Comentário sobre Pirkei Avot 5:5
עֲשָׂרָה נִסִּים נַעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ. לֹא הִפִּילָה אִשָּׁה מֵרֵיחַ בְּשַׂר הַקֹּדֶשׁ, וְלֹא הִסְרִיחַ בְּשַׂר הַקֹּדֶשׁ מֵעוֹלָם, וְלֹא נִרְאָה זְבוּב בְּבֵית הַמִּטְבָּחַיִם, וְלֹא אֵרַע קֶרִי לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, וְלֹא כִבּוּ גְשָׁמִים אֵשׁ שֶׁל עֲצֵי הַמַּעֲרָכָה, וְלֹא נָצְחָה הָרוּחַ אֶת עַמּוּד הֶעָשָׁן, וְלֹא נִמְצָא פְסוּל בָּעֹמֶר וּבִשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם וּבְלֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, עוֹמְדִים צְפוּפִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים רְוָחִים, וְלֹא הִזִּיק נָחָשׁ וְעַקְרָב בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם מֵעוֹלָם, וְלֹא אָמַר אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ צַר לִי הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁאָלִין בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם:
Foram realizados dez milagres por nossos pais no templo: nenhuma mulher abortou por causa do cheiro dos sacrifícios; a carne das ofertas nunca apodreceu; nunca se viu uma mosca no matadouro; o sumo sacerdote nunca teve uma emissão seminal em Yom Kipur. [Porque é um tumah que sai do corpo dele, é mais repugnante que outros tipos]; uma chuva nunca apaga o fogo sobre a pilha de madeira, [mesmo que o altar estivesse exposto], o vento nunca tirou a coluna de fumaça de seu lugar [para não subir em uma coluna]; um psul [um defeito desqualificante] nunca foi encontrado na oferta de Omer, nos dois pães ou no pão da mostra. [Porque se um psul fosse encontrado antes do (tempo prescrito de) sua mitzvá, não era possível oferecer aos outros em seu lugar. Pois o ômer foi colhido à noite e eles não colheram muito; e os dois pães foram assados na véspera de yom tov, e seu cozimento não substitui yom tov. E, da mesma forma, o pão da tarde foi assado na véspera do sábado]; eles ficaram em constrição (tzfufuim) [como em "tzaf (flutuante) na face das águas". Havia tantos deles que foram pressionados um contra o outro a ponto de seus pés saírem do chão e "flutuarem" no ar] e se curvarem em expansão. [Quando eles se curvaram um milagre para eles e eles se curvaram em uma (ampla) sala, cada um dos quatro ells removidos de seu vizinho, para que um não ouvisse o outro quando ele confessou seus pecados]; e uma cobra ou um escorpião nunca feriu ninguém em Jerusalém, e ninguém nunca disse ao seu vizinho "Jerusalém é 'muito apertada' para eu viver". [porque o lugar lhes dava a subsistência e não havia necessidade de alguém sair e dizer: "As coisas são 'muito apertadas' para mim e eu não posso morar em Jerusalém". Algumas edições precisam "dormir mais" (em vez de "morar"), sendo a referência aos peregrinos do festival, nenhuma delas achando muito difícil dormir em Jerusalém por falta de espaço (ver Yoma 21b)].
Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
TEN MIRACLES WERE DONE FOR OUR ANCESTORS IN THE TEMPLE. The mishna goes though them because there is no hint to them in any verses.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in the Temple: No woman had a miscarriage from the scent of the meat that is on the outer altar and gives off a scent similar to any roast. And [since] is forbidden to derive benefit from holy meat, the Holy One, blessed be He, protected the women all of those days - that they should not have a miscarriage from that scent [given they could not eat from it to prevent the miscarriage].
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Rambam on Pirkei Avot
You already know that the altar was in the middle of the courtyard - and we will elucidate this in the future in its place - and it was open to the skies. And with all of this, the rains did not extinguish the fire of the wood pile. And the wind did not dissipate the pillar of smoke that arose from the sacrifices. Rather, the air during the time of the sacrificing was fresh. And they would stand in the courtyard one next to another; but at the time of bowing down, they did not push against one another, due to their great awe and tranquility in this place.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
Ten, etc.: And it lists them as they are not hinted to in scripture at all.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
A High Priest did not have an accidental emission: Since this is an impurity that comes out from his body, this thing was more disgraceful and ugly than other impurities.
