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Mishnayos Sukkah Perek 5 Mishnah 4

סוכה פרק ה׳ משנה ד׳

4

The pious and the men of action would dance before the people who attended the celebration, with flaming torches that they would juggle in their hands, and they would say before them passages of song and praise to God. And the Levites would play on lyres, harps, cymbals, and trumpets, and countless other musical instruments. The musicians would stand on the fifteen stairs that descend from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, corresponding to the fifteen Songs of the Ascents in Psalms, i.e., chapters 120–134, and upon which the Levites stand with musical instruments and recite their song. And this was the ceremony of the Water Libation: Two priests stood at the Upper Gate that descends from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, with two trumpets in their hands. When the rooster crowed at dawn, they sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. When they who would draw the water reached the tenth stair the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia, to indicate that the time to draw water from the Siloam pool had arrived. When they reached the Women’s Courtyard with the basins of water in their hands, the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. When they reached the ground of the Women’s Courtyard, the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. They continued sounding the trumpets until they reached the gate through which one exits to the east, from the Women’s Courtyard to the eastern slope of the Temple Mount. When they reached the gate through which one exits to the east, they turned from facing east to facing west, toward the Holy of Holies, and said: Our ancestors who were in this place during the First Temple period who did not conduct themselves appropriately, stood “with their backs toward the Sanctuary of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east” (Ezekiel 8:16), and we, our eyes are to God. Rabbi Yehuda says that they would repeat and say: We are to God, and our eyes are to God.

חֲסִידִים וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה הָיוּ מְרַקְּדִים לִפְנֵיהֶם בַּאֲבוּקוֹת שֶׁל אוֹר שֶׁבִּידֵיהֶן, וְאוֹמְרִים לִפְנֵיהֶן דִּבְרֵי שִׁירוֹת וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת. וְהַלְוִיִּם בְּכִנּוֹרוֹת וּבִנְבָלִים וּבִמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבַחֲצוֹצְרוֹת וּבִכְלֵי שִׁיר בְּלֹא מִסְפָּר, עַל חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מַעֲלוֹת הַיּוֹרְדוֹת מֵעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, כְּנֶגֶד חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת שֶׁבַּתְּהִלִּים, שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶן לְוִיִּים עוֹמְדִין בִּכְלֵי שִׁיר וְאוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה. וְעָמְדוּ שְׁנֵי כֹהֲנִים בַּשַּׁעַר הָעֶלְיוֹן שֶׁיּוֹרֵד מֵעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, וּשְׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרוֹת בִּידֵיהֶן. קָרָא הַגֶּבֶר, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הִגִּיעוּ לְמַעְלָה עֲשִׂירִית, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הִגִּיעוּ לָעֲזָרָה, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הָיוּ תוֹקְעִין וְהוֹלְכִין, עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעִין לַשַּׁעַר הַיּוֹצֵא מִזְרָח. הִגִּיעוּ לַשַּׁעַר הַיּוֹצֵא מִמִּזְרָח, הָפְכוּ פְנֵיהֶן לַמַּעֲרָב, וְאָמְרוּ, אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהָיוּ בַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֲחוֹרֵיהֶם אֶל הֵיכַל ה' וּפְנֵיהֶם קֵדְמָה, וְהֵמָּה מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים קֵדְמָה לַשָּׁמֶשׁ, וְאָנוּ לְיָהּ עֵינֵינוּ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הָיוּ שׁוֹנִין וְאוֹמְרִין, אָנוּ לְיָהּ, וּלְיָהּ עֵינֵינוּ:

ד׳
Bartenura

באבוקות של אור – with four torches or eight (Talmud Sukkah 53a), this one who throw it and the other person would receive it.

דברי שירות ותשבחות – there were those from them that would say: “Happy is our childhood that we did not embarrass our elders,” these are our pious ones and men of deeds. And there were those who would say: “Happy are our elders who atoned for our childhoods,” these are the repentant individuals. Both groups would say: “Happy are those who did not sin, and he he who did sin and was pardoned.”

שעליהם הלוים עומדים בשיר – at the joy of the house of the water-drawing. But the platform for the song of the [sacrificial] offering was near the altar.

תקעו והריעו ותקעו – this was a sign to go and fill up water for libations from the Shiloah.

הגיעו לעזרה – to the ground of the Women’s courtyard.

הפכו פניהם למערב – to the side of the courtyard and the Temple, in order to state this matter.

שונין – they would repeat saying.

אנו ליה – they would prostrate and give thanks on what had taken place.

וליה עינינו – to trust in what will come.

באבוקות של אור. בארבע אבוקות או בשמונה, זורק זו ומקבל את זו:

דברי שירות ותשבחות. יש מהן שהיו אומרים אשרי ילדותינו שלא ביישה את זקנותינו, אלו חסידים ואנשי מעשה. ויש שהיו אומרים אשרי זקנותינו שכפרה על ילדותינו, אלו בעלי תשובה. ואלו ואלו אומרים אשרי מי שלא חטא ומי שחטא ונמחל לו:

שעליהם הלוים עומדים בשיר. בשמחת בית השואבה. אבל דוכן לשיר של קרבן אצל המזבח היה:

תקעו והריעו ותקעו. זה סימן לילך ולמלאות מים לניסוך מן השילוח:

הגיעו לעזרה. לקרקע עזרה של נשים:

הפכו פניהם למערב. לצד העזרה וההיכל כדי לומר דבר זה:

שונין. כופלין לומר

אנו ליה. משתחוים ומודים על מה שעבר.

וליה עינינו. מיחלות להבא: