Tamid 1

בִּשְׁלשָׁה מְקוֹמוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים שׁוֹמְרִים בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ. בְּבֵית אַבְטִינָס, בְּבֵית הַנִּיצוֹץ וּבְבֵית הַמּוֹקֵד. בֵּית אַבְטִינָס וּבֵית הַנִּיצוֹץ הָיוּ עֲלִיּוֹת, וְהָרוֹבִים שׁוֹמְרִים שָׁם. בֵּית הַמּוֹקֵד, כִּפָּה, וּבַיִת גָּדוֹל הָיָה, מֻקָּף רוֹבָדִים שֶׁל אֶבֶן, וְזִקְנֵי בֵית אָב יְשֵׁנִים שָׁם, וּמַפְתְּחוֹת הָעֲזָרָה בְּיָדָם. וּפִרְחֵי כְהֻנָּה אִישׁ כִּסְתּוֹ בָאָרֶץ. לֹא הָיוּ יְשֵׁנִים בְּבִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ, אֶלָּא פוֹשְׁטִין וּמְקַפְּלִין וּמַנִּיחִים אוֹתָן תַּחַת רָאשֵׁיהֶן, וּמִתְכַּסִּין בִּכְסוּת עַצְמָן. אֵרַע קֶרִי לְאַחַד מֵהֶן, יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ בַּמְּסִבָּה הַהוֹלֶכֶת תַּחַת הַבִּירָה, וְהַנֵּרוֹת דּוֹלְקִין מִכָּאן וּמִכָּאן, עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְבֵית הַטְּבִילָה. וּמְדוּרָה הָיְתָה שָׁם, וּבֵית כִּסֵּא שֶׁל כָּבוֹד. וְזֶה הָיָה כְבוֹדוֹ, מְצָאוֹ נָעוּל, יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁיֶּשׁ שָׁם אָדָם. פָּתוּחַ, יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אָדָם. יָרַד וְטָבַל, עָלָה וְנִסְתַּפֵּג וְנִתְחַמֵּם כְּנֶגֶד הַמְּדוּרָה. בָּא וְיָשַׁב לוֹ אֵצֶל אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים עַד שֶׁהַשְּׁעָרִים נִפְתָּחִים, יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ:

The <i>Kohanim</i> [priests] stood watch in three places in the Temple: in the Chamber ofmAvtinas [name of a family] , in the Chamber of <i> Nitsots</i> [spark] , and in the Chamber of Fire. The Avtinas and <i> Nitsots</i> chambers were elevated and the youngsters [priests] would [stand] watch there. The Chamber of Fire was domed structure, surrounded by benches of stone. The elders of the <i>beit av</i> [family] would sleep there and the keys to the courtyard were in their hands. The young priests would sleep in their clothes on the ground. They did not sleep in their holy clothes but would take them off, fold them, put them under their heads and sleep wearing their own clothing. If one had a seminal emmision, he would exit and walk down a circular [staicase] that led under the Temple where candles were burning on both sides [to give light] until he got to the Room of Immersion. There was a bonfire and a restroom there. This was the respectfulness: If he found it locked, he would know that there was somebody there. If it was open, he would know that there was nobody there, he would go down and immerse himself, come up and dry off and warm himself by the bonfire. He would go [to the Chamber of Fire] and sit with the other priests until the gates opened and leave and go on his way.

מִי שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לִתְרֹם אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, מַשְׁכִּים וְטוֹבֵל עַד שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא הַמְמֻנֶּה. וְכִי בְאֵיזוֹ שָׁעָה הַמְמֻנֶּה בָא. לֹא כָל הָעִתִּים שָׁווֹת, פְּעָמִים שֶׁהוּא בָא מִקְרִיאַת הַגֶּבֶר, אוֹ סָמוּךְ לוֹ מִלְּפָנָיו אוֹ מִלְּאַחֲרָיו. הַמְמֻנֶּה בָא וְדוֹפֵק עֲלֵיהֶם, וְהֵם פָּתְחוּ לוֹ. אָמַר לָהֶן, מִי שֶׁטָּבַל יָבֹא וְיָפִיס. הֵפִיסוּ, זָכָה מִי שֶׁזָּכָה:

Anybody [of the priests] who wishes to remove [the ashes] from the altar must rise early and immerse himself [in the mikva] as long as the supervising priest hasn't yet arrived. When did the supervising priest arrive? There is no set time; sometimes he comes when the rooster crows, or close to it, sometimes before, sometimes after. The supervisor would knock on them [the doors to the Temple] and they [the priests] would open [the doors] for him. He would say to them, "Whoever has immersed, come and participate in the lottery." They would perform the lottery and whoever won, won.

