Sukkah 5:4 - 5:5

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.

שלש לפתיתת שערים – When they open the gates of the courtyard, they would sound [the Shofar] with a Tekiah (a succession of connected notes), Teruah (a tremolo) and a Tekiah, and it would be considered to them as three Tekiot.

ותשע לתמיד של שחר – when they would offer the daily libations, the Levities would recite songs, and [during] three periods they would stop, and during each period the Kohanim would sound [the Shofar] Tekiah, Teruah, Tekiah, and the people would prostrate themselves [the Tekiah, Teruah, Tekiah would be considered to them as three], hence there were nine Tekiot.

להבטיל העם ממלאכה – the first Tekiah [in order to] suspend [from working] the people that are in the fields, the second Tekiah [caused] that the shutters would be removed and the stores would be locked, and at the third Tekiah, he removed what had to be removed and hid what had to be hidden what had been warmed and they kindled the candles.

ושלש להבדיל בין קודש לחול – after the first soundings [of the Shofar] , he delayed in order to roast a small fish, and he then [sounds] a Tekiah, and Teruah and a Tekiah. These three later soundsings to announce that the day has been sanctified.

שלש לפתיחת שערים – of the courtyard where they sound the Shofar daily.

ושלש לשער עליון – as we have said above (Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 5, Mishnah 4), two Kohanim stood at the upper gate and when the cock crowed, they would [sound] the Tekiah, the Teruah and the Tekiah.

ושלש לשער התחתון – as it is taught above (ibid.), whent hey arrived at the courtyard, they sounded the Tekiah, Teruah and Tekiah, and they lengthen them until they reached the lowest gate, as it is aught, they would continue to sound the Shofar until they arrived at the gate that leaves from the east, and thus they called the three of the lowest gate, and the three of the tenth ascending step are not considered, for this Tanna/teacher holds like Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov who stated that they do not sound the Shofar at the tenth step/ascent.

ושלש למילוי המים – after they drew the water and came to the Temple courtyard through the Water Gate, they sounded the Tekiah, Teruah and Tekiah.

על גבי המזבח – as it is taught in the Mishnah of [the fourth] chapter of [Tractate Sukkah], “Lulav V’Aravah/the palm branch and the willow (Mishnah 5), and they put them standing up on the altar, they sounded the Tekiah, the Teruah and the Tekiah. But our Tanna did not bring here [the case] when the Eve of Passover occurs on Shabbat, when the Passover sacrifice is slaughtered in three classes/groups and there were many soundings of the Shofar there, because it was not all that frequent when the Eve of Passover would occur on Shabbat. And that which is taught in the Mishnah (our text, Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 5, Mishnah 5; see also Tractate Arakhin, Chapter 2, Mishnah 3 for a similar phrasing), that we don’t add to the forty-eight sounds of the Shofar, it is not exact., for when the Eve of Passover falls on the Shabbat, there are times when they add up to fifty-seven sounds of the Shofar.