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Avodat Yisrael
And it is written in the Talmud, even if a snake is wound around his foot, he should not cease. And this is because
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
In the first three miracles in this mishnah we can see reflected the practical problems that one would have imagined to have occurred in Jerusalem and specifically in the Temple. Many of these are issues of cleanliness. The Temple would have been full of animals and of meat, and in times when there was no refrigeration and running water was a luxury, it must have been very difficult to keep the place clean. Therefore the mishnah teaches that miracles were wrought that prevented a woman from miscarrying due to the smell of the sacrifices, the meat from going bad and flies from gathering.
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Derekh Chayim
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
NO WOMEN MISCARRIED BECAUSE OF THE SMELL OF THE SACRIFICIAL MEAT. From a desire for the sacrificial meat. Alternatively, from the smell of the limbs burning on the altar, for if a woman would smell it and desire to taste it we would not be able to give her any of the sacrificial meat to eat—Rashi.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and no holy flesh ever went putrid: Holy things with a lower level of sanctity (kodashim kalim) that are eaten for two days and one night that were held for such a long time never went putrid.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
from the scent, etc.: from desire for the holy meat; and also (another explanation is) from the smell of the limbs [of the sacrifices] on the arrangement [of the wood]; As if she smelled and wanted to taste from them, we do not listen to her to feed her holy meat - Rashi.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
and rain did not extinguish the fire of the wood pile: and even though the altar was in an exposed place.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
If the high priest were to have a seminal emission, he would be disqualified from performing the special Yom Kippur worship.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
AND THE SACRIFICIAL MEAT NEVER BECAME RANCID. Rashi: when there wasn’t enough time at night to burn up all the pieces of the sacrifices that were left over from evening, the priests would leave the pieces lying on the altar, where they would stay for two or three days until the priest had an opportunity to burn them up, for staying on the altar overnight does not disqualify the pieces from being burnt.208If a piece of the sacrifice is not burnt on the altar by the next morning (in the case of sacrificies that can only be burnt until morning) it is pasul, or disqualified from the rest of the sacrificial service. The exception to this is if the pieces stay on the altar, in which case they are not disqualified, even if they have not burnt by morning. Miraculously, the pieces never became rancid during this period of delay.
Midrash Shmuel writes that a possible reason that the mishna says “never” in this case is to indicate that this miracle took place even outside of the Temple, on outside altars or in the tabernacles of Nov and Giv`on. One might add the tabernacle in the desert as well.
Midrash Shmuel writes that a possible reason that the mishna says “never” in this case is to indicate that this miracle took place even outside of the Temple, on outside altars or in the tabernacles of Nov and Giv`on. One might add the tabernacle in the desert as well.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and a High Priest did not have an accidental emission on Yom Kippur so that would he not require the assistant. And even though they would know that he would not have an accidental emission, they [still] appointed an assistant; as we do not rely on miracles, because of "Do not test" (Deuteronomy 6:16) - as is found in the Yerushalmi Yoma 1:4.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
and no [holy flesh] went putrid, etc.: When he did not have the time available at night to burn all of the limbs that accumulated on the eve, they would bring them up to the top of the altar and they would sit there for two or three days until they would be available to burn them; as staying overnight would not disqualify them [when they were] on top of the altar [as it would if they were not there]. And a miracle would be performed on them and they would not go putrid the whole time of their delay - Rashi. And it is taught, "ever" - it can be said that it is coming to include [the presence] of this miracle on the private altars and Nov and Givaon and the Tabernacle [when it was] in the desert.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
and the wind did not overpower the pillar of smoke: that it should not asecnd and go up [vertically].
