Mishnah
Mishnah

Talmud for Yoma 7:5

כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל מְשַׁמֵּשׁ בִּשְׁמֹנָה כֵלִים. וְהַהֶדְיוֹט בְּאַרְבָּעָה, בְּכֻתֹּנֶת וּמִכְנָסַיִם וּמִצְנֶפֶת וְאַבְנֵט. מוֹסִיף עָלָיו כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, חשֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד וּמְעִיל וָצִיץ. בְּאֵלּוּ נִשְׁאָלִין בְּאוּרִים וְתֻמִּים. וְאֵין נִשְׁאָלִין אֶלָּא לַמֶּלֶךְ וּלְבֵית דִּין וּלְמִי שֶׁהַצִּבּוּר צָרִיךְ בּוֹ:

The high-priest officiates in eight vestments and a regular priest in four: coat, breeches, turban, and girdle. The high-priest, in addition, wears four: choshen [breastplate], ephod, robe, and tzitz (head-plate). In these, inquiries are made of the urim vethumim [i.e., the high-priest must be wearing the eight garments when he makes inquiries of the urim vethumim. How are inquiries made? The face of the inquirer is behind the priest who is inquired of. His (the latter's) face is towards the ark. The inquirer asks: "Shall I do this thing or not?" He does not ask in a loud voice and not in his heart, but in a low voice; and the holy spirit invests the priest and he looks at the choshen. He sees letters projecting from the choshen before his face — "Do this," or "Do not do this." For on the stones of the choshen were written the names of the twelve tribes, and Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and "shivtei Kah" ("the tribes of the L rd"), so that the entire alphabet was represented. And the holy spirit informed the priest how to combine the projecting letters so that the meaning was apparent.] And inquiries are made only for the king, for the beth-din, and for the one acting on behalf of the congregation, [it being written (Numbers 27:21): "And before Elazar the priest shall he stand" — the king; "and all the children of Israel with him" — the one whom all the children of Israel are with, to go out to war after him — the priest anointed for war, the one needed by the congregation; "and the entire congregation" — the Great Sanhedrin.]

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