Sotah 7:7 - 7:8

ברכות כ"ג – on Yom Kippur after the Divine Service–Avodah had been completed, he reads the Torah and makes eight blessings–benedictions.

חזן הכנסת – the sexton of the assembly upon whom the duties of the assembly are upon him to bring in

ראש הכנסת – through his lips are decided all the matters of the congregation, who will recite the prayers leading up to the Shema for the benefit of those who come too late for the regular service, who will recite the Maftir–Haftarah from the prophets and who will go down before the Ark (to serve as the representative of the congregation).

סגן – who is ready in place of the Kohen Gadol–High Priest for if something should happen to him to make him unfit for service, he will serve in his place.

והסגן לכ"ג – and all of them are because of the honor of the High Priest, as it is written (Proverbs 14:28): “A numerous people is the glory of the king.”

וכ"ג עומד ומקבל – it follows that he was sitting, we learn from this that he would read in the Women’s Court, for if it was in the Court of Israel, we hold that there is no sitting in that court other than only the kings of the house of David.

וקורא אחרי מות – which is the order of [the ritual of] Yom Kippur.

ואך בעשור – in the Torah portion (Leviticus 22:26 and following): “When an ox or a a sheep or a goat is born” that is near the portion of Aharei Mot (Leviticus 16) and he is able to roll the Torah scroll to there while the Aramaic translator is translating the concluding verse of Aharei Mot and there is no delay in order that the Aramaic translator should interrupt–stop.

וגולל את התורה – and even though he did not read about the tenth [day of Tishrei] in the book of Numbers (chapter 29, verses 7-11), he reads it by heart. But he should not roll the Torah scroll to there because it is far and there is a delay that would cause the Aramaic translator to interrupt and it is a reproach to the community, and to read from two Torah scrolls is impossible because single person does not read from two Torah scrolls in the congregation because of the defect of the first Torah scroll.

יותר ממה שקריתי לפניכם – what I am about to read further by heart, they should not say that it is missing from this Scroll, therefore, I won’t roll it there, and why so much? In order not to cast aspersion against the Torah scroll.

על התורה – the blessing that is after it (i.e., the Haftarah).

ועל העבודה – May the LORD our God accept [our worship].

ועל ההודאה – We give thanks to You.

ועל מחילת עון – You have chosen us that we conclude it with “the king who pardons and forgives our iniquities.”

ועל המקדש – that th Divine Presence should rest on the Temple and we conclude it with Praised is the LORD Who dwells in Zion.

ועל הכהנים – that He should accept their sacrifices with favor and we conclude it with [the blessing] “who sanctifies the Kohanim.”

[בשמיני] – In the eight year of the Sabbatical year–Shemittah that just passed, which is at the conclusion of this seventh year at the conclusion of the first day of Yom Tov (i.e., Sukkot), as it is written (Deuteronomy 31:10): “On the Feast of Booths.” I hear–learn even on the last day of Yom Tov of the holiday, the inference teaches us (Deuteronomy 31:11): “When all Israel comes to appear [before the LORD your God],”from the beginning of the Intermediate Days [of the Festival].

אגריפס המלך – he was from the seed of Herod and in his days, the Second Temple was destroyed.

זלגו עיניו דמעות – fo this Biblical verse disqualifies him from being King.

אחינו אתה – his mother is from the Israelites.

וקורא מתחלת אלה הדברים עד שמע – that is in [the Torah portion of] Vaethanan, and connects with the portion of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and “If you will surely hearken” (Deuteronomy 11:13-21), for in the portion of the Shema is the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven and in the “If you will surely hearken” portion is the acceptance of the yoke of the commandments and he skips and reads (Deuteronomy 14:22): You shall set aside every year a tenth part” and from there he skips and reads (Deuteronomy 26:1ven 2): “When you have set aside in full the tenth part of your yield,” because it is the time of the ingathering [of the crops] and the giving of gifts to the poor and separating the priest’s due and the tithes and even though the portion of the king is between the “You shall set aside every year a tenth part” and “When you have set aside in full the tenth part of your yield,” he reads them together to not interrupt the [verses about the] tithes and afterwards the blessings and curses (Deuteronomy chapter 27-28) which are the acceptance of the decrees and punishments of the Torah and then he returns and reads the portion of the king (Deuteronomy 17:15-20): “You shall be free to set a king over yourselves.”