Mishnayos Tamid Perek 1 Mishnah 1
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תמיד פרק א׳ משנה א׳
The priests would keep watch in three places in the Temple courtyard, in honor of the Temple, like guards in royal courtyards: In the Chamber of Avtinas, which is the Chamber where the incense was prepared, and on the two sides of the northern section of the courtyard: In the Chamber of the Spark, where there was a small, perpetual fire, from which the fire of the altar would be lit if it went out; and in the Chamber of the Hearth, where there was also a fire, by which the priests would warm themselves when it was cold. In the Chamber of Avtinas and in the Chamber of the Spark there were upper stories, and the young priests, who were not yet eligible to serve in the Temple, would keep watch there. In the Chamber of the Hearth, there was no upper story, as its ceiling was round like a cupola. And it was a large hall, surrounded by rows of stone that protruded from the walls and that served as benches. The elders of the patrilineal priestly family that would serve in the Temple the following day would sleep there, and the keys to the Temple courtyard were in their possession. The young men of the priesthood, 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 each of the priests would sleep with his garment on the ground. Furthermore, they would not sleep dressed in the sacred vestments; rather, they would remove them and fold them up. And then they would place their vestments on the floor beneath their heads, and cover themselves with their own non-sacred garments. If a seminal emission befell one of the priests, rendering him ritually impure and unfit for service, 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. And there were lamps burning on this side and on that side of the passage. He would walk through the passage until he reached the Chamber of Immersion. And there was a fire burning there to warm the priests after they had immersed, and also a bathroom of honor, so that the priests could urinate before immersion. This was the manifestation of 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. If one found the door open, it was known that there was no person there, and he could enter. In this manner, the one using it was afforded privacy. After the priest descended and immersed in the ritual bath, he ascended and dried himself with a towel, and warmed himself opposite the fire. He then came back to the Chamber of the Hearth and sat with his brethren the priests until dawn, when the gates of the Temple courtyard would be opened. He would then leave the Temple and go on his 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.
בִּשְׁלשָׁה מְקוֹמוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים שׁוֹמְרִים בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ. בְּבֵית אַבְטִינָס, בְּבֵית הַנִּיצוֹץ וּבְבֵית הַמּוֹקֵד. בֵּית אַבְטִינָס וּבֵית הַנִּיצוֹץ הָיוּ עֲלִיּוֹת, וְהָרוֹבִים שׁוֹמְרִים שָׁם. בֵּית הַמּוֹקֵד, כִּפָּה, וּבַיִת גָּדוֹל הָיָה, מֻקָּף רוֹבָדִים שֶׁל אֶבֶן, וְזִקְנֵי בֵית אָב יְשֵׁנִים שָׁם, וּמַפְתְּחוֹת הָעֲזָרָה בְּיָדָם. וּפִרְחֵי כְהֻנָּה אִישׁ כִּסְתּוֹ בָאָרֶץ. לֹא הָיוּ יְשֵׁנִים בְּבִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ, אֶלָּא פוֹשְׁטִין וּמְקַפְּלִין וּמַנִּיחִים אוֹתָן תַּחַת רָאשֵׁיהֶן, וּמִתְכַּסִּין בִּכְסוּת עַצְמָן. אֵרַע קֶרִי לְאַחַד מֵהֶן, יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ בַּמְּסִבָּה הַהוֹלֶכֶת תַּחַת הַבִּירָה, וְהַנֵּרוֹת דּוֹלְקִין מִכָּאן וּמִכָּאן, עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְבֵית הַטְּבִילָה. וּמְדוּרָה הָיְתָה שָׁם, וּבֵית כִּסֵּא שֶׁל כָּבוֹד. וְזֶה הָיָה כְבוֹדוֹ, מְצָאוֹ נָעוּל, יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁיֶּשׁ שָׁם אָדָם. פָּתוּחַ, יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אָדָם. יָרַד וְטָבַל, עָלָה וְנִסְתַּפֵּג וְנִתְחַמֵּם כְּנֶגֶד הַמְּדוּרָה. בָּא וְיָשַׁב לוֹ אֵצֶל אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים עַד שֶׁהַשְּׁעָרִים נִפְתָּחִים, יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ:
Bartenura
בשלשה מקומות הכהנים שומרים בבית המקדש. מפני הכבוד, וגדולה היא לבית שלא יהא בלא שומרים. ושלשה מקומות ילפינן מדכתיב (במדבר ג,) והחונים לפני המשכן קדמה וגו׳ שומרי משמרת למשמרת, רמז לשלש בשלשה משמרות מקומות, ומה מצינו במשכן שהיו הכהנים אהרן ושני בניו שומרים בו בשלשה מקומות, אף מקדש כן:
בית אבטינס ובית הניצוץ היו עליות. בנויות בצד שערי העזרה:
והרובין. ילדים. תרגום ילד, רביא. פירוש אחר, הרובין, המורים חצים בקשת, מלשון רובה קשת:
ובית המוקד כפה. בנין של בית המוקד לא היתה עליה אלא כיפה, ארקוולט״ו בלע״ז, עשויה בארץ:
והיה מוקף רובדים של אבן. אצטבאות סביב, של אבני גזית, היו משוקעות בכותל ויוצאות מן הכותל לתוך בית המוקד לצד הקרקע, ועל גביהן אבנים אחרות קצרות מהן שיוצאות נמי מן הכותל, והיו כעין מעלות זו על זו:
זקני בית אב. המשמר היה מתחלק לשבעה בתי אבות כמנין ימי השבוע כל אחד עובד יומו, וזקני בית אב של אותו יום היו ישנים שם על אותן רובדין:
ופרחי כהונה. בחורים שמתחיל שער זקנם לפרוח, והן היו השומרים:
כסתו. לשון כרים וכסתות:
איש כסתו בארץ. שלא היו יכולים לשכב שם על גבי מטות אלא בארץ כדרך שומרי חצרות המלכים:
ומניחים אותן תחת ראשיהן. כנגד ראשיהן ולא תחת ראשיהן ממש, לפי שיש בבגדי כהונה שיש בהן כלאים כגון אבנט, ואין מותר להשתמש בהן אלא בשעת עבודה:
ומתכסים בכסות עצמן. בבגדי חול:
במסיבה. במחילה המהלכת תחת הבירה. שמחילה היתה תחת המקדש. וכל המקדש קרוי בירה כדכתיב (דברי הימים א כ״ט:י״ט) אל הבירה אשר הכינותי. ומפני שהיה בעל קרי, לא היה מהלך דרך העזרה אלא דרך המחילות, דקיימא לן מחילות לא נתקדשו:
והנרות היו דולקים. במחילה מכאן ומכאן:
ומדורה היתה שם. שהכהן מתחמם בה לאחר שטבל:
וזה היה כבודו. שלא נכנס בו אדם מעולם כל זמן שהיה חברו שם:
מצאו נעול. זה סימנו שיש אדם שם ולא היה נכנס:
נסתפג. קינח המים שעל בשרו:
בא וישב לו. בבית המוקד:
עד שהשערים נפתחים. היה יוצא והולך לו לחוץ. לפי שטבול יום משתלח חוץ לעזרה, כדאמרינן באלו דברים וכל זב לרבות בעל קרי:
בשלשה מקומות הכהנים שומרים בבית המקדש – because of the honor, and it is greatness to the Temple that it should not be without guards/watchmen, and three places we derive as it is written (Numbers 3:38): “Those who were to camp before the Tabernacle, in front, before the Tent of Meeting, on the east – were Moses and Aaron and his sons, attending to the duties of the sanctuary, as a duty on behalf of the Israelites...],” those who guard from one watch to another, which is a hint to three divisions of duty for priests [and Levites] in three places, but just as we find in the Tabernacle that the Kohanim, Aaron and his sons were guarding in it in three places, even so too in the Temple.
בית אבטינס ובית הניצוץ היו עליות – [According to the Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Yoma, Chapter 1, Halakhah 5, the chamber of the House of Avtinas (see also Tractate Shekalim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 1 and Tractate Yoma, Chapter 1, Mishnah 5 concerning facts about this clan) was in the southern part of the Temple courtyard by the side of the Water Gate – which was the gate where they would enter on the holiday of Sukkot with a flask of water that was drawn from the Shiloah spring fo the libations on the altar, but according to the Talmud, Tractate Yoma 19a, there were doubts as to where this chamber was – in the south or in the north, which is the preference of this commentary to the Mishnah] – that were built on the side of the gates of the Temple courtyard.
והרובין (young priests, or possibly “archers”) – children; the Aramaic Targum/translation is רביא /child. Another explanation: הרובין/ those who shoot arrows with bows, from the language of {Genesis 21:20): “[God was with the boy (i.e., Ishmael) and he grew up; he dwelt in the wildeness] and became a bowman.”
בית המוקד כפה – there was nothing over the bulding of the House of the Hearth other than a [round] arch, AREUVLETU in the foreign language, made m the earth.
והיה מוקף רובדים של אבן (was surrounded with stone pavements) – colonnades/porticos surrounding, [made] of hewn stones that were sunk in the wall and came out from the wall into the House of the Hearth/בית המוקד – to the side of the ground, and on top of them were other stones, shorter than them that also came out from the wall. And they were similar to steps one on top of the other.
וזקני בית אב – the division for duty of priests and Levites/guard that was divided into seven priest’s divisions corresponding to the days of the week, each one serves on his day, and the elders of the priest’s division of that day would sleep there on those paved level spaces between steps in the Temple hall.
ופרחי כהונה (fledgling priests) – young boys whose hair begins to sprout, and they were guards.
כסתו – the language of pillows and cushions.
איש כסתו בארץ – there were not able to lie down there on the beds but rather on the ground in the manner of those who guard the courtyards of the kings.
ומניחים אותן תחת ראשיהן – corresponding to their heads, but not actually under their heads, because there are the clothes of the Kohen that have in them Kilayim/mixture of linen and wool, as for example, the belt, and it is not permitted to use them other than at the time of [Divine] service.
ומתכסים בכסות עצמן – in weekday clothing.
במסבה (winding staircase)- in a cavity/cave that goes underneath the Temple, for the cavity was underneath the Sanctuary, and the entire Sanctuary is called בירה /the chosen Divine residence/the Temple, as it is written (I Chronicles 29:19 – the verse is slightly misquoted by Rabbi Obadiah of Bertinoro in the printed editions: He writes: אל הבירה אשר הכינותי – whereas the correct quote is:לבנות הבירה אשר הכינותי ): “and to build this temple for which I have made provision.” But because he was one to whom a nocturnal emission/pollution had occurred, he would not walk on the path of the Temple courtyard, but rather on he path of the cavities/caves, for he holds that these cavities were not sanctified.
והנרות היו דולקים – in the cavity/cave from this side and that side.
ומדורה היה שם – hat the Kohen would warm himself in it after he immersed [in a ritual bath].
וזה היה כבודו – that no person who enter in it ever all the while that his fellow was there.
מצאו נעול – this is his sign that there is a person there, and he would not enter.
נסתפג – wiped off the water that was on his skin.
בא וישב לו – in the house of the Hearth.
עד שהשערים נפתחים – he would leave and go outside, because one who has immersed [in a Mikveh] must wait for sunset to be perfectly clean – see Leviticus 22:7) is sent off outside of the Temple courtyard, as we stated in these matters that every person who had a flux, including one with a nocturnal emission.