> that <b>Shmuel says: In three instances, the Sages spoke in exaggerated language, and these are those</b> instances: With regard to the <b>circular heap</b> of ashes on the altar, with regard to the <b>vine, and</b> with regard to the <b>Curtain</b> that separated the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, as explained below.
The Gemara notes that Shmuel’s statement serves <b>to exclude</b> the opinion <b>of Rava, as we learned</b> in a mishna: The priests <b>gave</b> the lamb selected for <b>the daily offering</b> water <b>to drink in a cup of gold, and Rava said:</b> This is <b>an exaggeration.</b> Shmuel <b>teaches us</b> that in <b>these</b> three instances, <b>yes,</b> the Sages employed exaggerated language, but <b>there,</b> in the case of the golden cup, it is <b>not</b> an exaggeration, as even the cup from which the lamb was given to drink was actually made of gold. This is because <b>there is no poverty in a place of wealth,</b> i.e., the Temple is a place of wealth, where one must act in a lavish manner.
The Gemara details the three instances with regard to which Shmuel states that the Sages employed exaggerated language: The case of the <b>circular heap</b> of ashes is <b>that which we stated</b> above. The case of the <b>vine</b> is <b>as it is taught</b> in a mishna (<i>Middot</i> 3:8): <b>A gold</b> ornament in the form of a <b>vine stood at the entrance to the Sanctuary, and</b> it <b>hung upon posts. And whoever would donate</b> an ornamental gold <b>leaf,</b>

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<b>or grape, or cluster</b> of grapes, would <b>bring</b> it to the Temple <b>and</b> a priest would <b>hang it on</b> the vine. <b>Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, said: There was</b> once <b>an incident and three hundred priests were enlisted to</b> lift the vine in order <b>to move it,</b> due to its immense weight. This description is an exaggeration, as although the vine was extremely heavy, it did not require three hundred priests to lift it.
With regard to Shmuel’s statement that the Sages exaggerated with regard to the weight of the <b>Curtain,</b> it is <b>as we learned</b> in a mishna (<i>Shekalim</i> 21b) that <b>Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Shimon the deputy</b> High Priest: With regard to the <b>Curtain, its thickness is</b> one <b>handbreadth. It is woven from seventy-two strands</b> of yarn, <b>and each and every strand</b> of those seventy-two strands is made <b>from twenty-four threads.</b> The Curtain is fashioned from four materials: Sky-blue wool, purple wool, scarlet wool, and fine linen, and every strand comprises six threads of each material.
<b>Its length</b> is <b>forty cubits,</b> corresponding to the height of the entrance to the Sanctuary, <b>and its width</b> is <b>twenty cubits,</b> matching the width of the entrance. <b>And it is made</b> at the cost <b>of eighty-two ten-thousands,</b> i.e., 820,000, gold dinars,<b>and two</b> new Curtains <b>are made in each and every year. And</b> the Curtain was so heavy that when it was immersed <b>three hundred priests</b> would <b>immerse it.</b>
§ The mishna teaches: The priests <b>began raising logs</b> onto the altar <b>to assemble the arrangement</b> of wood. Wood from all the trees is fit for the arrangement, <b>except for</b> wood <b>from</b> the <b>olive</b> tree <b>and from</b> the <b>vine.</b> The Gemara asks: <b>What is the reason</b> that wood from <b>these</b> trees is not fit for the arrangement? <b>Rav Pappa said:</b> It is <b>due to</b> the fact <b>that they have</b> thick <b>knots</b> in their branches, which cause the wood to burn poorly and produce excessive smoke. <b>Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said:</b> Although these trees are unfit for the arrangement primarily because they burn poorly, there is an additional reason: They are not used <b>because</b> using them would deplete the olive trees and grapevines, which would be detrimental to the <b>settlement of Eretz Yisrael.</b>
The Gemara <b>raises an objection</b> to the explanation of Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov from a <i>baraita</i>: The verse states with regard to the wood of the arrangement: “And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire. And Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, and the head, and the fat, in order <b>upon the wood that is on the fire</b> which is upon the altar” (Leviticus 1:7–8). The verse indicates that the arrangement must be composed of <b>wood that burns completely, until</b> it <b>becomes</b> like the <b>fire</b> itself. <b>And what is that</b> type of wood? This is referring to <b>branches</b> that are as smooth as <b>a skewer [<i>shipud</i>], which do not become knotted from within.</b> Evidently, the primary qualification of the wood is that it does not have knots.
The Gemara continues: <b>And is</b> wood from <b>all the trees fit for the arrangement?</b> The <i>baraita</i> explains: Wood from <b>all the trees is fit for the arrangement, except for olive</b> wood <b>and</b> wood from the <b>vine, but</b> the priests <b>were accustomed</b> to assemble the arrangement <b>with</b> wood from <b>these</b> trees: <b>With young branches of</b> the <b>fig</b> tree, <b>of</b> the <b>nut</b> tree, <b>and of pinewood. Rabbi Eliezer adds</b> that the following types of wood are <b>also</b> unfit: The wood <b>of</b> the <b>hackberry tree, of</b> the <b>oak, of</b> the <b>palm</b> tree, <b>of</b> the <b>carob</b> tree, <b>and of</b> the <b>sycamore.</b>
The Gemara explains the difficulty: <b>Granted, according to the one who said</b> that the wood of the olive and of the vine are not used <b>because they have knots,</b> one can explain that the first <i>tanna</i> of the <i>baraita</i> and Rabbi Eliezer <b>disagree with regard to this</b> matter: One <b>Sage,</b> Rabbi Eliezer, <b>holds</b> that <b>although</b> the wood of the trees that he deems unfit for the arrangement, e.g., the hackberry tree and the oak, <b>are not knotted from within, since they are knotted on the outside, we do not bring</b> wood from these trees for the arrangement. <b>And</b> one <b>Sage,</b> the first <i>tanna</i>, <b>holds</b> that <b>since</b> these <b>are not knotted from within, even though they are knotted on the outside, we do bring</b> wood from these trees for the arrangment.
<b>But according to the one who said</b> that the wood of the olive and of the vine are not used <b>because</b> it would be detrimental to the <b>settlement of Eretz Yisrael,</b> the <b>palm</b> tree should also be unfit for the arrangement. <b>Isn’t it</b> also <b>subject to</b> the consideration that cutting it down would be detrimental to the <b>settlement of Eretz Yisrael?</b> It is also one of the species about which Eretz Yisrael is praised. If so, why does the first <i>tanna</i> deem the palm tree fit for the arrangement?
The Gemara explains that Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov could <b>say to you:</b> It is unnecessary to cite the <i>baraita</i> in order to raise this difficulty, as the mishna itself states that the fig tree is a preferred source of firewood. <b>And according to your reasoning, isn’t</b> the <b>fig</b> tree <b>subject to</b> the consideration that cutting it down would be detrimental to the <b>settlement of Eretz Yisrael?</b> It is also one of the species about which Eretz Yisrael is praised. <b>Rather, what have you to say?</b> One must say that the mishna is referring <b>to a fig</b> tree <b>that does not bear fruit.</b> With regard to the <b>palm</b> tree <b>as well,</b> the <i>baraita</i> is referring <b>to</b> a variety <b>that does not bear fruit.</b>
The Gemara asks: <b>But is there a fig</b> tree <b>that does not bear fruit?</b> The Gemara answers: <b>Yes,</b> there are fig trees that do not bear fruit, and this is <b>in accordance with</b> a statement <b>of Raḥava</b> with regard to a method of cultivating fig trees, <b>as Raḥava said:</b> The growers <b>bring</b> saplings of <b>white figs,</b> which are an inferior variety,

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<b>and</b> the growers <b>rub them with a rope</b> made <b>of palm</b> fronds, <b>to which the seeds adhere, and they plant</b> the tree in a spot <b>where the sea emits</b> deposits of <b>sediment [<i>sirton</i>].</b> A tree planted in this manner <b>produces</b> wood that is suitable for <b>a beam,</b> but it <b>does not produce fruit. And</b> as the tree does not divert its resources to yielding fruit, its wood is so robust and heavy that with regard to <b>three of its branches, a bridge cannot support them.</b>
§ The mishna teaches: The priest <b>assembled the large arrangement</b> on the eastern side of the altar, and its opening was on the eastern side of the altar. The Gemara asks: <b>What is the reason</b> that an opening was formed in the arrangement? This matter is subject to a dispute between <b>Rav Huna and Rav Ḥisda: One said</b> that the opening was formed <b>so that the wind would blow into it</b> and fan the flames of the arrangement. <b>And one said</b> that it was formed <b>so that</b> the priests <b>would</b> be able to <b>light from there the kindling</b> that was placed between the logs.
The Gemara <b>raises an objection</b> from the mishna: <b>There was space between the logs, as</b> the priests <b>would ignite the kindling from there.</b> Evidently, the kindling was not ignited from the opening. The Gemara explains: The Sage who maintains that the kindling was lit from the opening in the east of the arrangement could <b>say to you</b> that in addition to lighting kindling from the opening, the priests would <b>fashion many spaces</b> within the arrangement, through which they would ignite kindling in order to increase the fire.

<strong>MISHNA:</strong> 3:1 Four lotteries were conducted in the Temple each day in order to determine which priests would perform which of the Temple rites. After describing the first of the lotteries, for removal of the ashes, the <i>tanna</i> describes the second lottery. <b>The</b> priest <b>appointed</b> to oversee the lotteries <b>said to</b> the priests: <b>Come and participate in the lottery</b> to determine <b>who is the</b> priest <b>who</b> will <b>slaughter</b> the daily offering; <b>and who</b> is the priest <b>who</b> will <b>sprinkle</b> its blood; and <b>who</b> will <b>remove the ashes from the inner,</b> golden <b>altar;</b> and <b>who</b> will <b>remove the ashes from the Candelabrum;</b> and <b>who</b> will <b>take</b> the <b>limbs</b> of the daily offering <b>up to the ramp</b> to be burned afterward.
The limbs of the daily offering taken up to the ramp were divided among the priests in the following manner: One priest took <b>the head and the right</b> hind <b>leg</b> up to the altar; <b>and</b> a second took <b>the two forelegs;</b> a third <b>the haunch,</b> including the lower spine and the tail, <b>and the left</b> hind <b>leg;</b> a fourth <b>the breast and the cud,</b> i.e., the neck and appended internal organs, including the windpipe, liver, and heart; <b>and</b> a fifth <b>the two flanks;</b> a sixth <b>the innards; and</b> a seventh <b>the fine flour</b> from the accompanying meal offering; <b>and</b> an eighth <b>the griddle-cake</b> offering; <b>and</b> a ninth <b>the wine</b> for the libation.
They <b>conducted the lottery</b> to determine the thirteen tasks, i.e., slaughtering, carrying the nine items or pairs of items, sprinkling the blood, removing the ashes from the inner altar, and removing the ashes from the Candelabrum. <b>And whoever won</b> that lottery <b>won</b> the right to perform the slaughter, and the twelve priests standing to his right won the other privileges.
MISHNA 3:2 The appointed one <b>said to</b> the priests: <b>Go out and observe if</b> it is day and <b>the time for slaughter</b> has <b>arrived. If</b> the time has <b>arrived, the observer says: There is light. Matya ben Shmuel says</b> that the appointed priest phrased his question differently, saying: <b>Is the entire eastern sky illuminated as far as Hebron? And</b> the observer <b>says: Yes.</b>
MISHNA 3:3 The appointed priest <b>said to</b> the priests: <b>Go out and bring</b> me <b>a lamb from the Chamber of the Lambs,</b> where lambs that had been examined and found to be unblemished were kept. <b>And the Chamber of the Lambs is located in the northwestern corner</b> of the building of the Chamber of the Hearth. <b>There were four chambers there,</b> in that building: <b>One</b> was <b>the Chamber of the Lambs; and one</b> was <b>the Chamber of the Seals,</b> located in the northeastern corner, where the priest stored receipts given to those seeking to purchase animal offerings; <b>and one</b> was <b>the Chamber of the Hearth,</b> where there was a fire burning to warm the priests; <b>and</b> the last <b>one</b> was <b>the chamber in which</b> the priests <b>prepared the shewbread.</b>
MISHNA 3:4 The priests <b>entered the Chamber of the Vessels,</b> where the service vessels required for the daily Temple service were stored. They <b>took out from there ninety-three silver vessels and gold vessels. They</b> then <b>gave</b> the lamb selected for <b>the daily offering</b> water <b>to drink in a cup</b>

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<b>of gold. Although</b> the lamb <b>was examined</b> and deemed unblemished earlier <b>in the evening,</b> the priests <b>examine it</b> now <b>by the light of the torches.</b>
MISHNA 3:5 The priests <b>who won</b> the privilege <b>of the removal of ash from the inner altar and of the removal of ash from the Candelabrum would precede</b> the other priests <b>and</b> would hold <b>four vessels in their hands: The basket, and the jug, and</b> the <b>two keys. The basket is similar to</b> a large <b>gold</b> vessel with a capacity of <b>three <i>kav</i> [<i>letarkav</i>],</b> but it <b>holds</b> only <b>two and a half <i>kav</i>. And the jug is similar to a large flask [<i>lekitton</i>] of gold. And</b> as for the <b>two keys,</b> with <b>one</b> of them the priest <b>would lower his arm to his armpit</b> through a small opening in the door and open the lock that was at the bottom of the door on the inside, and he would pass through that door into a compartment. <b>And</b> the other <b>one</b> is the key with <b>which</b> the priest <b>opened</b> the lock on the inner door of the compartment, through which he entered the Sanctuary, and that lock he opened <b>directly.</b>
MISHNA 3:6 The priest <b>came to the northern wicket. There were two wickets for the large gate, one in the northern</b> part of the gate <b>and one in the southern</b> part. Through the wicket <b>that was in the southern</b> part, <b>no person entered. In its regard,</b> the wicket’s status <b>is clarified by</b> the prophet <b>Ezekiel, as it is stated:</b> “Then he brought me back the way of the outer gate of the Sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut. <b>And the Lord said unto me: This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; and it shall be shut”</b> (Ezekiel 44:1–2).
The priest <b>took the key, opened the wicket</b> north of the gate, <b>and entered the compartment.</b> He went <b>from the compartment to the Sanctuary</b> and continued <b>until</b> he would <b>reach the large gate.</b> Once <b>he reached the large gate,</b> which was locked from the inside, <b>he moved the bolt and the locks</b> fixing the bolt in place <b>and opened</b> the gate. The priest <b>who slaughters</b> the daily offering <b>would not slaughter</b> the animal <b>until he</b> would <b>hear that the large gate</b> had been <b>opened.</b>
MISHNA 3:7 <b>From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear</b> the <b>sound</b> indicating <b>that the large gate</b> had been <b>opened. From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear</b> the <b>sound</b> produced in the Temple by the instrument that had the form of <b>a shovel. From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear the sound of the song</b> of the Levites in the Temple. <b>From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear the sound of ben Arza clashing the cymbals</b> in the Temple. <b>From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear the sound of the flute</b> that was played in the Temple twelve days each year.
<b>From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear the voice of Gevini</b> the Temple <b>crier,</b> who would proclaim in the Temple each day: Arise, priests, to your service, and Levites to your platform, and Israelites to your non-priestly watch. <b>From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear the sound of the wood that ben Katin crafted</b> into <b>a mechanism</b> of pulleys <b>for the Basin. From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear the sound of the song</b> of the Levites in the Temple. <b>From Jericho</b> the people <b>would hear the sound of the shofar</b> that was sounded several times each day in the Temple. <b>And some say</b> that in Jericho the people would hear <b>even the voice of the High Priest at the moment that he mentioned the</b> ineffable <b>name</b> of God <b>on Yom Kippur.</b>
<b>From Jericho</b> the people <b>would smell the fragrance</b> emanating from <b>the preparation of the incense</b> in the Temple. <b>Rabbi Elazar ben Diglai said: There were goats</b> belonging <b>to my father</b> that grazed <b>in the cities of Mikhvar,</b> located at a distance from Jerusalem, <b>and they would sneeze from the fragrance of the preparation of the incense</b> that they smelled.
MISHNA 3:8 The priest <b>who won</b> the lottery <b>to</b> slaughter <b>the daily offering pulled</b> the lamb, <b>and</b> he would <b>go to the slaughterhouse</b> to slaughter it as the daily offering. <b>And</b> the priests <b>who won</b> the right <b>to</b> take <b>the limbs</b> up to the ramp would <b>go with him. The slaughterhouse was to the north of the altar. Adjacent to it</b> there were <b>eight low</b> stone <b>pillars. And cedarwood squares</b> were affixed <b>upon them, and iron hooks were fixed in</b> the wooden squares. <b>And</b> there were <b>three rows</b> of hooks <b>on each and every one</b> of those wooden squares, <b>upon which</b> the priests would <b>suspend</b> the animal after it was slaughtered. <b>And they</b> would <b>flay</b> the animal’s hide <b>onto marble tables that</b> were positioned <b>between the pillars.</b>
MISHNA 3:9 The priest <b>who won</b> the right <b>of the removal of ash from the inner altar entered</b> through the Sanctuary gate, <b>and</b> he <b>took the basket</b> with him <b>and placed it before him</b> on the floor between him and the altar. <b>And</b> he <b>would take handfuls</b> of ashes from upon the altar <b>and place</b> them <b>in</b> the basket. <b>Ultimately,</b> when only a small amount of ashes remained on the altar, <b>the priest swept the rest into</b> the basket, <b>and placed</b> the basket back on the Sanctuary floor, <b>and emerged</b> from the Sanctuary.
The priest <b>who won</b> the right <b>of the removal of ash from the Candelabrum entered</b> the Sanctuary. <b>And</b> if <b>he found</b> in the Candelabrum the <b>two easternmost lamps</b>, the second of which is called the <b>western</b> lamp, still <b>burning,</b> he would first <b>remove the ashes</b> and the burned wicks <b>from the rest</b> of the lamps and place them in the jug, and place new wicks and oil in those lamps. <b>And</b> he would <b>leave these</b> two lamps <b>burning in their</b> own <b>place.</b> If <b>he found that</b> the two easternmost lamps <b>were extinguished,</b> he would <b>remove the ashes</b> and the burned wicks from <b>them and kindle them from the</b> lamps that were still <b>burning.</b> If none were still burning, he would kindle them from the fire on the outer altar. <b>And afterward,</b> the priest would <b>remove the ashes</b> and the wicks <b>from the rest</b> of the lamps.
<b>And there was a stone in front of the Candelabrum and in it there</b> were <b>three stairs upon which</b> the <b>priest</b> would <b>stand and prepare the lamps</b> for kindling. Since the Candelabrum was eighteen handbreadths high, it was necessary for the priest to stand on an elevated surface to reach the lamps. <b>And</b> after he placed the ashes and the wicks from the five westernmost lamps in the jug, he would <b>place the jug on</b> the <b>second stair</b> of that stone, <b>and</b> then he <b>emerged</b> from the Sanctuary. When the priest later returned to prepare the two easternmost lamps for kindling, he would remove the jug with the ashes from the Candelabrum, and together with the priest removing the basket with the ashes from the inner altar would pour the ashes from the jug and the basket at the side of the altar.

<strong>MISHNA:</strong> In preparing the lamb of the daily offering for sacrifice, the priests <b>would not tie the lamb</b> by fastening all four of its legs together; <b>rather, they would bind it</b> by fastening each hind leg to the corresponding foreleg. The priests <b>who won</b> the right <b>to</b> take <b>the limbs</b> up to the ramp would <b>hold</b> the lamb in place while it was being slaughtered. <b>And this was</b> the manner of <b>its binding:</b> The animal would be stood in the northern part of the courtyard while <b>its head</b> would be directed <b>to the south,</b> toward the altar, <b>and its face</b> would be turned <b>to the west,</b> toward the Sanctuary. <b>And the slaughterer</b> would <b>stand to</b> the <b>east</b> of the animal, <b>and his face</b> would be <b>to the west.</b>
Twenty-four rings were affixed to the courtyard floor north of the altar, designated for placement of the animal’s neck during its slaughter. The daily offering <b>of the morning was slaughtered at the northwest corner</b> of the altar, <b>at</b> the <b>second ring.</b> The daily offering <b>of the afternoon was slaughtered at the northeast corner</b> of the altar, <b>at</b> the <b>second ring.</b>
After <b>the slaughterer has slaughtered</b> the lamb <b>and the receiver has received</b> its blood in a vessel to sprinkle on the altar, the priest <b>comes to</b> the <b>northeast corner</b> of the altar <b>and places</b> the first sprinkling in such a manner that the blood will reach the <b>eastern</b> and <b>northern</b> sides of the altar. Next, the priest comes to the <b>southwest</b> corner of the altar <b>and places</b> a second sprinkling in a manner such that the blood will reach the <b>western</b> and <b>southern</b> sides of the altar. With regard to <b>the remainder of the blood,</b> the priest <b>would pour</b> it <b>at</b> the <b>southern base</b> of the altar, at its southwest corner.

Daf 31a

When the priest flayed the hide of the daily offering after its slaughter, <b>he would not break the</b> animal’s <b>leg</b> in the typical manner of flaying an animal; <b>rather, he punctures</b> the leg <b>from within</b> each <b>knee</b> of the hind leg <b>and suspends</b> the animal <b>by</b> placing these holes on two hooks, in order to flay the animal’s hide.
The priest began <b>flaying</b> from the top of the inverted animal, <b>descending until</b> he would <b>reach</b> the hide <b>of the breast.</b> Once <b>he reached the breast, he severed the</b> lamb’s <b>head and gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp. Next <b>he severed the</b> four <b>legs</b> below the knee <b>and gave them to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>them</b> up to the ramp. <b>He completed the flaying</b> of the remaining hide from the breast down, and then the priest <b>cut the heart and drained its blood.</b>
Next the priest <b>severed</b> the remaining upper parts of <b>the forelegs and gave them to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>them</b> up to the ramp. Afterward <b>he moved up to</b> the remaining upper part of <b>the right</b> hind <b>leg, severed it, and gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp; <b>and</b> the animal’s <b>two testicles</b> were cut along <b>with</b> the right leg, leaving the animal suspended by its left hind leg. Then the priest <b>tore</b> open the animal’s midsection, <b>resulting</b> in the innards of <b>the entire</b> animal being <b>exposed before him.</b>
<b>He took the fats and placed</b> them <b>on the place of slaughter</b> on <b>the</b> animal’s <b>head above</b> it, to conceal the place where it was severed while the priest would take the head to the altar. Then the priest <b>took the innards and gave them to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>them</b> up to the ramp, in order <b>to rinse them</b> first. <b>And</b> with regard to <b>the stomach,</b> in which there is a significant amount of waste, the priests would <b>rinse it in the rinsing site</b> located in the south of the courtyard, east of the Gate of the Water, <b>and they rinsed it as much it required. And</b> with regard to <b>the innards,</b> the priests would <b>rinse them three times at a minimum, on</b> the <b>marble tables that</b> were positioned <b>between the pillars</b> in the slaughterhouse.
The priest then <b>took the knife and separated the lung from the liver, and</b> the <b>finger-</b>like protrusion from the lower edge <b>of the liver,</b> also known as the lobe of the liver, <b>from the liver. And</b> he <b>would not move</b> any one of the organs <b>from its place.</b> He would leave the lung attached to the neck, the lobe attached to the haunch, and the liver attached to the right flank. The priest would <b>puncture</b> around <b>the breast,</b> separating it from the flanks and the ribs, <b>and</b> he <b>gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp.
He then <b>moved up to the right flank</b> and <b>would cut</b> it and separate it from the animal’s body. <b>And</b> he would continue to cut, <b>descending until</b> he would reach <b>the spinal column, and</b> the priest <b>would not touch the spinal column,</b> leaving the spine intact and attached to the left flank. He would continue cutting <b>until he reached</b> the space <b>between the two narrow ribs</b> near the neck, leaving them in place. The priest <b>cut</b> the right flank, separating it from the body of the animal, <b>and gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp. <b>And the liver</b> was <b>suspended from it.</b>
The priest then <b>came to the cud. He left</b> attached <b>to it,</b> in their entirety, the <b>two</b> narrow <b>ribs from here,</b> the right side, <b>and</b> the <b>two</b> narrow <b>ribs from there,</b> the left side. <b>He cut</b> the cud <b>and gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp; and <b>the windpipe, the heart, and the lung</b> were <b>suspended from it.</b>
<b>He came to</b> cut <b>the left flank</b> of the body and <b>left</b> attached <b>to it two narrow ribs above,</b> near the haunch, as the animal was suspended upside down, <b>and two narrow ribs below,</b> near the cud. <b>And he</b> also <b>did that with its counterpart,</b> the right flank, <b>resulting</b> in <b>two</b> narrow ribs <b>in each</b> flank <b>above and two</b> narrow ribs <b>in each</b> flank <b>below.</b>
<b>He cut</b> the left flank <b>and gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp, <b>and the spinal column</b> was <b>with it, and the spleen</b> was <b>suspended from it. And</b> the left flank <b>was greater,</b> i.e., the larger of the two, because it included the spine, <b>but</b> they <b>referred</b> to <b>the right</b> flank as the <b>greater</b> one, <b>as</b> in addition to the flank itself, <b>the liver was suspended from it. He came to the haunch, cut it, and gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp. And <b>the tail, and the finger-</b>like protrusion <b>of the liver, and the two kidneys</b> were <b>with it. He took</b> the remaining upper part of <b>the left</b> hind <b>leg, cut it, and gave it to</b> the priest <b>who won</b> the right to take <b>it</b> up to the ramp. This <b>resulted</b> in <b>all of</b> the nine priests who won the rights to take the limbs up to the ramp <b>standing in line, and the limbs</b> were <b>in their hands.</b>

