Yoma 2

בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה כָּל מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לִתְרֹם אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, תּוֹרֵם. וּבִזְמַן שֶׁהֵן מְרֻבִּין, רָצִין וְעוֹלִין בַּכֶּבֶשׁ, וְכָל הַקּוֹדֵם אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ בְאַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת זָכָה. וְאִם הָיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם שָׁוִין, הַמְמֻנֶּה אוֹמֵר לָהֶם הַצְבִּיעוּ. וּמָה הֵן מוֹצִיאִין, אַחַת אוֹ שְׁתַּיִם, וְאֵין מוֹצִיאִין אֲגֻדָּל בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ:

In the beginning, whoever wished to remove the ashes from the altar did so. [Any priest from one patriarchal house who wished to remove the ashes in the morning did so, without a lottery.] And when they [those who wished to remove the ashes] were numerous, [one saying: "I shall do it"; the other: "I shall do it," this was the procedure:] they would run up the ramp [of the altar, which was thirty-two cubits long], and whoever was first to enter the four [upper] cubits [of the ramp, near the top of the altar], earned the right [to remove the ashes; this was their lot.] And if two reached it at the same time, [neither one of them was awarded the service, but all of the priests participated in a lottery. And what was the lottery?], the [lottery] superintendent said to them: "Put out your fingers!" [Each one would show his finger, it being forbidden to count Jews. Therefore, they had to put out their fingers, so that the fingers be counted and not the men. What was the procedure? They would stand around in a circle and the superintendent would come and take the turban from the head of one of them, the count beginning from him. Then everyone would put out his finger and the superintendent would call out a number — "one hundred" or "sixty" — much higher than the number of priests standing there, saying that whoever the count ended at would be awarded (the service). He would then start to count from the one whose turban he had taken and keep on counting fingers, going round and counting until the end. Whoever the count ended at would be the awardee. This was the procedure for all of the lotteries in the Temple.] And what would they put out? One or two (fingers), [one, if he were healthy; two, if he were ill (one who is ill not being in complete control of his fingers, so that when he puts out one, its "neighbor" joins it. The two fingers are counted as one.)] And a thumb is not put out in the Temple [because of the "deceivers." When the count was close to ending and they saw with whom it would end, the one standing in front of him would put out two fingers so that he would be counted twice and the count would end with him. And the superintendent would not be aware (of the deception), for one can move his thumb so far from his index finger, that they appear to be the fingers of two men, something that cannot be done with the other fingers.]

מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם שָׁוִין וְרָצִין וְעוֹלִין בַּכֶּבֶשׁ, וְדָחַף אֶחָד מֵהֶן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ, וְנָפַל וְנִשְׁבְּרָה רַגְלוֹ. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָאוּ בֵית דִּין שֶׁבָּאִין לִידֵי סַכָּנָה, הִתְקִינוּ שֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ תוֹרְמִין אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֶלָּא בְפַיִס. אַרְבָּעָה פְיָסוֹת הָיוּ שָׁם, וְזֶה הַפַּיִס הָרִאשׁוֹן:

Two (priests) were once running neck to neck up the ramp, when one of them pushed his neighbor, who fell and broke his leg. When beth-din saw that there was risk in this, they instituted that the removal of the ashes be awarded only by lottery [as described above]. There were four lotteries there (in the Temple). [They would assemble for lotteries four times a day, and not conduct all at the same time, in order to raise a din four times, there being a large crowd in the azarah. And this is to the honor of the King, viz. (Psalms 55:15): "In the house of G d we went resoundingly!"] This is the first lottery.