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Even though the altar was uncovered, the fire underneath never was extinguished by rain.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
AND A FLY WAS NEVER SEEN IN THE SLAUGHTERING AREA. Rashi: in the inner coutyard where there were marble tables on which they would wash out the innards. Flies never descended on the innards, as that would have been disgusting.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and a fly was not seen in the room of slaughtering due [to its] sanctity.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
in the room of slaughtering, etc.: in the courtyard in the place that there were marble tables upon which they would wash the innards. And no fly would go down there because of [its] foulness - Rashi.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
and there was not found a disqualification in the omer or in the two breads or in the showbreads: As if a disqualification was found in [the omer offerings] before their commanded [time], it would not have been possible to offer others in their place; as the omer was cut at night and they would not cut a lot. And the two breads were baked on the eve of the holiday, and their baking does not push off [the restrictions of] the holidy [forbidding their baking]. And so [too], the showbreads were baked on the eve of Shabbat.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
The pillar of smoke coming up from the altar always went straight up without being effected by the wind (according to the Rambam, there was never wind at the time when sacrifices were being offered).
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
THE HIGH PRIEST NEVER HAD A NOCTURNAL EMISSION ON YOM KIPPUR. Some ask, what is so miraculous in this case? Why would we expect him to have a nocturnal emission? For seven days prior the priests would urge him on to matters of purity, he remained ritually pure the entire day before, and the elders kept him from falling asleep that entire night. The answer is that the inclinations to good and to evil are constantly in competition with one another the way two adversaries are. When one of them is on the verge of being defeated he strengthens his hold knowing that he close to being dealt a fatal blow, just as it often happens that shortly before their deaths people have renewed strength and speak fair speech as though they were in good health. For this reason it is more likely that the high priest would have an emission—so Midrash Shmuel in the name of Chasid Ya`avetz.
See my comments on Demai 1:1, s.v. hachometz shebi(ye)huda, where I deal with the mishna in Yoma 1:1 that says they would prepare an alternate high priest, and Rav there explains that they were concerned for a nocturnal emission.
See my comments on Demai 1:1, s.v. hachometz shebi(ye)huda, where I deal with the mishna in Yoma 1:1 that says they would prepare an alternate high priest, and Rav there explains that they were concerned for a nocturnal emission.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and there was not found a disqualification in the omer (a special barley offering, offered the day after Pesach, which permits grain harvested in the new harvest to be eaten): No disqualification, of being outside the wall or held overnight, was ever found with the omer; which was at the time of barley, in order that all of Israel be permitted to eat new grain.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
on Yom Kippur: Even though it is [a time] of strengthening, [there is] the prosecution of the [evil] impulse. And see Tosafot Yom Tov.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
crowded (tsefufim): [It is like] the expression, float (tsaf) on the face of the waters. From the large size of the crowd, they would be pushing one man up against his fellow, until their feet were lifted off the ground and they would stand in the air.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
On the sixteenth of Nissan they would bring the omer sacrifice, which consisted of barley. After this sacrifice people were allowed to eat from the new harvest. The two loaves refers to the two loaves brought on Shavuoth. After these two loaves were offered, new wheat could be used for minhah sacrifices. The showbread was baked on the eve of the Sabbath and remained on the table for a week. According to the mishnah, disqualifying defects were never found in these three things.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
RAIN NEVER EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE ON THE ALTAR, THE WIND NEVER DISPERSED THE COLUMN OF SMOKE. This is the text that Rav and Rambam have. But Rashi writes that these two should not be in the text of the mishna, because the Talmud in Yoma 21a quotes our mishna and does not mention them, and brings a baraita afterwards that does mention them. He says that the miracles of the omer sacrifice, two loaves, and the showbread are counted as three separate miracles in the list, thereby completing the count of ten. This is clear from the fact that the Talmud notes that our mishna claims to list ten miracles that took place in the Temple and ends up including two that happened in Jerusalem, and answers by quoting a baraita that two other miracles did take place in the Temple: the rain never extinguished the fire etc.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
or in the two breads: They come to permit bringing up the new offering form the new grain. And no disqualification, of being outside the courtyard or held overnight, was ever found with them.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
the pillar of smoke: that rose from the sacrifices. But during the time of the offering, the air was still - Rambam.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
and bow down with [enough] space: At the time of bowing down, a miracle was performed for them and they would bow down with space, [such that] each one was a distance of four amot from his fellow; so that he not hear his friend when [the latter] was confessing and mentioning his sins.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Although it must have been crowded in the Temple during the pilgrimage festivals, and people stood pressed up against each other, when it came time to bow, miraculously there was room to do so.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
THE COLUMN OF SMOKE. Rambam: that arose from the sacrifices; rather, the wind was calm during the sacrifice.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
or in the showbreads: As it was arranged on Shabbat day, and it was warm at the time of its removal from the table as on the day that they placed it there - as it is stated (I Samuel 21:7), "(and it) [to place] warm bread on the day of its being taken." And no disqualification, of being outside the wall or being held over was ever found in it. As they needed to eat it during the week after the Shabbat that they took it away; but if it remained through another week it would become disqualified. And no mishap [like this] ever happened to them.