Daf 31b

<b>The first</b> priest stood <b>with the head and with the</b> right hind <b>leg</b> of the animal. Since it was more significant, <b>the head</b> was <b>in his right</b> hand, <b>and its nose</b> was turned <b>toward the</b> priest’s <b>arm. Its horns</b> were <b>between his fingers,</b> and <b>the place of its slaughter</b> was <b>above, and the fats were placed upon it,</b> to conceal the bloody place of slaughter. <b>The right</b> hind <b>leg</b> was <b>in his left</b> hand, <b>and</b> the outer <b>side</b> of the leg, from which <b>its hide</b> was flayed, rather than the side on which the incision was made, was facing <b>out. The second</b> priest stood <b>with</b> the <b>two forelegs.</b> He held the <b>right</b> foreleg <b>in his right</b> hand <b>and</b> the <b>left</b> foreleg <b>in his left</b> hand, <b>and</b> the outer <b>side</b> of the leg, from which <b>its hide</b> was flayed, was facing <b>out.</b>
<b>The third</b> priest stood <b>with the haunch and the</b> left hind <b>leg.</b> He held <b>the haunch in his right</b> hand, <b>and the tail</b> was <b>hanging between his fingers, and the finger-</b>like protrusion <b>of the liver and the two kidneys</b> were <b>with it.</b> He held <b>the left</b> hind <b>leg in his left</b> hand, <b>and</b> the outer <b>side</b> of the leg, from which <b>its hide</b> was flayed, was facing <b>out. The fourth</b> priest stood <b>with the breast and with the cud,</b> with <b>the breast in his right</b> hand <b>and the cud in his left</b> hand, <b>and its</b> two <b>ribs</b> were attached to the cud <b>between his two fingers. The fifth</b> priest stood <b>with</b> the <b>two flanks;</b> the <b>right</b> flank was <b>in his right</b> hand <b>and</b> the <b>left</b> flank <b>in his left</b> hand, <b>and</b> the outer <b>side</b> was facing <b>out. The sixth</b> priest stood <b>with the innards, which</b> were <b>placed in a vessel, and</b> the <b>lower legs</b> were placed <b>atop them from above.</b>
<b>The seventh</b> priest stood <b>with the fine flour</b> of the meal offering that accompanies the daily offering. <b>The eighth</b> priest stood <b>with the griddle-cake</b> offering sacrificed daily by the High Priest, half in the morning and half in the evening. <b>The ninth</b> priest stood <b>with the wine</b> for the libations that accompany the daily offering. The nine priests <b>went and placed</b> the items they were carrying on the area <b>from halfway</b> up <b>the ramp and below,</b> in the lower portion of the ramp, <b>on the west</b> side of the ramp, <b>and they salted</b> the limbs and the meal offering. <b>And they descended and came to the Chamber of Hewn Stone to recite</b> the morning <b><i>Shema</i></b> and the other texts that they would recite, as explained at the beginning of the next chapter.
<strong>GEMARA:</strong> The mishna teaches that the priests would bind the lamb for the daily offering. With regard to this procedure, the Sages <b>taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>: The animal’s <b>foreleg and</b> hind <b>leg</b> are bound together, <b>as</b> in the <b>binding of Isaac, son of Abraham.</b>
The mishna teaches that the priests <b>would not tie the lamb</b> by fastening all four of its legs together. The Gemara asks: <b>What is the reason</b> for this? The Gemara answers: This is a matter of dispute between <b>Rav Huna and Rav Ḥisda. One</b> of these Sages <b>said:</b> The animal is not tied <b>because</b> this would constitute <b>degradation of sacred items; and</b> the other <b>one said</b> that the animal is not tied <b>because that</b> method is the one adopted in pagan worship, and is therefore considered to be <b>walking in the statutes of the nations,</b> and the verse states: “You shall not walk in their statutes” (Leviticus 18:3).
The Gemara asks: <b>What is</b> the practical difference <b>between</b> these opinions? The Gemara answers: There is a difference <b>between</b> them in a case <b>where</b> one <b>ties</b> the animal <b>with silk [<i>beshira’ei</i>],</b> which would be considered to be treating the offering in the manner of the nations, but it is not degrading. <b>Alternatively,</b> these opinions differ with regard to a case where the animal is tied <b>with a thread of gold.</b> As in the case of the silk, tying the animal with gold would be considered to be treating the offering in the manner of the nations, but it is not a degradation.
§ The mishna teaches that the innards were rinsed on marble tables in the slaughterhouse in the Temple. With regard to these tables, <b>we learned</b> in a mishna <b>elsewhere</b> (<i>Shekalim</i> 17b) that there <b>were thirteen tables in the Temple. Eight</b> of them were fashioned <b>from marble</b> and were located <b>in the slaughterhouse,</b> north of the altar, <b>where</b> the priests would slaughter the offerings of the most sacred order. <b>Upon these</b> tables <b>they would wash the innards</b> of the offerings, as the cool marble preserved the freshness of the meat.
There were <b>two</b> more tables <b>on the western</b> side <b>of the ramp,</b> south of the altar, <b>one of marble and one of silver. On</b> the table <b>of marble</b> the priests would <b>place the limbs</b> before they would bring them up to the altar. <b>And on</b> the table <b>of silver</b> they would place the ninety-three <b>service vessels</b> brought out from the Chamber of Vessels each morning for the services of that day.
The mishna continues: <b>And in the Entrance Hall</b> there were <b>two</b> tables <b>on</b> its <b>inside, near the opening to the Temple, one of silver and one of gold. On</b> the table <b>of silver</b> the priests would <b>place the shewbread before its entrance</b> to the Sanctuary, after it was baked on Shabbat eve. <b>And on</b> the table <b>of gold</b> they would place the old shewbread <b>upon its exit</b> from the Sanctuary, to be divided among the priests.
The shewbread was not placed on a silver table upon its exit from the Sanctuary, <b>as</b> one <b>promotes in</b> matters of <b>sanctity and</b> one <b>does not demote.</b> Since in the interim the shewbread had been placed on the golden Table for the shewbread inside the Sanctuary, upon its removal it was not placed on anything other than a golden table. <b>And</b> lastly, there was <b>one</b> table <b>of gold inside</b> the Sanctuary. This was the Table for the shewbread, <b>upon which the shewbread always</b> rested (see Exodus 25:23–30).
The Gemara asks: <b>Since</b> there is a principle that <b>there</b> may be <b>no poverty in a place of wealth,</b> i.e., the Temple must always be run in a lavish manner, why did they <b>fashion</b> any tables <b>of marble? Let them fashion</b> all the tables <b>of silver,</b> due to the grandeur of the Temple, or <b>let them fashion</b> them all <b>of gold. Rav Ḥinnana says in the name of Rabbi Asi, and Rabbi Asi</b> says <b>in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak:</b> Gold and silver tables are unfit for the sacrificial limbs <b>because</b> metal <b>scalds.</b> Unlike marble, metal can become very hot in the sun, and this might cause the sacrificial limbs to deteriorate.
§ The mishna teaches that the daily offering <b>of the morning was slaughtered at the northwest corner</b> of the altar, in the first ring of the second row from the south, which is called the second ring, whereas the daily offering of the afternoon was slaughtered at the northeast corner of the altar, at the second ring. The Gemara asks: <b>From where are these matters</b> derived? <b>Rav Ḥisda said: As the verse states,</b> with regard to the daily offering: “This is the offering made by fire that you shall bring to the Lord: Lambs of the first year without blemish, <b>two by day,</b> for a continual burnt offering” (Numbers 28:3). The phrase “two by day” indicates that the lamb must be slaughtered <b>opposite</b> the light of <b>the day.</b> Since Eretz Yisrael is north of the equator, the sun is always in the southern part of the sky. The first ring, then, is always in the long shadow of the altar, and only the second ring falls under direct sunlight.
<b>This is also taught</b> in a <i>baraita</i>, that the phrase <b>“two by day”</b> teaches that the lamb must be slaughtered <b>opposite</b> the light of <b>the day.</b> The <i>baraita</i> asks: <b>Do you say</b> that this means <b>opposite</b> the light of <b>the day, or</b> does it <b>only</b> mean that two lambs must be sacrificed for the <b>obligation of</b> each <b>day?</b> The <i>baraita</i> answers that <b>when</b> the verse <b>states: “One lamb you shall sacrifice in the morning, and the other lamb you shall sacrifice in the afternoon”</b> (Numbers 28:4), <b>the obligation of</b> each <b>day is</b> thereby <b>stated</b> explicitly. <b>How,</b> then, <b>do I realize</b> the meaning of <b>“two by day”?</b> This teaches that the lamb must be slaughtered <b>opposite</b> the light of <b>the day.</b>
The <i>baraita</i> concludes: <b>How so,</b> i.e., how can this principle be applied to both the morning and the afternoon offerings? The <b>daily offering of the morning was slaughtered opposite</b> the <b>northwest corner</b> of the altar, <b>on</b> the <b>second ring,</b> across from the sun, which rises in the east. <b>And</b> the daily offering <b>of the afternoon was slaughtered opposite</b> the <b>northeast corner</b> of the altar, <b>on</b> the fourth ring of the second row, also called the <b>second ring,</b> again across from the sun, which is located in the west in the afternoon.
§ With regard to the position of the sun, the Gemara relates that <b>Alexander of Macedon asked the Elders of the Negev</b> about <b>ten matters. He said to them:</b>

