Yoma 1

שִׁבְעַת יָמִים קֹדֶם יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מַפְרִישִׁין כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל מִבֵּיתוֹ לְלִשְׁכַּת פַּלְהֶדְרִין, וּמַתְקִינִין לוֹ כֹהֵן אַחֵר תַּחְתָּיו, שֶׁמָּא יֶאֱרַע בּוֹ פְסוּל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף אִשָּׁה אַחֶרֶת מַתְקִינִין לוֹ, שֶׁמָּא תָמוּת אִשְׁתּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא טז) וְכִפֶּר בַּעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד בֵּיתוֹ. בֵּיתוֹ, זוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, אִם כֵּן, אֵין לַדָּבָר סוֹף:

Seven days before Yom Kippur the high-priest is separated from his house to the cell of falhedrin. [For all the services of Yom Kippur are kasher only with him, it being written in respect to Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16:32): "And the priest shall make atonement, who shall be anointed." And this separation is derived from what is written in respect to the seven days of consecration, viz. (Ibid. 8:33): "And from the door of the tent of meeting you shall not go out seven days," followed by (34): "As He did on this day, the L rd has commanded to do, to make atonement for you," which our rabbis expounded: "to do" — this alludes to the (procedure with the) red heifer; "to make atonement for you" — this alludes to the Yom Kippur service, viz.: The priest who burns the red heifer and the priest who performs the Yom Kippur service must both be separated from their houses for seven days, as Aaron and his sons required separation on the seven days of consecration. ("to the cell of falhedrin":) The appointees of the king are called "falhedrin." And because the high-priests in the second Temple after Shimon Hatzaddik would pay to serve in the high-priesthood, and, because they were wicked, would not last out their year and would be replaced every twelve months as the king's appointees were — for that reason this cell was called "the cell of the falhedrin."] And another priest is designated "stand-by" [to be high-priest] in the event of his becoming unfit [through keri (an emission) or through uncleanliness (tumah).] R. Yehudah says: A "stand-by wife" is also designated for him in the event that his wife dies, it being written (Leviticus 16:6): "And he shall make atonement for himself and for his house" — his "house" is his wife. Whereupon they said to him: If so, there is no end to the matter! [i.e., If you are apprehensive as to her dying, there is no end to the matter. For perhaps this one, too, (the "stand-by") will die! Rather, with tumah, which is common, we are apprehensive, for which reason we designate another priest as a stand-by. With sudden death, which is not common, we are not apprehensive, for which reason another woman is not designated as a stand-by. The halachah is in accordance with the sages.]

כָּל שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים הוּא זוֹרֵק אֶת הַדָּם וּמַקְטִיר אֶת הַקְּטֹרֶת וּמֵטִיב אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת וּמַקְרִיב אֶת הָרֹאשׁ וְאֶת הָרֶגֶל. וּשְׁאָר כָּל הַיָּמִים, אִם רָצָה לְהַקְרִיב, מַקְרִיב, שֶׁכֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל מַקְרִיב חֵלֶק בָּרֹאשׁ וְנוֹטֵל חֵלֶק בָּרֹאשׁ:

All seven days he sprinkles the blood [of t'midim to accustom himself to the sacrificial service], and he smokes the incense, and he tends to the lamps. [He cleans them of the ashes of the burnt-out wicks], and he offers up the head and the foot (of the tamid)]. And the other days, if he wishes to sacrifice [any offering that he desires], he does so [and the men of the watch cannot stop him]. He is first to sacrifice [any] portion [that he desires], and he is first to take a portion. [In the distribution of kodshim (consecrations), he takes any choice portion he desires. This, with the kodshim of the altar; but with those of the border (i.e., outside of Jerusalem), both a high-priest and a regular priest share equally.]

