Commento su Tamid 3:8

מיריחו היו שומעים קול שע הגדול – and from Jerusalem until Jericho is ten Parsangs (see Tractate Yoma 39b) [equivalent to approximately twenty-five kilometers].

Introduction Our mishnah describes some of the noises and sounds made in the Temple. In an exaggerated fashion, the rabbis claim that these noises could be heard in Jericho. Due to the fact that Jericho is probably 30-40 km’s from the Temple, these claims are clearly hyperbole. I shall explain what each of these sounds and smells were.

מגריפה (the name of a musical instrument in the Temple) – a species of musical instrument that was in the Temple, having ten holes, each one of them producing one kindred kinds of music, and its sound could be heard from afar.

From Jericho they could hear the sound of the great gate being opened. Explained in yesterday’s mishnah.

בן קטין (he appears also in Tractate Tamid, Chapter 1, Mishnah 4) – the name of a man ho was a High Priest, ad he made a wheel-work for the wash-basin to sink it into the well/cistern, so that there its waters would not become unfit for use by being kept overnight, for every thing that was sanctified in the Temple vessels became unfit for use by being kept overnight, and when he would depart, and would become one who immersed himself that day [but ineligible to resume eating heave-offering until after sunset), and they would raise him up from the cistern to sanctify his hands and his feet, the sound of the wheel would be heard until Jericho.

From Jericho they could hear the sound of the magrephah. The “magrephah” which means “shovel” was a musical instrument that was shaped like a shovel.

גביני כרוז – a Kohen whose name was Gevini, who would announce/cry out each morning in the Temple: “Arise, Kohanim, for your Divine Service.”

From Jericho they could hear the noise of the wooden pulley which Ben Katin made for the laver. This was described in 1:4.

חליל – TZALNITZLISH in the foreign language; MIZMOR in Arabic, and its sound can be heard from afar. There are those who say PIPRI in the foreign language.

From Jericho they could hear the voice of Gevini the herald. He would summon the priests and Levites to their places. See Shekalim 5:1.

צלצל – TZIMBALI in the foreign language.

From Jericho they could hear the sound of the pipes. See: Arakhin 2:3.

מכוור – name of a place.

From Jericho they could hear the sound of the cymbals. The cymbals would be clashed by Ben Arza. See Tamid 7:3.

From Jericho they could hear the sound of the singing [of the Levites]. This refers to singing done without instruments.

From Jericho they could hear the sound of the shofar. Refers to the daily shofar blasts. See Arakhin 2:3.

Some say also of the high priest when he pronounced the divine name on Yom Kippur. See Yoma 6:2.

From Jericho they could smell the odor of the compounding of incense. That is some powerful incense. I had a roommate in college who seems to have had a mixture with similar potency ☺.

Rabbi Elazar ben Diglai said: my father had some goats in Har Michvar, and they would sneeze from the smell of the incense. Har Michvar is on the other side of the Jordan river. Super-sensitive goats!