Daf 32a

Is the distance <b>from the heavens to the earth further, or</b> is the distance <b>from east to west</b> further? <b>They said to him: From east to west</b> is a greater distance. <b>Know</b> that this is so, <b>as</b> when the <b>sun is in the east, everyone looks at it</b> without hurting their eyes, and when the <b>sun is in the west, everyone looks at it</b> without hurting their eyes. By contrast, when the <b>sun is in</b> the <b>middle of</b> the <b>sky, no one looks at it,</b> as it would hurt their eyes. This shows that the sun’s place in the middle of the sky is not as far from the earth as its remote positions in the extreme east and west.
<b>But the Sages say: This</b> distance <b>and that</b> distance <b>are equal, as it is stated: “For as the heaven is high above the earth,</b> so great is His kindness toward them that fear Him. <b>As far as the east is from the west,</b> so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalms 103:11–12). The verses compare the extent of God’s kindness and His removal of transgressions to vast expanses. <b>And if one of the</b> distances <b>is greater</b> than the other, <b>let</b> the verse <b>write</b> that <b>both of</b> God’s enumerated attributes are <b>like</b> the measure <b>that is greater. But</b> if so, with regard to the <b>sun in</b> the <b>middle of</b> the <b>sky, what is the reason</b> that <b>no one looks at it?</b> It is <b>because it stands exposed and nothing covers it,</b> whereas it is partially screened when it is in the east or the west.
Alexander continued to ask questions of the Elders of the Negev. <b>He said to them:</b> Were the <b>heavens created first or</b> was <b>the earth</b> created first? <b>They said:</b> The <b>heavens were created first, as it is stated: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”</b> (Genesis 1:1).
<b>He said to them:</b> Was the <b>light created first, or</b> was the <b>darkness</b> created first? <b>They said to him: This matter has no solution,</b> as the verses do not indicate an answer. The Gemara asks: <b>But let them say to him</b> that the <b>darkness was created first, as it is written: “Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness</b> was upon the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2), <b>and</b> only <b>then</b> does it state: <b>“And God said: Let there be light. And there was light”</b> (Genesis 1:3). Why did they not say that the darkness was created first?
The Gemara answers that the Elders <b>maintained:</b> We must not answer this question, <b>lest</b> he <b>come to ask</b> questions about Creation that may not be discussed, i.e., <b>what</b> is <b>above</b> the firmament <b>and what is below</b> the earth, <b>what was before</b> Creation, <b>and what</b> will be <b>after</b> the end of the world (see <i>Ḥagiga</i> 11b).
The Gemara asks: <b>If so,</b> if the Elders were concerned about such proscribed questions, then with regard to the creation of <b>heaven as well, they should not</b> have <b>said</b> anything <b>to him.</b> Why did they answer the question about heaven, but not the one about darkness? The Gemara answers that <b>initially</b> they <b>assumed:</b> It is <b>merely incidental</b> that <b>he is asking</b> about the creation of the universe, and therefore there is no need for caution. But <b>once they saw that he again asked</b> about the same general matter, <b>they maintained: Let us not tell him</b> an answer, <b>lest</b> he <b>come to ask: What</b> is <b>above</b> the firmament and <b>what is below</b> the earth, <b>what was before</b> Creation, <b>and what</b> will be <b>after</b> the end of the world?
Alexander <b>said to</b> the Elders: <b>Who is</b> truly worthy of being <b>called wise? They said to him,</b> citing a tradition (see <i>Avot</i> 2:9): <b>Who is</b> the <b>wise</b> person? <b>The one who sees</b> and anticipates <b>the consequences</b> of his behavior. <b>He said to them: Who is</b> truly worthy of being <b>called mighty? They said to him,</b> again citing a tradition (see <i>Avot</i> 4:1): <b>Who is</b> the <b>mighty</b> person? <b>The one who masters his desire. He said to them: Who is</b> worthy of being <b>called wealthy? They said to him: Who is</b> the <b>wealthy</b> person? <b>The one who is pleased with his</b> own <b>portion</b> (see <i>Avot</i> 4:1).
<b>He said to them: What must a man do and</b> thereby ensure that <b>he will live? They said to him:</b> Such a man <b>must</b> figuratively <b>kill himself,</b> by living moderately. Alexander further inquired: <b>What must a man do and</b> ensure that <b>he will die? They said to him:</b> Such a man <b>must keep himself alive,</b> i.e., lead an extravagant and indulgent life. <b>He said to them: What must a man do and</b> ensure that <b>he will be accepted by people? They said</b> to Alexander: <b>He must hate the king and the authorities</b> and avoid becoming too close to those in power. Alexander rejected their answer and <b>said to them: My</b> advice for gaining people’s favor <b>is better than yours.</b> One who wants to be accepted <b>must love the king and the authorities, but he must</b> use his connections to <b>perform beneficial</b> acts <b>for people.</b>
<b>He said to them:</b> Is it <b>better</b> for a person <b>to live at sea, or</b> is it <b>better to live on dry land? They said to him:</b> It is <b>better to live on dry land, as all seafarers, their minds are</b> constantly <b>unsettled until they reach the dry land.</b>
<b>He said to them: Who among you is wiser</b> than the others? <b>They said to him: We are all equal</b> in wisdom, <b>as every matter that you say to us, we solve for you unanimously. He said to them: What is</b> the substance of <b>this</b> stance, by which <b>you,</b> the Jewish people, <b>oppose me?</b> Since you are my subjects, and my people constitute the majority, you should concede that our lifestyle is superior. <b>They said to him:</b> Your dominance is inconsequential, as sometimes even <b>the Satan is victorious,</b> by convincing people to act in a manner that is clearly incorrect.
<b>He said to them: Consequently,</b> due to your insolence, <b>I am executing you by the edict of kings. They said to him:</b> Certainly, the <b>authority is in the hand of the king</b> to execute as you wish; <b>but falsehood is unbecoming for the king,</b> and you have pledged not to harm us. <b>Immediately,</b> Alexander <b>dressed them in garments of purple and placed golden chains [<i>menaykha</i>] upon their necks.</b>
When Alexander was preparing to part from the Elders of the Negev, <b>he said to them: I want to go to</b> wage war against <b>the country of Africa [<i>Afriki</i>];</b> what do you recommend? <b>They said to him: You will be unable to go</b> there, <b>as the Mountains of Darkness block</b> the passes. <b>He said to them:</b> It is <b>not possible for me not to go;</b> and it is <b>due</b> to <b>this</b> reason that <b>I ask you</b> to advise me. <b>Rather</b> than refraining from my campaign, <b>what</b> might <b>I do</b> to cross the Mountains of Darkness?
<b>They said to him: Bring Libyan donkeys that walk</b> even <b>in the darkness [<i>behavra</i>],</b> and these animals will guide you through those passes. <b>And bring coils of rope, and tie</b> one end of rope <b>on this</b> near <b>side</b> of the mountains, as you are about to enter there, <b>so that when you come</b> to return <b>by</b> the same path, <b>you may take hold of</b> the ropes left from your initial march, <b>and,</b> following them, <b>you will come back to your place.</b>
Alexander <b>did this and went</b> on his campaign. <b>He came to a certain town whose entire</b> population was <b>women,</b> and <b>he wanted to wage battle against them.</b> The women <b>said to him:</b> It is not in your interest to fight us. <b>If you kill us,</b> people <b>will say:</b> Alexander <b>kills women;</b> and <b>if we kill you,</b> people <b>will say:</b> Alexander is the <b>king whom women killed</b> in battle. Instead of fighting them, Alexander <b>said to them: Bring me bread. They brought him bread of gold, upon a table of gold.</b>