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Ikar Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
hurt: We do not learn, "[never] bit;" as even if it sometimes occurred that it would bite, it would not hurt. And we learned, "never" - he explained in Midrash Shmuel that it is possible that it is coming to include even not at the time when the Temple is in existence; as the holiness of the land is worthy of this.
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Bartenura on Pirkei Avot
"The place is too cramped that I should lodge in Jerusalem": is the textual variant that we [follow]. As the Omnipresent would provide for their livelihood and none of them would have to leave from there and say, "My livelihood (is tight) and I cannot live in Jerusalem." And there are books that have written in them, "when I lodge." And it is said about the holiday pilgrims; such that none of them was cramped when he was lodging in Jerusalem because of the tightness of the place - as in (Isaiah 49:20), "The place is tight for me, give me and I will dwell."
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
If a snake or scorpion killed someone in Jerusalem, it would have potentially caused sudden impurity to any of those standing near. The miracle that this didn’t ever happen would have prevented this problem.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
THERE WAS NEVER A DISQUALIFICATION IN THE OMER SACRIFICE. Rav writes that the barley for the omer was cut by night, and they did not cut down much. Rashi in Yoma 21a adds that they only harvested enough to end up with an isaron of flour that had been sifted thirteen times.209Both Rav and Rashi are addressing the problem that even if the sacrifice were somehow ruined it would have been a simple matter to cut down more barely and bring another. What need, then, for this miracle?
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and rain did not extinguish the fire of the wood pile: As the fire burnt upon the outer altar which stood [unprotected] in the Tabernacle courtyard.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Although it must have been unpleasantly crowded in Jerusalem during the pilgrimage festivals, no one ever complained.
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Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot
NEITHER A SNAKE NOR A SCORPION EVER INJURED ANYBODY. The mishna does not say “never bit”—even if it sometimes happened that one of them did bite somebody, the bite did not injure.
Maharal explains in Derech Chaim that the mishna says “in Jerusalem” because it is no great surprise that there wouldn’t be injurious things like these in the Temple. See what I wrote above, quoting the Talmud in Yoma 21a.
Midrash Shmuel writes that perhaps the mishna says “ever” to indicate that even when there is no Temple in Jerusalem this miracle occurs, for the sanctity of the land alone is enough to save one from the injuries caused by snakes and scorpions.
Maharal explains in Derech Chaim that the mishna says “in Jerusalem” because it is no great surprise that there wouldn’t be injurious things like these in the Temple. See what I wrote above, quoting the Talmud in Yoma 21a.
Midrash Shmuel writes that perhaps the mishna says “ever” to indicate that even when there is no Temple in Jerusalem this miracle occurs, for the sanctity of the land alone is enough to save one from the injuries caused by snakes and scorpions.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and the wind did not overpower the pillar of smoke: As it would billow straight up.
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English Explanation of Pirkei Avot
Questions for Further Thought:
• What is the difference between the last miracle and all of the previous ones?
• What is the difference between the last miracle and all of the previous ones?
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
they would stand up crowded and bow down with [enough] space: They would stand in the courtyard all in rows, this one crowded next to the other; but they would bow down with space, such that not one of them would push his fellow. And that is a wonder.
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and a snake or scorpion never hurt a person in Jerusalem
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Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot
and a person did not say to his fellow, "The place is too cramped that I should lodge in Jerusalem": When they went up to Jerusalem, he would not say, "The place is too crowded for me; make room for me to settle.” And this is what David, peace be upon him, stated, (Psalms 122:3), "Jerusalem that is built up, a city constructed together for it" - he wanted to say that when they built it, they measured it so that all of Israel could be contained in it. And the explanation of "for it" is for its sake; as [it was] for the sake of the congregation of Israel that would gather together that it was constructed.
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