Come hanno fatto (con la libagione dell'acqua) durante la settimana, così hanno fatto su Shabbath, ma avrebbero riempito (con acqua) di Shiloach una brocca d'oro che non era stata consacrata [per il servizio dell'altare. Perché se (l'acqua) fosse portata in una nave consacrata, diventerebbe pasul rimanendo durante la notte. Perché una nave da ministero consacra (ciò che è in essa), come è scritto (Levitico 30:29): "Tutto ciò che le tocca deve essere consacrato"; e tutto ciò che viene consacrato in se stesso diventa pasul rimanendo dall'oggi al domani.] E lo collocherebbero nella lishkah. Se (l'acqua) si rovesciasse o si esponesse, la riempirebbero dalla vasca [E anche se la laver è paragonata a una nave da ministero e consacra la sua acqua, non diventa pasul rimanendo durante la notte; poiché lo affonderebbero in un pozzo la sera, come affermato in Yoma (3:10): "E fece anche un muchni per la laver (una ruota per affondarlo in un pozzo) in modo che la sua acqua non fosse resa inadatta stando in piedi durante la notte. "], perché il vino o l'acqua esposti sono inadatti all'altare. [Questa è la ragione per cui se fosse esposta lo riempirebbero dalla laver e non userebbero l'acqua per la libagione.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
שאינה מקודשת – if it was not prepared for the Divine service on the Altar. For if he brought it while sanctified, he would invalidate it through leaving it overnight, for all Divine service utensils are sanctified, as it is written (Exodus 30:29): “whatever touches them shall be consecrated,” and all that is holy, the sanctity of the body is invalidated by remaining overnight.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
Introduction
This mishnah teaches how they would perform the water libation on Shabbat and yet avoid the problem of having to carry the water up from the Shiloah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
היה ממלא מן הכיור – and even though the jug was sanctified as vessels dedicated to the Temple service and which sanctifies its waters, they are not invalidated by remaining overnight, because they would let it down from the evening into a pit, as it states in [Tractate] Yoma (Chapter 3, Mishnah 10): “And he too made a mechanism for the laver so that its water should not be invalidated by being kept overnight.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
As it was performed on weekdays, so was it was performed on Shabbat, save that on the eve of Shabbat he would fill a non-sanctified golden barrel from the Shiloah, and place it in the chamber. Importantly, the mishnah emphasizes that the water libation was performed on Shabbat just as it was performed during the week. I believe that this is frequently one of the ways in which the rabbis emphasized the importance of controversial rituals. It is as if to say that the water libation is so crucial that it is even done on Shabbat. However, they had to make sure that the water was not carried through the public domain on Shabbat. In order to do this they would bring the water up on Friday before Shabbat and leave it in the chamber until the next morning. However, this posed another problem. Water or any other liquid left overnight in a sanctified vessel becomes unfit for use in the Temple. Therefore they would use a golden barrel that had not been consecrated.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sukkah
שהמים והיין המגולין – that is the reason that if it was revealed, he would fill from the laver and would not offer a libation [from them] for the water [and the wine] that are revealed are invalid for the altar.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sukkah
If it was poured away or uncovered, he would refill it from the laver, for wine or water which has become uncovered is invalid for the altar. If the water was poured away (perhaps by the Sadducean priest we met yesterday) then it obviously can’t be used. Similarly, if it was left uncovered it also can’t be used. Liquids left uncovered overnight are forbidden for anyone to drink for fear that a snake put venom in them. Since exposed liquids can’t be drunk by people, it is also forbidden to use them on the altar. If the water that they had brought up the day before could not be used, then they would just use water from the laver that was in the Temple.