Daf 32b

Alexander <b>said to</b> the women: <b>Do people eat bread of gold? They said to him: But if</b> all <b>you wanted</b> was actual <b>bread, didn’t you have bread to eat in your</b> own <b>place?</b> It was not for bread <b>that you took</b> up a campaign and toiled <b>and came here.</b> You must have come to increase your wealth. <b>When</b> Alexander <b>left and came</b> back to his land, he <b>wrote upon the gate of the town: I, Alexander of Macedon, was a fool until I came to the country of Africa of women, and I learned sense from women.</b>
§ With regard to Alexander, the Gemara relates: <b>When he took</b> himself <b>and went</b> on his way, <b>he sat at a certain spring</b> and was <b>eating bread. He had salted fish [<i>guldenei</i>] in his hands,</b> and <b>while he cleansed them</b> of their excessive salt, a particularly pleasant <b>fragrance fell upon them.</b> Alexander <b>said</b> to himself: I may <b>conclude from</b> this event that <b>this spring comes from</b> the <b>Garden of Eden.</b>
<b>There are</b> those <b>who say: He took from those waters</b> and <b>washed his face.</b> And <b>there are</b> those <b>who say: He ascended</b> along the length of <b>the entire</b> spring <b>until he reached the entrance of the Garden of Eden. He raised</b> a loud <b>voice,</b> calling out: <b>Open the gate for me!</b> The sentry of the Garden of Eden <b>said to him: “This is the gate of the Lord;</b> the righteous shall enter into it” (Psalms 118:20). Since you are not righteous, you may not enter. <b>He said to them: I too</b> am worthy, as <b>I am a king; I am very important.</b> If I will not be admitted, at least <b>give me something</b> from inside. <b>They gave him one eyeball. He brought it</b> and <b>he weighed all the gold and silver that he had against</b> the eyeball, and yet the riches <b>did not balance</b> against the eyeball’s greater weight.
<b>He said to the Sages: What is this?</b> Why does this eyeball outweigh everything? <b>They said: It is the eyeball</b> of a mortal person <b>of flesh and blood, which is not satisfied</b> ever. <b>He said to them: From where</b> do you know <b>that this is</b> the reason for the unbalanced scale? The Sages answered him: <b>Take a small amount of dirt and cover</b> the eye. He did so, and it was <b>immediately balanced</b> by its proper counterweight. The eye is never satisfied while it can see, <b>as it is written: “The netherworld and destruction are never satiated;</b> so the eyes of man are never satiated” (Proverbs 27:20).
The Gemara cites a statement related to its earlier account of Alexander’s journey. <b>The school of Eliyahu taught: Gehenna is above the heavens, and some say</b> that it is <b>beyond the Mountains of Darkness.</b>
The chapter, as well as the talmudic portion of the tractate, concludes with words of praise for those who study Torah. <b>Rabbi Ḥiyya taught:</b> With regard to <b>anyone who occupies</b> himself <b>with Torah at night, the Divine Presence is across from him, as it is stated: “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord,</b> lift up your hands toward Him” (Lamentations 2:19). <b>Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is stated: “And all your children [<i>banayikh</i>] shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children”</b> (Isaiah 54:13). This can be read as <i>bonayikh</i>, your builders, i.e., scholars build and increase peace for the entire world.

<strong>MISHNA:</strong> 5:1 After the priests completed laying the parts of the daily offering on the ramp, they went to the Chamber of Hewn Stone to recite <i>Shema</i>. <b>The appointed</b> priest who oversaw the lotteries in the Temple <b>said to</b> the priests: <b>Recite a single blessing</b> of the blessings that accompany <i>Shema</i>. <b>And</b> the members of the priestly watch <b>recited a blessing,</b> and then <b>they recited the Ten Commandments, <i>Shema</i></b> (see Deuteronomy 6:4–9), <b><i>VeHaya im Shamoa</i></b> (see Deuteronomy 11:13–21), and <b><i>VaYomer</i></b> (see Numbers 15:37–41), the standard formula of <i>Shema</i>.
Additionally, <b>they blessed with the people three blessings.</b> These blessings were: <b>True and Firm,</b> the blessing of redemption recited after <i>Shema</i>; <b>and</b> the blessing of the Temple <b>service,</b> which is also a blessing recited in the <i>Amida</i> prayer; <b>and the Priestly Benediction,</b> recited in the form of a prayer, without the lifting of hands that usually accompanies that blessing (<i>Tosafot</i>). <b>And on Shabbat,</b> when the new priestly watch would begin its service, the priests would <b>add one blessing</b> recited <b>by the outgoing priestly watch,</b> that love, fraternity, peace, and friendship should exist among the priests of the incoming watch.
MISHNA 5:2 The appointed priest <b>said to them:</b> Let only those priests who are <b>new to</b> burning <b>the incense come and participate in the lottery</b> for the incense. <b>Whoever won</b> that lottery <b>won</b> the privilege to burn the incense. The appointed priest <b>said to them:</b> Those <b>new</b> priests, i.e., those who had never performed the service, together <b>with</b> those <b>old</b> priests, i.e., those who had already performed it, may <b>come and participate in the lottery</b> to determine <b>who takes the limbs from</b> the bottom half of <b>the ramp,</b> where they had been placed earlier, <b>up to the altar. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says:</b> The priest <b>who takes the limbs up to the ramp is</b> the one who <b>takes them up</b> from the ramp and places them <b>upon the altar.</b>
MISHNA 5:3 The priests who did not win a lottery were still dressed in the priestly vestments that they were required to don when entering the lottery, so that if they won they would be prepared for immediate service. The appointed priest <b>handed over</b> these priests <b>to</b> the care of <b>the attendants [<i>laḥazanim</i>].</b> The attendants <b>would undress</b> these priests and remove <b>their garments, and they would leave only their trousers on them.</b> After the priests donned their non-sacred garments, they would remove the priestly trousers and don their non-sacred trousers. <b>And there were</b> four storage <b>compartments there</b> in the Temple for the storage of priestly vestments for each priestly watch, <b>and on</b> each of <b>them was written the use of the garment</b> stored there: Trousers, tunic, belt, and mitre.
MISHNA 5:4 The priest <b>who won</b> the lottery to burn <b>the incense would take the spoon</b> used for carrying the incense. <b>And the spoon</b> was <b>similar to</b> a large <b>gold vessel</b> that <b>held three <i>kav</i>, and the smaller vessel was</b> placed <b>inside</b> the spoon.