הַפַּיִס הַשֵּׁנִי, מִי שׁוֹחֵט, מִי זוֹרֵק, וּמִי מְדַשֵּׁן מִזְבֵּחַ הַפְּנִימִי, וּמִי מְדַשֵּׁן אֶת הַמְּנוֹרָה, וּמִי מַעֲלֶה אֵבָרִים לַכֶּבֶשׁ, הָרֹאשׁ וְהָרֶגֶל, וּשְׁתֵּי הַיָּדַיִם, הָעֹקֶץ וְהָרֶגֶל, הֶחָזֶה וְהַגֵּרָה, וּשְׁתֵּי הַדְּפָנוֹת, וְהַקְּרָבַיִם, וְהַסֹּלֶת, וְהַחֲבִתִּין, וְהַיָּיִן. שְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר כֹּהֲנִים זָכוּ בוֹ. אָמַר בֶּן עַזַּאי לִפְנֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, דֶּרֶךְ הִלּוּכוֹ הָיָה קָרֵב:

The second lottery: Who slaughters [the tamid?] Who sprinkles? [etc. All of these services were assigned with one lottery. The one with whom the count ended, as we explained, was awarded. He sprinkled the blood upon the altar after receiving it in the sprinkling bowl (the sprinkler being the receiver), and the one next to him would slaughter (the tamid). And even though slaughtering precedes receiving of the blood, still, because the service of sprinkling is greater than that of slaughtering (slaughtering, as opposed to sprinkling, being kasher with a non-priest, the mitzvah of the priesthood obtaining from receiving on), because of this the first in the lottery was awarded sprinkling and the one next to him, slaughtering. The one next to him removes the ashes from the (inner) altar; the one next to him removes the ashes from the menorah, and so on.] Who removes the ashes from the inner altar? Who removes the ashes from the menorah? Who brings the limbs up the ramp? The head and the [right] leg [with one priest], the two forelegs [with a second priest], the tail and the [left] leg [with a third priest], the breast [the fat of the breast facing the ground, cut on either side, without the heads of the ribs] and the gerah [the place where it brings up gerah (cud), i.e., the throat, to which are attached the windpipe, with the liver and the heart], the two rib cages, the entrails, the flour, [the breast and the gerah, with a fourth; the two rib cages, with a fifth; the entrails, with a sixth; the flour [an issaron for the meal libation of the tamid) with a seventh], and the chavitin [a half-issaron for the meal-offerings of the high-priest, which is offered every day with the t'midim. viz. (Leviticus 6:13): "…half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening," with an eighth], and the wine [three logs for the tamid libation, with a ninth]. Thirteen priests were awarded hereby [(through this lottery) the thirteen priestly services enumerated here according to the order of the Mishnah.] Ben Azzai said before R. Akiva in the name of R. Yehoshua: It [the tamid] is sacrificed in the manner of its walking [in its lifetime. The first tanna holds that the choicer parts are offered first, and Ben Azzai holds (that it is offered up) in the manner of its walking: the head and the foot, the chest and the gerah, the two forelegs, the two rib cages, the tail and the (hind) leg. The halachah is not in accordance with Ben Azzai.]

הַפַּיִס הַשְּׁלִישִׁי, חֲדָשִׁים לַקְּטֹרֶת בֹּאוּ וְהָפִיסוּ. וְהָרְבִיעִי, חֲדָשִׁים עִם יְשָׁנִים, מִי מַעֲלֶה אֵבָרִים מִן הַכֶּבֶשׁ וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ:

The third lottery: "Whoever is new to the incense, come to the lottery!" [Thus would they proclaim in the azarah, viz.: Let those who had never offered up the incense come to participate in the lottery. They would not allow one who had already done so to do so again because it confers wealth (upon those who offer it), viz. (Deuteronomy 33:10-11:) "They shall place incense before You … The L rd shall bless his wealth." Because every priest who offered up the incense derived wealth and blessing from it, they allowed no one to repeat it so that all would be given an opportunity for wealth and blessing.] And the fourth (lottery): "New and old!" [i.e., Those who had won the lottery before and those who had never won, come and join the lottery.] Who shall take up the limbs from the ramp to the altar? [When they brought the limbs from the slaughterhouse, they did not take it to the altar, but placed it on the upper half of the ramp towards the east. They would then conduct a new lottery: Who shall take them up thence to the altar? They would do so by reason of (Proverbs 14:28): "In the multitude of the people is the glory of the King."]

