Commentary for Sotah 7:7
בִּרְכוֹת כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל כֵּיצַד. חַזַּן הַכְּנֶסֶת נוֹטֵל סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה וְנוֹתְנָהּ לְרֹאשׁ הַכְּנֶסֶת, וְרֹאשׁ הַכְּנֶסֶת נוֹתְנָהּ לַסְּגָן, וְהַסְּגָן נוֹתְנָהּ לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל עוֹמֵד וּמְקַבֵּל וְקוֹרֵא עוֹמֵד, וְקוֹרֵא אַחֲרֵי מוֹת (שם טז), וְאַךְ בֶּעָשׂוֹר (שם כג). וְגוֹלֵל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וּמַנִּיחָהּ בְּחֵיקוֹ וְאוֹמֵר, יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁקָּרִיתִי לִפְנֵיכֶם כָּתוּב כָּאן. וּבֶעָשׂוֹר שֶׁבְּחֻמַּשׁ הַפִּקּוּדִים (במדבר כט) קוֹרֵא עַל פֶּה, וּמְבָרֵךְ עָלֶיהָ שְׁמֹנֶה בְרָכוֹת, עַל הַתּוֹרָה, וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה, וְעַל הַהוֹדָיָה, וְעַל מְחִילַת הֶעָוֹן, וְעַל הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, וְעַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל הַכֹּהֲנִים, וְעַל שְׁאָר הַתְּפִלָּה:
The blessings of the high priest: How so? The sexton of the synagogue takes a Torah scroll and passes it to the head of the synagogue, the head of the synagogue passes it to the deputy [of the high priest], the deputy passes it to the high priest, and the high priest stands, receives [the scroll] and reads [the following portions]: “After the death” (Leviticus 16:1-34), and “But on the tenth day” (Leviticus 23:26-32). Then he rolls the Torah (scroll), places it in his chest and exclaims, “More than I have read before you is written here!” “On the tenth day” (Numbers 29:7-11), which is in the book of Numbers, he reads by heart. And he blesses upon it eight blessings: “For the Torah”, “For the Temple service”, “For thanksgiving”, “For the pardon of sin”, “For the Temple”, “For Israel”, “For the priests”, and “For the rest of the prayer.”
Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
ברכות כ"ג – on Yom Kippur after the Divine Service–Avodah had been completed, he reads the Torah and makes eight blessings–benedictions.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
Introduction
This mishnah deals with the blessings recited by the high priest on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), after he finished performing the special worship service for that day.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
חזן הכנסת – the sexton of the assembly upon whom the duties of the assembly are upon him to bring in
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
How were the benedictions of the high priest [performed]?
The hazzan of the synagogue takes the Torah scroll and gives it to the president of the synagogue; the vice-president of the synagogue gives it to the high priest, and the high priest stands, receives [the scroll] and reads [the following portions]: “After the death” (Leviticus 16:1-34), and “But on the tenth day” (Leviticus 23:26-32). Then he rolls the Torah (, places it in his bosom and exclaims, “More than I have read before you is written here!” [The portion], “On the tenth day” (Numbers 29:7-11), which is in the book of Numbers, he reads by heart. After the high priest has finished performing the Yom Kippur service (and sent the scapegoat out to the desert) he would go out to the Temple courtyard and sit there until they bring him the Torah scroll. The scroll is not handed directly to him, but rather several synagogue functionaries participate in passing the scroll before it reaches the high priest. [Somewhat reminiscent of a brit milah in which the baby is passed around before being circumcised.] Note that according to the mishnah there was a synagogue on the Temple grounds. Indeed, archaeologists have found a dedicatory inscription near the Temple which mentions the “head of a synagogue”.
The hazzan of the synagogue takes the Torah scroll and gives it to the president of the synagogue; the vice-president of the synagogue gives it to the high priest, and the high priest stands, receives [the scroll] and reads [the following portions]: “After the death” (Leviticus 16:1-34), and “But on the tenth day” (Leviticus 23:26-32). Then he rolls the Torah (, places it in his bosom and exclaims, “More than I have read before you is written here!” [The portion], “On the tenth day” (Numbers 29:7-11), which is in the book of Numbers, he reads by heart. After the high priest has finished performing the Yom Kippur service (and sent the scapegoat out to the desert) he would go out to the Temple courtyard and sit there until they bring him the Torah scroll. The scroll is not handed directly to him, but rather several synagogue functionaries participate in passing the scroll before it reaches the high priest. [Somewhat reminiscent of a brit milah in which the baby is passed around before being circumcised.] Note that according to the mishnah there was a synagogue on the Temple grounds. Indeed, archaeologists have found a dedicatory inscription near the Temple which mentions the “head of a synagogue”.
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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).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
And he blesses upon it eight benedictions: “For the Torah”, “For the Temple service”, “For thanksgiving”, “For the pardon of sin”, “For the Temple”, “For Israel”, “For the priests”, and the rest of the prayer. When the high priest receives the Torah, he reads the portions which deal with Yom Kippur. This begins with two passages from Leviticus. After he closing the Torah he tells the people that there is more in the Torah than what he just read to them. [As an aside, this reminds of rabbis telling their congregation on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur that there are other holidays also coming up.] The passage concerning Yom Kippur which is found towards the end of Numbers he doesn’t read from the scroll itself, but rather by heart. Generally speaking, portions of the written Torah should not be read in public by heart. However, since it would take a long time to roll from Leviticus 23 to Numbers 29 and it would not be respectful to the congregation for them to have to wait long while the Torah is being scrolled. The respect for the congregation is important enough that the Yom Kippur ceremony itself is adjusted to take this into account.
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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.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
Today when a person receives an aliyah to the Torah, they read one blessing before and after. The high priest reads eight blessings. “For the Torah”, is the same blessing recited today before and after the Torah reading (according to some commentators the high priest said these blessings like we do today, one before and one after, but the mishnah refers to this as one blessing.) “For the Temple service” is similar to the third to last blessing in the amidah as it is said today. “For thanksgiving” is similar to the next to last blessing in today’s amidah. “For the pardon of sin” is similar to one of the middle blessings in today’s amidah, which begins “Forgive us.” “For the Temple” is a prayer that the Temple should continue to stand. “For Israel” is a prayer that God’s presence should not depart from the people of Israel. “For the priests” is a prayer that God will accept the worship of the priests. And for the rest of the prayer this refers to a final prayer that God should protect Israel and thanks God for listening to our prayers.
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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.”
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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.
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וקורא אחרי מות – which is the order of [the ritual of] Yom Kippur.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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על התורה – the blessing that is after it (i.e., the Haftarah).
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ועל העבודה – May the LORD our God accept [our worship].
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ועל ההודאה – We give thanks to You.
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ועל מחילת עון – You have chosen us that we conclude it with “the king who pardons and forgives our iniquities.”
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ועל המקדש – that th Divine Presence should rest on the Temple and we conclude it with Praised is the LORD Who dwells in Zion.
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ועל הכהנים – that He should accept their sacrifices with favor and we conclude it with [the blessing] “who sanctifies the Kohanim.”
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