Daf 33a

The vessel was <b>filled to overflow</b> with <b>incense. And it had a cover</b> to prevent spillage of the incense, <b>and there was a type of cloth</b> placed <b>upon it from above,</b> to preserve the fragrance of the incense.
MISHNA 5:5 The priest <b>who won</b> the right <b>to</b> bring <b>the coal pan</b> with the coals from the outer altar to the incense altar in the Sanctuary <b>took the silver coal pan, ascended to the top of the</b> outer <b>altar, and cleared</b> the extinguished coals from the perimeter of the flame <b>to here</b> and to there. Then he <b>shoveled</b> four <i>kav</i> from the consumed inner coals, which were burned in the depths of the flame, into the coal pan. <b>He descended</b> from the altar <b>and emptied</b> the coals <b>into</b> the coal pan made <b>of gold. Approximately one <i>kav</i> of coals from it was</b> spilled and <b>scattered</b> on the courtyard floor, as the capacity of the gold pan was only three <i>kav</i>. <b>And</b> a priest <b>would sweep</b> the scattered coals <b>into</b> the Temple courtyard <b>drain</b> that passed through the courtyard to drain the waste outside the Temple.
<b>And on Shabbat,</b> when it is prohibited to extinguish fire, the priest would not sweep the coals into the canal; rather, <b>he would overturn a <i>pesakhter</i> upon them. And</b> the <b><i>pesakhter</i> was a large vessel</b> that <b>held a half-kor. And</b> since the <i>pesakhter</i> was a very heavy vessel, <b>there were two chains on it,</b> to facilitate its standard use, removal of ashes from the altar: <b>One</b> chain with <b>which</b> a priest would <b>pull</b> the vessel filled with ashes <b>down</b> the ramp, <b>and one</b> chain <b>that</b> another priest <b>would grasp from above, so that</b> the vessel would <b>not roll</b> down the ramp and the ashes would not spill.
<b>And</b> the <i>pesakhter</i> <b>would serve three purposes:</b> The priests would <b>overturn it upon</b> the <b>coals</b> that scattered in the Temple during the transfer from the silver to the gold coal pan on Shabbat, <b>and</b> they would overturn it <b>upon the</b> carcass of <b>a creeping animal</b> found in the Temple <b>on Shabbat, and</b> they would <b>take the ashes down from atop the altar in it.</b>
MISHNA 5:6 The priest with the spoonful of incense and the priest with the gold coal pan filled with coals <b>reached</b> the place <b>between the Entrance Hall</b> to the Sanctuary <b>and the</b> outer <b>altar,</b> on their way to the Sanctuary. <b>One</b> of them <b>took the shovel and threw it between the Entrance Hall and the</b> outer <b>altar. No person</b> could <b>hear the voice of another</b> speaking to him <b>in Jerusalem,</b> due <b>to</b> the <b>sound</b> generated by <b>the shovel.</b>
<b>And</b> that sound <b>would serve three purposes:</b> Any <b>priest who hears its sound knows that his brethren the priests are entering to prostrate</b> themselves in the Sanctuary at that time, <b>and he</b> would <b>run and come</b> to prostrate himself with them. <b>And</b> any <b>Levite who hears its sound knows that his brethren the Levites are entering</b> the courtyard to stand on their platform <b>to recite the psalm</b> accompanying the libation, <b>and he</b> would <b>run and come</b> to sing with them. <b>And the head of the</b> non-priestly <b>watch,</b> which stands in the courtyard as the agents of the Jewish people, <b>would position the ritually impure</b> priests and singers <b>at the eastern gate</b> of the courtyard, to make it clear that those priests were not performing the Temple service due to their ritual impurity.

<strong>MISHNA:</strong> 6:1 The priest with the panful of incense and the priest with the gold coal pan filled with coals <b>began ascending</b> the twelve <b>stairs of the Entrance Hall.</b> The priests <b>who won</b> the rights <b>of the removal of ash from the inner altar and</b> the removal of ash from <b>the Candelabrum would precede them,</b> to remove the vessels that remained in the Sanctuary. The priest <b>who won</b> the right <b>of the removal of ash from the inner altar entered</b> the Sanctuary <b>and took the basket</b> that he had left there after removing the ashes from the altar. <b>And</b> when he completed his tasks, he <b>prostrated</b> himself with his hands and feet spread <b>and emerged</b> from the Sanctuary.
The priest <b>who won</b> the right <b>of the removal of ash from the Candelabrum entered</b> the Sanctuary, <b>and</b> if he <b>found</b> the <b>two western lamps,</b> i.e., the easternmost and the one immediately to its west, of the Candelabrum <b>burning,</b> he would <b>remove the ash from the easternmost</b> lamp and prepare it anew. <b>But</b> he would <b>leave burning the</b> lamp immediately <b>west</b> of the easternmost lamp, <b>as from</b> that lamp <b>he would kindle</b> the lamps of <b>the Candelabrum in the afternoon.</b> If <b>he found that</b> the lamp west of the easternmost lamp <b>was extinguished, he</b> would <b>remove the ashes and kindle it</b> from the fire on <b>the altar of the burnt offering.</b> He then <b>took the jug</b> in which he had placed the ashes and wicks of the Candelabrum <b>from</b> the <b>second stair</b> of the stone before the Candelabrum <b>and prostrated</b> himself <b>and emerged</b> from the Sanctuary.
MISHNA 6:2 The priest <b>who won</b> the right <b>to</b> bring <b>the coal pan</b> filled with coals to the inner altar for the burning of the incense first <b>piled the coals on the</b> inner <b>altar and</b> then <b>flattened them,</b> distributing them evenly on the altar <b>with the bottom of the coal pan. And</b> when he finished distributing the coals, he <b>prostrated</b> himself <b>and emerged</b> from the Sanctuary.
MISHNA 6:3 The priest <b>who won</b> the right <b>to</b> burn <b>the incense would take the smaller vessel</b> containing the incense <b>from within the spoon, and</b> would <b>give it to</b> a priest who is <b>his friend or his relative,</b> whom he designated to assist him, and enter the Sanctuary with him. If the incense <b>was scattered from</b> the smaller vessel <b>into</b> the spoon, the priest accompanying him would <b>give</b> the incense <b>to</b> the priest burning the incense <b>in his handfuls. And</b> the experienced priests would <b>teach</b> the priest burning the incense: <b>Be careful,</b> because if you are not careful <b>you might begin</b> scattering the incense on the side of the altar that is <b>before you;</b> rather, start scattering on the far side of the altar, <b>so</b> that <b>you will not be burned</b> by the burning incense when you are scattering it.
The priest <b>began flattening it,</b> distributing the incense evenly on the coals on the altar, <b>and</b> when the Sanctuary would become filled with the smoke of the incense, he would <b>emerge</b> from the Sanctuary. The priest <b>burning</b> the incense <b>would not burn</b> it until <b>the appointed</b> priest would <b>say to him: Burn</b> the incense. <b>And if it was the High Priest</b> who was burning the incense, <b>the appointed</b> priest would <b>say to him</b> deferentially: <b>My master,</b> the <b>High Priest, burn</b> the incense.
It is derived from the verse: “And there shall be no man in the Tent of Meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Sanctuary, until he comes out” (Leviticus 16:17), that no one may be standing between the Entrance Hall and the outer altar when the priest burns the incense. Therefore, <b>the people,</b> i.e., the priests, <b>left</b> that area. <b>And</b> the priest <b>burned</b> the incense on the inner altar <b>and prostrated</b> himself <b>and emerged</b> from the Sanctuary.