תָּמִיד קָרֵב בְּתִשְׁעָה, בַּעֲשָׂרָה, בְּאַחַד עָשָׂר, בִּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר, לֹא פָחוֹת וְלֹא יוֹתֵר. כֵּיצַד. עַצְמוֹ בְּתִשְׁעָה. בֶּחָג, בְּיַד אֶחָד צְלוֹחִית שֶׁל מַיִם, הֲרֵי כָאן עֲשָׂרָה. בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם, בְּאַחַד עָשָׂר, הוּא עַצְמוֹ בְּתִשְׁעָה, וּשְׁנַיִם בְּיָדָם שְׁנֵי גְזִירֵי עֵצִים. וּבְשַׁבָּת בְּאַחַד עָשָׂר, הוּא עַצְמוֹ בְּתִשְׁעָה, וּשְׁנַיִם בְּיָדָם שְׁנֵי בְזִיכֵי לְבוֹנָה שֶׁל לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים. וּבְשַׁבָּת שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הֶחָג, בְּיַד אֶחָד צְלוֹחִית שֶׁל מָיִם:

The tamid is offered up with nine (priests) [The reckoning is from the time of the bringing of the limbs on], (sometimes) with nine, with ten, with eleven, with twelve — never less (than nine), never more (than twelve). How so? It itself [every day], with nine: [six for the limbs and the entrails, as mentioned above (2:3), one for the flour, one for the chavitin, one for the wine]; on the festival (Succoth) [when two libations were required, one of wine and one of water], in the hand of one (priest), a flask of water — making ten; the afternoon (tamid), with eleven: it itself, with nine; and two (priests) with two logs in their hands [to add to the wood of the wood pile, viz. (Leviticus 1:7): "And they shall arrange wood upon the fire." If this does not refer to the morning tamid, of which it is already written (Ibid. 6:5): "And the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning," understand it as referring to the afternoon tamid, two logs being added.]; on the Sabbath, with twelve: it itself, with nine; two with two censers of frankincense accompanying the showbread; and, on the Sabbath in the midst of the festival (Succoth), in the hand of one, a flask of water.

אַיִל קָרֵב בְּאַחַד עָשָׂר, הַבָּשָׂר בַּחֲמִשָּׁה, הַקְּרָבַיִם וְהַסֹּלֶת וְהַיַּיִן בִּשְׁנַיִם שְׁנָיִם:

A ram is offered up with eleven (priests): the flesh with five [as with the flesh of the (tamid) lamb], the entrails, the flour [two esronim, with two priests], and the wine, with two each.

פַּר קָרֵב בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה, הָרֹאשׁ וְהָרֶגֶל, הָרֹאשׁ בְּאֶחָד, וְהָרֶגֶל בִּשְׁנַיִם. הָעֹקֶץ וְהָרֶגֶל, הָעֹקֶץ בִּשְׁנַיִם, וְהָרֶגֶל בִּשְׁנַיִם. הֶחָזֶה וְהַגֵּרָה, הֶחָזֶה בְּאֶחָד, וְהַגֵּרָה בִּשְׁלשָׁה. שְׁתֵּי יָדַיִם בִּשְׁנַיִם. שְׁתֵּי דְפָנּוֹת בִּשְׁנַיִם. הַקְּרָבַיִם וְהַסֹּלֶת וְהַיַּיִן בִּשְׁלשָׁה שְׁלשָׁה. בַּמֶּה דְבָרִים אֲמוּרִים, בְּקָרְבְּנוֹת צִבּוּר. אֲבָל בְּקָרְבַּן יָחִיד, אִם רָצָה לְהַקְרִיב, מַקְרִיב. הֶפְשֵׁטָן וְנִתּוּחָן שֶׁל אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ שָׁוִין:

A bullock is offered up with twenty-four (priests): the head and the leg — the head with one and the leg with two; the tail and the leg — the tail with two and the leg with two; the chest and the gereh — the chest with one and the gereh with three; two forelegs, with two; two rib cages, with two; the entrails, the flour, and the wine, with three each. When is this so? [that all of these priests are required for each beast, and a lottery is required]? With communal offerings. But with individual offerings, if he [one priest] wishes to offer it [all] up [and without a lottery], he may do so. The flaying and cutting of both [individual and communal offerings] are alike. [They may be performed by a non-priest, not requiring a Cohein.]