Three times a year (i.e., in the three festivals) all the watches were equal in eimurei haregalim [i.e., "what was stated" (amur) concerning the festivals, e.g., the breast and shoulder of the individual festival peace-offerings, the burnt-offerings of the (Temple) visitation burnt-offerings (oloth re'iah), the congregational mussafim, and the goat sin-offerings], and in the distribution of the show bread [when Shabbath fell out on a festival. For on Shabbath the (previous) show bread was removed and a different one arranged, viz. (Leviticus 24:8): "On the day of Sabbath he shall arrange it." On Atzereth (Shevuoth), he is told: "Here is matzah; here is chametz." [When Atzereth falls out on Shabbath, and he (a Cohein) shares in the two breads, which are chametz, and in the show bread, which is matzah — each one is told when he is given his share in the show bread: "Here is matzah"; and when he is given his share in the two breads: "Here is chametz." For one offering is not distributed in place of another; but he takes a share from each offering, viz. (Ibid. 7:10): "To all the sons of Aaron shall it be, one man as well as another." Therefore, he is apprised that he is being given his share, whether of chametz or of matzah.] The watch whose time is fixed [to serve on this Shabbath on which the festival falls] sacrifices the temidin, [for they are not for the sake of the festival], vows and gift offerings [of the entire year, which were brought on the festival] and the other congregational offerings, [to include the bullock of "forgetfulness" of the congregation and the goats for (atonement of) idolatry, where beth-din erred in their ruling and most of the congregation acted according to their ruling. If these were offered on a festival, the fixed watch sacrifices them.], and he sacrifices everything, [including the (offerings of the) "summertime of the altar," when it (the altar) is idle: When the tamid has been sacrificed and there are no vow or gift-offerings, money is taken from what is left over in the lishkah, beasts for burnt-offerings are bought for it, and they are sacrificed as congregational gift-offerings. These, too, if they are sacrificed on the festival — the fixed watch sacrifices them.] If the festival fell out next to Shabbath — either before or after it — all of the watches were equal in the distribution of the show bread. [If the festival fell out after Shabbath, even though Shabbath was not in the midst of the festival, still, since they had to come on Sabbath eve because of the festival (not being able to come on Shabbath), they shared in the show bread. Likewise, if the eighth day (of Succoth) fell out on Sabbath eve, even though Shabbath was not in the midst of the festival, they shared in the show bread, since they could not leave.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
באימורי הרגלים – in what is offered on the Festivals, that is to say, the sacrifices that are offered on the Festivals, where all the divisions of duty for priests were equivalent, such that the breast and the foreleg of the Festival peace-offerings of each and every person and the burnt offerings made for appearance [in the Temple] and of the Additional offerings/Musaf of the community and the goats of the sin-offerings.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Introduction
In yesterday’s mishnah we learned that the twenty-four priestly watches equally divided the sacrifices that were offered on account of the festival. Our mishnah now discusses the ownership over the other sacrifices that would have been offered on the three festivals.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
ובחלוק לחם הפנים – when the Shabbat occurred during the festival, for on the Sabbath they would remove it and set up another, as it is written (Leviticus 24:8): “He shall arrange them before the LORD regularly every sabbath day…”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
At three periods in the year all the priestly watches shared equally in the festival sacrifices and in the division of the showbread. This is a reference to the previous mishnah. On all three festivals all of the watches shared equally in all of the sacrifices that came on account of the festival. This would include the musafim mentioned yesterday, but also the “hagigah” and other special sacrifices that individuals would bring on account of the festival. They also divided the showbread equally, despite the fact that the showbread is not really a sacrifice that comes on account of the festival.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
ובעצרת – when it occurred on Shabbat, and there is division/distribution of the Hametz/leavened two loaves [of Shew Bread] and the distribution of the Shew Bread when it is unleavened, we say to each and every one that we are giving him their portion of the shewbread, “here you have unleavened.” For since we do not divide a sacrifice corresponding to a sacrifice, but from each sacrifice each person takes his portion, as we derive it from (Leviticus 7:10): “[But every other grain offering, with oil mixed in or dry,] shall go to the sons of Aaron all alike,” therefore, we announce to him when we give him his portion, whether from unleavened bread or from leavened bread.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
On Shavuot they used to say to the priest, “Here is matzah for you, here is chametz for you.” On Shavuot there were both the matzot of the showbread and leavened bread (chametz) from the two special loaves on Shavuot. Therefore they could amusingly say to the priest coming to take his share: here’s your matzah, here’s your chametz.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
משמר שזמנו קבוע – to serve on this Shabbat where a Festival occurs during it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
A watch whose period of service was fixed [for that festival week] offered the tamid, vow-offerings and freewill-offerings and all other public offerings; and it offered them all. The watch whose week fell on the week upon which there was a festival would get the offerings that were brought not on account of the festival. They would get the tamid, the daily offerings. They also received the individual voluntary offerings vow offerings and free-will offerings. They also received other public offerings not listed in the previous mishnah. This would include the Shabbat musaf offerings. Finally, they would get any offering that was brought for some reason other than the festival. This would include first-born animals and tithes. We should note that despite the fact that the festival offerings were divided up equally among the different watches, it surely would have been a bonus to have one’s watch fall on the festival for the simple reason that more people came to the Temple at these times. It was at these times of the year that people would have brought their voluntary offerings, their first-born animals, their animal tithes and other offerings. Hence, it was probably quite lucrative to have your watch fall during the festival.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
מקריב תמידין – which are not for the Festival.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
A festival which fell next to Shabbat, either before or after it, all the watches shared equally in the distribution of the showbread. If Shabbat fell either on the day before the festival or the day after, all of the watches would receive an equal portion of the showbread. If it fell before the festival, they would have to get to Jerusalem before Shabbat, a day earlier than if the festival had fallen during the week. If it fell after the festival, they would have to stay a day later. Since they had to be there anyway, they received a portion of the showbread even though Shabbat was not on the festival.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
נדרים ונדבות – which had been vowed or donated all year long and they were brought on the Festival.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
וכל קרבנות צבור – which includes the bull for the unconscious/forgetful matter of the entire community and the goats for idolatry when the court erred collectively in their teaching and most of the community followed their decision, and if it this occurred on the Festive, the division of duty whose time is fixed offers that sacrifice.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
מקריב את הכל – to include the altar’s summer time (a time when the altar was unemployed for private offerings, and the free-will burnt offerings had to be supplied from the Temple fund – see Mishnah Shekalim, Chapter 4, Mishnah 4 and Talmud Sukkah 56a), when it is unused for the offerings of the daily offerings have ceased and they do not bring thee vows or donations, they take from the excess monies from the remnant of the Temple treasury for congregational sacrifices and purchase from it burnt-offering sacrifices and offer them, and they are donations of the community, and even those if they were offered on the Festival, the priestly division of duty whose time is fixed offers them.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
בין מלפניה בין מלאחריה – if Yom Tov/The Jewish Festival fell after Shabbat, even though there would not be a Sabbath during the Festival, even so, since it is necessary to advance their coming from Friday for the Festival, for on the Sabbath, they would not be able to come, we divide the shewbread [between them]. And similarly, if the eighth day came before it on Friday/the Eve of the Sabbath, even though there is no Sabbath in the midst of the Festival, we divide it [among them], for they would not be able to go.
