Im Vorraum am Eingang des Heiligtums standen zwei Tische, einer aus Marmor und der andere aus Gold. Sie würden die Lechem Hapanim beim Eintritt in das Heiligtum auf den Marmor [Tisch] und beim Verlassen des Heiligtums auf den goldenen [Tisch] legen, weil wir die Heiligkeit erhöhen und die Heiligkeit nicht verringern. Es gab einen weiteren goldenen Tisch im Inneren, an dem die Lechem Hapanim immer gedeckt waren . Vier Priester würden in die Hände von zwei von ihnen die beiden Arrangements [des neuen Lechem Hapanim ] und in die Hände der beiden anderen die beiden Schalen [des neuen Weihrauchs] eintreten. [Anothe] vier gingen vor ihnen her, zwei, um die beiden Arrangements [des alten Lechem Hapanim ] zu entfernen, und zwei, um die zwei Schalen [des alten Weihrauchs] zu entfernen. Die [Priester], die hereinbrachten, standen auf der Nordseite und waren nach Süden ausgerichtet, und diejenigen, die herauskamen, standen im Süden und waren nach Norden ausgerichtet. Diese würden [das alte Brot vom Tisch wegziehen], wie diejenigen [das neue Brot auf den Tisch] legen würden, eine Handbreite [des Alten] gegenüber einer Handbreite [des Neuen], wie es heißt ( Exodus 25) "immer vor mir". Rabbi Yossi sagt: Selbst wenn diese [das alte Brot] entfernt und [nur dann] diese [das neue Brot] abgelegt haben, wird dies immer noch als [Erfüllung] von "immer" betrachtet. Sie würden gehen und [das Brot] auf den goldenen Tisch im Vorraum legen. Sobald sie die Weihrauchschalen anboten, wurde das Brot an die Priester verteilt. Wenn Jom Kippur auf den Schabbat fallen würde, würde das Brot in dieser Nacht ausgegeben werden. Wenn Jom Kippur am Vorabend des Schabbats fallen würde, würde das [zusätzliche] Ziegenopfer von Jom Kippur in dieser Nacht gegessen werden. Die Babylonier würden es roh essen, weil sie nicht zimperlich waren [was das Essen von rohem Fleisch betrifft].
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
על פתח הבית – next to the door of the Sanctuary at their entrance, but they would not place [the tables] there other than to demonstrate that we ascend in holiness, that now that we place on one of marble and immediately carry them to the Sanctuary and set them up (i.e., the shewbread) on one (i.e., a table) of gold of Moses.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
Introduction
This mishnah deals with the ceremony of the showbread, bringing in the new loaves and taking out the old. This would occur once a week on Shabbat. The old bread would lie there for the entire week until new loaves were brought and the old ones were distributed to the priests.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
ועל של זהב ביציאתו – until they will be offered as incense in dishes/censors as it is taught further on in our Mishnah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
There were two tables inside the sanctuary, at the entrance of the Temple, the one of marble and the other of gold. On the table of marble they laid the showbread when it was brought in, and on the table of gold they laid the showbread when it was brought out, since we raise [the status] of what is holy and we don’t lower it down. And within [the sanctuary] there was a table of gold on which the showbread lay continually. There were three tables, two outside of the sanctuary and one within. The showbread was baked on Friday and then placed on a marble table for it to cool down. When the bread that had been within the sanctuary was brought out, it was placed on a gold table to be distributed to the priests. This table had to be of gold, because the bread had been on the gold table all week, inside the sanctuary. Once the bread had been on a golden table, it could no longer be put on a table made of material lesser than gold. The third table was where the showbread lay all week, inside the sanctuary.
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המכניסים עומדים בצפון – that this is more preferable that those who arrange the Divine service will be iin the north.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
Four priests entered: two bearing the two rows [of the showbread] in their hands and two bearing the two dishes [of frankincense] in their hands; And four went in before them, two to take away the two rows [of the showbread] and two to take away the two dishes [of frankincense]. Those who brought them in stood at the north side facing the south, and those who took them away stood at the south side facing the north. These withdrew [the old] and the others laid down [the new], the handbreadth of the one being by the side of the handbreadth of the other, as it is said, “Before me continually” (Exodus 25:30). Rabbi Yose says: even if these [first] took away [the old] and the others laid down [the new later on], this too fulfills the requirement of continually. The mishnah now describes the process through which the old showbread was removed and the new showbread was laid on the table. The important issue here is that the golden table within the sanctuary should never be without the bread upon it. Thus, while two priests slide the showbread off of one side, the other two priests place the new showbread on the other side. We can see that this ceremony was done with much pomp and circumstance and probably made a great impression upon those priests who saw it performed. Rabbi Yose holds that “continually” does not mean that the table cannot go for even a moment without the showbread. Rather, “continually” means that the table should not be empty overnight (this is explained in the Talmud).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
אלו מושכין (draw out) – and until they don’t lift them (i.e., the old ones) from the table, these others place [the new ones] down.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
They went out and laid [the old bread] on the table of gold that was in the sanctuary [at its entrance]. They then burned the dishes [of frankincense] and the loaves were distributed among the priests. Upon bringing the showbread and frankincense out of the sanctuary, they would distribute the bread to the priests and burn the frankincense.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
אפילו אלו נוטלין – and these themselves lay them down after they took them [off].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
If Yom Kippur fell on a Shabbat the cakes were distributed in the evening. If Yom Kippur fell on Shabbat, and it was impossible to eat the showbread because of the fast, they would distribute the loaves at night.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
אף זו היתה תמיד – for Rabbi Yossi holds that it is not “perpetual” other than that the table should not be kept overnight without bread (i.e., the shewbread).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
If it fell on a Friday the he-goat of Yom Kippur was eaten in the evening. The Babylonian [priests] used to eat it raw for they were not fastidious. If Yom Kippur fell on Friday, the he-goat (see Numbers 29:11) had to be eaten by the priests that night. The Babylonian priests, meaning the priests who returned to the Land of Israel after the Babylonian exile had strong stomachs and could eat the goat raw. The reason that they had to do this is that it was impossible to cook it on Friday because of Yom Kippur or on Shabbat. Since it had to be eaten that night, there was no other option but to eat it raw (wouldn’t that make an interesting break-fast, a lot more exciting than bagels and danish!). As an interesting aside, the Rambam proves from our Mishnah that in talmudic times, Yom Kippur could fall on Friday. Today, since we have a set calendar, Yom Kippur can no longer fall on Friday or on Sunday, although it can fall on Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
והחלות מתחלקות לכהנים – the departing division of duty of the priests divides them up with the entering division of duty of the priests.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
חל יום הכיפורים להיות בשבת – for the law of the shewbread is to consume it on that Sabbath when they take it from upon the table, but now, they are unable to consume it because of the fast [of Yom Kippur].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
השעיר – of the Musaf/Additional [Service] sacrifice which is a sin-offering and it is consumed by the priests.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
לנאכל לערב – on Friday night, for its time is during the day and that night until midnight. And even though they are not able to cook it on the Sabbath nor on Yom Kippur.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
הבבליים – those Kohanim who came up from Babylonia. But the Gemara (Tractate Menahot 100a) explains that they were not Babylonians but rather that they were Alexandrians, and on account that the Sages in the Land of Israel hate the Babylonians, they called the Alexandrians who performed this act of voracity (i.e., in eating the sin-offering of Yom Kippur raw) with the Babylonians.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
היו אוכלין אותו חי – when Yom Kippur fell on Friday.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
מפני דעתן יפה – they did not detest eating the meat when it was raw.