נָטַל אֶת הַמַּפְתֵּחַ וּפָתַח אֶת הַפִּשְׁפָּשׁ, וְנִכְנַס מִבֵּית הַמּוֹקֵד לָעֲזָרָה, וְנִכְנְסוּ אַחֲרָיו וּשְׁתֵּי אֲבוּקוֹת שֶׁל אוּר בְּיָדָם. וְנֶחְלְקוּ לִשְׁתֵּי כִתּוֹת, אֵלּוּ הוֹלְכִים בָּאַכְסַדְרָא דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּזְרָח, וְאֵלּוּ הוֹלְכִים בָּאַכְסַדְרָא דֶּרֶךְ הַמַּעֲרָב. הָיוּ בוֹדְקִין וְהוֹלְכִין עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעִין לִמְקוֹם בֵּית עוֹשֵׂי חֲבִתִּים. הִגִּיעוּ אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ, אָמְרוּ שָׁלוֹם, הַכֹּל שָׁלוֹם. הֶעֱמִידוּ עוֹשֵׂי חֲבִתִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת חֲבִתִּים:

He [the supervising priest] took the key and opened the small door [located in the Chamber of Fire] and entered from the Chamber of Fire to the Courtyard. And they [the other priests] entered after him with two torches of fire were in their hands. They would split into two groups. [One group] walked under the portico [surrounding the Courtyard] towards the east and [the other group] walked under the portico towards the west. They would check [the temple vessels] and walk until they reached the place where the <i>Chavitim</i> [loaves of bread brought as meal offering]. They [the two groups] met each other and would say, "It is fine, all is fine," [the vessels are in order]. They would appoint [from their group] makers of the <i>Chavitim</i> to make the <i>Chavitim</i>.

מִי שֶׁזָּכָה לִתְרֹם אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, הוּא יִתְרֹם אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים לוֹ, הִזָּהֵר שֶׁמָּא תִגַּע בַּכְּלִי, עַד שֶׁתְּקַדֵּשׁ יָדֶיךָ וְרַגְלֶיךָ מִן הַכִּיּוֹר, וַהֲרֵי הַמַּחְתָּה נְתוּנָה בַמִּקְצוֹעַ בֵּין הַכֶּבֶשׁ לַמִּזְבֵּחַ, בְּמַעֲרָבוֹ שֶׁל כָּבֶשׁ. אֵין אָדָם נִכְנָס עִמּוֹ, וְלֹא נֵר בְּיָדוֹ, אֶלָּא מְהַלֵּךְ לְאוֹר הַמַּעֲרָכָה. לֹא הָיוּ רוֹאִין אוֹתוֹ וְלֹא שׁוֹמְעִין אֶת קוֹלוֹ, עַד שֶׁשּׁוֹמְעִין קוֹל הָעֵץ שֶׁעָשָׂה בֶן קָטִין מוּכְנִי לַכִּיּוֹר, וְהֵן אוֹמְרִים הִגִּיעַ עֵת. קִדֵּשׁ יָדָיו וְרַגְלָיו מִן הַכִּיּוֹר, נָטַל מַחְתַּת הַכֶּסֶף וְעָלָה לְרֹאשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וּפִנָּה אֶת הַגֶּחָלִים הֵילָךְ וְהֵילָךְ, חָתָה מִן הַמְאֻכָּלוֹת הַפְּנִימִיּוֹת, וְיָרַד. הִגִּיעַ לָרִצְפָה, הָפַךְ פָּנָיו לַצָּפוֹן, הָלַךְ לְמִזְרָחוֹ שֶׁל כֶּבֶשׁ כְּעֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת. צָבַר אֶת הַגֶּחָלִים עַל גַּבֵּי הָרִצְפָה רָחוֹק מִן הַכֶּבֶשׁ שְׁלשָׁה טְפָחִים, מְקוֹם שֶׁנּוֹתְנִין מֻרְאוֹת הָעוֹף וְדִּשּׁוּן מִזְבֵּחַ הַפְּנִימִי וְהַמְּנוֹרָה:

The one who won the right to remove the ashes from the altar, would remove [the ashes] and they [the other priests] say to him, "Be careful to not touch the utensil [the shovel] until you have sanctified your hands and feet from the the laver." And [they would continue saying],"Look, the shovel is placed in the corner between the ramp [of the altar] and the altar, on the west of the ramp." No one would enter [the area between the altar and the antechamber] with him, and he didn't have a candle in his hand, rather he would walk by the light of the altar's pyre. They [the other priests] would not see him and would not hear him until they heard the sound of the wood that Ben Kitin made [into] a wheel for the laver [being turned], and they would say, "The time has come to sanctify your hands and feet from the laver." He would take the silver shovel and go up to the top of the altar and stir the coals from side to side, and then scoop from the inner consumed [coals]. He then went back down. When he reached the floor, he would turn his face to the north [and] walk along the eastern side of the ramp for about ten <i>amot</i> [cubits]. He piled the coals on the floor three <i>tefachim</i> [hand-breadths] from the ramp, the [same] place where they would put the crop of the bird [ of a burnt offering ] and the ashes from the [golden] inner altar and the ashes of the <i>menora</i>.