Daf 33b

<strong>MISHNA:</strong> 7:1 After the priests concluded sacrificing the daily morning offering, they would enter the Sanctuary to prostrate themselves. <b>On occasions when the High Priest</b> would <b>enter</b> the Sanctuary <b>to prostrate</b> himself, he would enter before the other priests. When the High Priest enters the Sanctuary, <b>three</b> priests <b>hold him</b> to assist him and support him, in order to distinguish the service of the High Priest from that of the other priests entering the Sanctuary. <b>One</b> priest held <b>his right</b> hand <b>and one</b> priest held <b>his left</b> hand, <b>and one</b> priest stood behind the High Priest, holding <b>onto</b> the two <b>precious</b> onyx <b>stones</b> located on the shoulders of the High Priest, on the ephod.
<b>And once the appointed</b> priest <b>heard</b> the <b>sound</b> from the <b>feet of the High Priest,</b> produced by the bells attached to the bottom of his robe, he knew <b>that</b> the High Priest was <b>emerging</b> from the Sanctuary, and he <b>lifted the curtain</b> suspended at the opening of the Entrance Hall <b>for him,</b> to facilitate his exit. After the High Priest <b>entered and prostrated</b> himself <b>and emerged</b> from the Sanctuary, <b>his brethren the priests entered, prostrated</b> themselves, <b>and emerged</b> from the Sanctuary.
MISHNA 7:2 After the priests emerged from the Sanctuary, <b>they came and stood on the</b> twelve <b>stairs</b> before <b>the Entrance Hall. The first</b> five priests <b>stood to</b> the <b>south</b> of <b>their brethren, the priests,</b> who had taken the limbs of the daily offering up to the altar. <b>And</b> those five priests had <b>five vessels in their hands: The basket</b> with the ashes from the inner altar was <b>in the hands of one</b> priest; <b>and the jug</b> with the ashes from the Candelabrum was <b>in the hands of one</b> priest; <b>and the coal pan</b> was <b>in the hands of one</b> priest; <b>and the</b> smaller <b>vessel,</b> the bowl that held the incense, was <b>in the hands of one</b> priest, who had burned the incense; <b>and</b> the <b>spoon and its cover</b> were <b>in the hands of one</b> priest, the friend or relative of the one who burned the incense.
The priests placed their vessels on the ground <b>and</b> then <b>blessed the people,</b> reciting <b>one blessing.</b> The Priestly Benediction was recited outside the Temple as well, <b>but</b> in the Temple, it was recited differently, <b>as in</b> the rest of <b>the country</b> the priests would <b>recite it</b> as <b>three blessings,</b> and the listeners would answer amen after each blessing. <b>But in the Temple</b> they would recite it as <b>one blessing,</b> and the listeners would not respond to each blessing. Rather, at the conclusion of the entire Priestly Benediction they would answer: Blessed are You Lord, God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. <b>In the Temple,</b> the priests <b>would recite the name</b> of God <b>as it is written,</b> with the letters <i>yod</i>, <i>heh</i>, <i>vav</i>, <i>heh</i>, whereas <b>in</b> the rest of <b>the country</b> the priests would recite the name of God <b>by His appellation,</b> <i>alef</i>, <i>dalet</i>, <i>nun</i>, <i>yod</i>.
Furthermore, <b>in</b> the rest of <b>the country,</b> while reciting the Priestly Benediction <b>the priests lift their hands opposite their shoulders, and in the Temple</b> they raise them <b>above their heads.</b> That is the <i>halakha</i> with regard to all priests in the Temple, <b>except for</b> the <b>High Priest, who does not raise his hands above the frontplate</b> on his forehead, as the name of God is written on the frontplate. <b>Rabbi Yehuda says: Even</b> the <b>High Priest</b> would <b>raise his hands above the frontplate</b> while reciting the Priestly Benediction in the Temple, <b>as it is stated</b> with regard to the Priestly Benediction recited by Aaron the High Priest: <b>“And Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them”</b> (Leviticus 9:22).
MISHNA 7:3 The High Priest is entitled to sacrifice any offering brought to the Temple, at his discretion. <b>When the High Priest wishes to burn</b> the limbs of the daily offering and the accompanying meal offering, he <b>would ascend the ramp</b> to the altar, <b>and the deputy</b> High Priest would walk <b>to his right.</b> When he <b>reached half</b> the height of <b>the ramp, the Deputy</b> would <b>hold his right</b> hand <b>and take him up</b> to the altar at the top of the ramp.
<b>And the first</b> of the nine priests who took the limbs up to the altar <b>handed</b> the High Priest <b>the head and the hind leg</b> of the offering, <b>and</b> the High Priest <b>placed his hands upon them and</b> then <b>threw them</b> onto the altar fire. Next <b>the second</b> of the nine priests <b>handed the two forelegs</b> of the offering <b>to the first</b> priest. He <b>gave them to the High Priest,</b> who <b>placed his hands upon them and</b> then <b>threw them</b> onto the altar fire. At that point, <b>the second</b> priest <b>slipped away and left. And</b> in <b>that</b> manner the priests <b>would hand</b> the High Priest <b>the rest of all the limbs, and he</b> would <b>place his hands upon them and</b> then <b>throw them</b> onto the altar fire. <b>And when he wishes, he places his hands and others throw</b> the limbs onto the fire.
When the High Priest, who was at the top of the ramp on the south side of the altar, <b>came to circle the altar</b> to reach the southwestern corner, where he would pour the libation of wine, <b>from where does he begin?</b> He begins <b>from the southeastern corner</b> and continues to the <b>northeastern</b> corner, then to the <b>northwestern</b> corner, and ultimately reaches the <b>southwestern</b> corner. At that point, the priests <b>gave him wine to pour.</b>
<b>The Deputy stands</b> at the High Priest’s side <b>at the corner</b> of the altar <b>and the cloths</b> are <b>in his hand,</b> so that he can wave them to signal to the Levites to begin singing when the High Priest pours the libation. <b>Two priests stand at the</b> marble <b>table of the fats,</b> where the limbs and fats were placed before being taken to the altar, <b>and</b> there were <b>two</b> silver <b>trumpets in their hands.</b> These two priests <b>sounded a <i>tekia</i>,</b> a long continuous blast; they then <b>sounded a <i>terua</i>,</b> a series of staccato blasts; <b>and</b> lastly they <b>sounded</b> another <b><i>tekia</i></b> to alert the Levites to prepare to recite the psalm.
The priests with the trumpets <b>came and stood near ben Arza,</b> the title given to the person who was tasked with striking the cymbals, <b>one to his right and one to his left.</b> Then the High Priest <b>stooped to pour</b> the libation, <b>and the Deputy waved the cloths, and ben Arza struck the cymbals, and the Levites recited the psalm</b> of that day of the week. Each psalm was divided into three sections. Whenever the Levites <b>reached the</b> end of one <b>section</b> of the psalm, the priests <b>sounded a <i>tekia</i>, and the people</b> in the courtyard <b>prostrated</b> themselves. <b>At</b> the end of <b>each section</b> there was <b>a <i>tekia</i>, and for every <i>tekia</i></b> there was <b>a prostration. That is the procedure for</b> the sacrifice of <b>the daily offering in the service of the House of our God; may it be</b> His <b>will that it will be speedily rebuilt in our day, amen.</b>
MISHNA 7:4 The following is a list of each daily <b>psalm that the Levites would recite in the Temple. On the first day</b> of the week <b>they would recite</b> the psalm beginning: “A psalm of David. <b>The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and all who live in it”</b> (Psalms, chapter 24). <b>On the second</b> day <b>they would recite</b> the psalm beginning: “A song; a psalm of the sons of Korah. <b>Great is the Lord and highly to be praised in the city of God, on His sacred mountain”</b> (Psalms, chapter 48). <b>On the third</b> day <b>they would recite</b> the psalm beginning: “A psalm of Asaph. <b>God stands in the divine assembly; among the judges He delivers judgment”</b> (Psalms, chapter 82). <b>On the fourth</b> day <b>they would recite</b> the psalm beginning: <b>“O Lord God, to Whom vengeance belongs, God to Whom vengeance belongs, shine forth”</b> (Psalms, chapter 94). <b>On the fifth</b> day <b>they would recite</b> the psalm beginning: “For the leader; upon the Gittith, a psalm of Asaph. <b>Sing for joy to God, our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob”</b> (Psalms, chapter 81). <b>On the sixth</b> day <b>they would recite</b> the psalm beginning: <b>“The Lord reigns: He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed,</b> girded with strength” (Psalms, chapter 93). <b>On Shabbat they would recite</b> the psalm beginning: <b>“A psalm, a song for Shabbat day”</b> (Psalms, chapter 92). This is interpreted as <b>a psalm, a song for the future, for the day that will be entirely Shabbat and rest for everlasting life.</b>