מָסְרוּ לוֹ זְקֵנִים מִזִּקְנֵי בֵית דִּין, וְקוֹרִין לְפָנָיו בְּסֵדֶר הַיּוֹם, וְאוֹמְרִים לוֹ, אִישִׁי כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, קְרָא אַתָּה בְּפִיךָ, שֶׁמָּא שָׁכַחְתָּ אוֹ שֶׁמָּא לֹא לָמָדְתָּ. עֶרֶב יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שַׁחֲרִית, מַעֲמִידִין אוֹתוֹ בְּשַׁעַר מִזְרָח, וּמַעֲבִירִין לְפָנָיו פָּרִים וְאֵילִים וּכְבָשִׂים, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא מַכִּיר וְרָגִיל בָּעֲבוֹדָה:

Certain elders of the elders of beth-din were assigned to him, who read to him [all seven days] in the order of the day (of atonement) [in Leviticus 16]; and they said to him: "Our lord, the high-priest, read it with your mouth, lest you have forgotten it or not learned it." [This was necessary in the second Temple, when unqualified high-priests were appointed by the ruling powers. But in the first Temple, they appointed only the greatest of the priests: in wisdom, in beauty, in strength, and in wealth. And if he were not wealthy, his fellow priests would "elevate" him from what was theirs, viz. (Leviticus 21:10): "And the priest who is greater than his brothers" — Make him great from what appertains to his brothers.] On the morning of Yom Kippur eve, they would stand him at the eastern gate, and they would pass before him bullocks, rams, and sheep in order to familiarize him with the service. [He would give thought to the beasts passing before him to impress upon himself the halachoth of the order of the day.]

כָּל שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים לֹא הָיוּ מוֹנְעִין מִמֶּנּוּ מַאֲכָל וּמִשְׁתֶּה, עֶרֶב יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים עִם חֲשֵׁכָה, לֹא הָיוּ מַנִּיחִים אוֹתוֹ לֶאֱכֹל הַרְבֵּה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַמַּאֲכָל מֵבִיא אֶת הַשֵּׁנָה:

All seven days they did not keep food and drink from him; but as it started getting dark on Yom Kippur eve, they did not permit him to eat much, for eating is sleep-inducing. [They did not permit him to eat much even of those foods which do not cause one to become heated, and they kept from him entirely those foods which increase heat and semen, such as milk, eggs, meat, oil, old wine, and the like.]

מְסָרוּהוּ זִקְנֵי בֵית דִּין לְזִקְנֵי כְהֻנָּה, וְהֶעֱלוּהוּ לַעֲלִיַּת בֵּית אַבְטִינָס, וְהִשְׁבִּיעוּהוּ וְנִפְטְרוּ וְהָלְכוּ לָהֶם. וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ, אִישִׁי כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, אָנוּ שְׁלוּחֵי בֵית דִּין, וְאַתָּה שְׁלוּחֵנוּ וּשְׁלִיחַ בֵּית דִּין, מַשְׁבִּיעִין אָנוּ עָלֶיךָ בְּמִי שֶׁשִּׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ בַבַּיִת הַזֶּה, שֶׁלֹּא תְשַׁנֶּה דָבָר מִכָּל מַה שֶּׁאָמַרְנוּ לָךְ. הוּא פוֹרֵשׁ וּבוֹכֶה, וְהֵן פּוֹרְשִׁין וּבוֹכִין:

The elders of beth-din [who had taught him the order of the day] delivered him to the elders of the priesthood [to teach him the (service of) the incense handfuls, viz. (Leviticus 16:12): "…and his full handfuls of incense of spices, etc.", a difficult service], and they took him up to the chamber of Beth Avtinas [the makers of the incense, those who crushed it and compounded its spices], and they beswore him [not to be a Sadducee, i.e., not to prepare the incense on the coal-pan on the outside (in the sanctuary) and bring it inside (in the holy of holies), For they expound (Leviticus 16:2): "For with the cloud shall I appear upon the ark cover" — With the cloud of smoking incense (prepared on the outside) shall he (the high-priest) come, and then I shall appear upon the ark cover. And this is not so, for it is written (Ibid. 13): "And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the L rd" (in the holy of holies).], and they took their leave of him, saying: "Our lord, high-priest, we are the emissaries of beth-din, and you are our emissary and the emissary of beth-din. We beswear you in the name of Him who reposed His name in this house, that you not alter one thing of all we have told you." He goes to a side and cries [that they suspected him of being a Sadducee], and they go to a side and cry [that they suspected him, the master having said (Shabbath 97a): "One who suspects the innocent is smitten in his body."]

