The saintly ones and the men of (good) deeds would dance before them with flaming torches in their hands, [four or eight torches, throwing one and catching another, chanting before them song and praise, some saying: "Happy our youth that did not shame our old age!" — the saintly ones and the men of deeds; others; "Happy our old age that atoned for our youth" — the penitents. And both say: "Happy he who never sinned, and he who sinned and was forgiven."], and the Levites, with lutes, lyres, cymbals, and trumpets, an infinite number of instruments of all kinds, on the fifteen ascents from the enclosure of the Israelites to the enclosure of the women, corresponding to the fifteen "Songs of Ascents" in the Book of Psalms, the Levites standing on them with instruments and singing [in the simchath Beth Hashoeva. But the podium for the singing at the offerings was near the altar.] Two priests would stand in the upper gate leading from the enclosure of Israel to the enclosure of the women, with two shofars in their hands. When the rooster crowed, they would blow: tekiah, teruah, tekiah, [this being the sign to go and fill up water for the libation from the Shiloach.] When they reached the tenth ascent, they would blow: tekiah, teruah, tekiah. When they reached the azarah [the floor of the women's enclosure], they would blow: tekiah, teruah, tekiah, and they would draw out the tekiah until they reached the gate issuing to the east. When they reached the gate issuing to the east, they turned their faces to the west [towards the azarah and the sanctuary], and they said: "Our forefathers who were in this place — their backs were to the sanctuary and their faces eastward; and they prostrated themselves eastward to the sun. But we — to Kah are our eyes." R. Yehudah said: They would repeat: "We are to Kah, and to Kah are our eyes."
Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
באבוקות של אור – with four torches or eight (Talmud Sukkah 53a), this one who throw it and the other person would receive it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Introduction
This mishnah describes the Simchat Bet Hashoevah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
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.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Men of piety and good deeds used to dance before them with lighted torches in their hands, and they would sing songs and praises. After having lit the menorah, the party kicks off with dancing, singing and the playing of musical instruments. The first participants mentioned are the “Hasidim” or the men of piety and men whom are known for their good deeds. This group’s participation is unusual and noteworthy for these were men chosen based on their deeds and not on their lineage. In my opinion this was indeed one of the functions of the Simchat Bet Hashoevah, to give a greater role to those who are not of the priestly or Levitical clans. It is these people whose dancing, songs and praise would probably have stood out the most. This dancing and singing took place in the Court of the Women.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
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.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
And Levites with innumerable harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets and other musical instruments stood upon the fifteen steps leading down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, corresponding to the fifteen songs of ascents in the Psalms, and it was on these [steps] that the Levites stood with their musical instruments and sang their songs. The second group is the Levites who would arrange themselves on the fifteen steps leading up from the Court of the Women to the Court of the Israelites. The mishnah notes that these fifteen steps correlate with the fifteen Psalms which begin “A Song of Ascents (Shir Hamaalot)” (Psalms 120-134). One can only imagine how beautiful, indeed sublime, their music must have been.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
תקעו והריעו ותקעו – this was a sign to go and fill up water for libations from the Shiloah.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Two priests stood by the upper gate which leads down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, with two trumpets in their hands. When the cock crowed they sounded a teki'ah [drawn-out blast], a teru'ah [staccato note] and again a teki'ah. When they reached the tenth step they sounded a teki'ah, a teru'ah and again a teki'ah. When they reached the Court [of the Women] they sounded a teki'ah, a teru'ah and again a teki'ah. They would sound their trumpets and proceed until they reached the gate which leads out to the east. The third group involved is the priests. The priests begin the ceremony standing above everyone else, up in the Court of the Israelites. When the cock crows at the crack of dawn they begin a process of descending and blowing shofar blasts at set stages. Eventually this leads them down through the women’s court and out to the eastern gate.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
הגיעו לעזרה – to the ground of the Women’s courtyard.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
When they reached the gate which leads out to the east, they turned their faces from east to west and said, “Our fathers who were in this place ‘their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east’, but as for us, our eyes are turned to the Lord.” Rabbi Judah said: they used to repeat [the last words] and say “We are the Lord’s and our eyes are turned to the Lord.” When they get to the eastern gate they are facing the sun. They turn around so that their backs are to the sun and use this opportunity to profess their faith in God and their denial of the worship of the sun. They quote from Ezekiel 8:16 in order to highlight that the sin of sun-worship is not just something that “others” or Greeks were engaged in, but something that Israelites themselves were accused of by Ezekiel. It seems to me likely that there is also a polemic here against other contemporary Jewish groups who had a solar calendar. A calendar based on the sun and actual worship of the sun could probably have been associated. Certainly it would make sense that the Pharisees/rabbis would claim that their rivals, the Essenes and perhaps the Sadducees, were not just basing their calendar on the sun but were worshipping the sun as well. We have already seen on a number of occasions that Sukkot was a holiday full of strife between the various sects of ancient Judaism. The mishnah ends its procession at this point, but it is quite clear that it was not actually over at this moment but that from the eastern gate they would make their way down to the Shiloah spring in order to draw water for the water-libation.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
הפכו פניהם למערב – to the side of the courtyard and the Temple, in order to state this matter.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
שונין – they would repeat saying.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
אנו ליה – they would prostrate and give thanks on what had taken place.