אִם הָיָה חָכָם, דּוֹרֵשׁ. וְאִם לָאו, תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים דּוֹרְשִׁין לְפָנָיו. וְאִם רָגִיל לִקְרוֹת, קוֹרֵא. וְאִם לָאו, קוֹרִין לְפָנָיו. וּבַמֶּה קוֹרִין לְפָנָיו, בְּאִיּוֹב וּבְעֶזְרָא וּבְדִבְרֵי הַיָּמִים. זְכַרְיָה בֶּן קְבוּטָל אוֹמֵר, פְּעָמִים הַרְבֵּה קָרִיתִי לְפָנָיו בְּדָנִיֵּאל:

If he is a sage, he expounds [on halachah the entire night of Yom Kippur so that he not fall asleep and see keri (an emission)], and if not [i.e., if he is a disciple, but not a sage, able to comprehend halachic discourse, but unable to expound], then Torah scholars expound before him. If he is accustomed to read in Scripture, he does so; if not, they read before him. What do they read? Sections from Job, Ezra, and Chronicles, [which hold one's interest and ward off sleep]. Zecharyah b. Kevutal said: Many times I read before him in the Book of Daniel.

בִּקֵּשׁ לְהִתְנַמְנֵם, פִּרְחֵי כְהֻנָּה מַכִּין לְפָנָיו בְּאֶצְבַּע צְרֵדָה, וְאוֹמְרִים לוֹ, אִישִׁי כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, עֲמֹד וְהָפֵג אַחַת עַל הָרִצְפָּה. וּמַעֲסִיקִין אוֹתוֹ עַד שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ זְמַן הַשְּׁחִיטָה:

If he started nodding, the pirchei kehunah (the young priests) would strike before him with the (etzba tzreidah) [("pirchei kehunah":) Youths, whose beards have just begun to sprout (lifroach) are called "pirchei." ("etzba tzreidah":) the finger near the thumb. "tzreidah" = "tzarata deda" ("this one's match), i.e., the match of the thumb, which adjoins it. They would join the thumb to the finger nearest it, and release it with a snap so that the high-priest not fall asleep], and they would say to him: "Our lord, high-priest, stand [on your feet] and remove (hafeg) it [your warmth] once on the [marble] floor," [the coolness of the feet dispelling drowsiness. "hafeg" = "remove," as in (Beitzah 14a): "mefigin ta'aman" ("their flavor is removed")], and they would keep him thus occupied until the time for the slaughtering (of the morning tamid).

בְּכָל יוֹם תּוֹרְמִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בִּקְרִיאַת הַגֶּבֶר אוֹ סָמוּךְ לוֹ, בֵּין לְפָנָיו בֵּין לְאַחֲרָיו. בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מֵחֲצוֹת, וּבָרְגָלִים מֵאַשְׁמוּרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, וְלֹא הָיְתָה קְרִיאַת הַגֶּבֶר מַגַּעַת עַד שֶׁהָיְתָה עֲזָרָה מְלֵאָה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל:

Every day the ashes would be removed from the altar at the call of the gever ("gever" - "rooster" or "man" appointed to rouse the priests) [He (a priest) scoops out the ashes, whether much or little, with a coal pan, and deposits them on the east of the ramp, where they are absorbed in place. (This marked the beginning of the morning service)] or close to it [close to the call of the gever], before or after. On Yom Kippur, [he removes the ashes] from midnight [in consideration of the weakness of the high-priest. Because the entire service devolved upon him, he had to rise earlier.]; and, on festivals, from the first watch. [For there were many Jews and many offerings and an abundance of ash at the wood-pile, whence it had to be removed to a place in the middle of the altar called "tapuach" ("apple"), where a great heap of ash was piled up in the form of an apple. They, therefore, had to rise earlier, and they rose from the first watch, which is a third of the night.] And the call of the gever was not heard [on festivals] until the azarah (the Temple court) was filled with Jews [who brought their offerings to be sacrificed immediately after the morning tamid.]