Um sumo sacerdote julga e ele é julgado; ele testemunha e é testemunhado por; ele administra chalitzah e sua esposa recebe chalitzah. Sua esposa é levada para yibum, mas ele não faz yibum, pois uma viúva é proibida para ele. Se um de seus parentes morreu, ele não segue a ninhada, [para que ele não a toque em sua preocupação, e está escrito (Levítico 21:11): "E a qualquer cadáver ele não virá".] eles (os portadores da maca) são escondidos e ele é revelado; eles são revelados e ele é oculto. [Quando os portadores da maca são "escondidos" do beco que eles deixaram, ele é "revelado" e entra. Mas enquanto eles são "revelados" no beco, ele é "escondido", e não entra nele.] E ele sai com eles até a entrada da cidade. [Pois existem becos na cidade em que ele pode se esconder, mas fora da cidade não há sinal (distintivo) (de sua separação da procissão)]. Estas são as palavras de R. Meir. R. Yehudah diz: Ele não sai do santuário, viz. (Levítico 21:12): "E do santuário ele não sairá." [R. Yehudah expõe: "E do santuário (mikdash), ele não deve sair"—em absoluto. R. Meir expõe: "E de sua santidade (kedushatho), ele não deve sair", isto é, deve tomar cuidado para evitar o contato (com o corpo). E dentro da cidade, onde há becos, há um sinal distintivo), para que ele cuide. A halachá está de acordo com R. Yehudah.] E quando ele consola outros, (quando) é costume de todas as pessoas passar uma após a outra [(pois todos concordam que ele pode seguir a ninhada de quem é não é parente dele; por não estar preocupado, ele tomará o cuidado de evitar o contato com o lixo, e quando eles voltarem do enterro e ficarem em um arquivo para consolar os enlutados, que estão em suas paradas, e cada um diz: "Seja consolado by Heaven ")], a memunah (o" nomeado ") [o sumo sacerdote auxiliar, que é nomeado para substituir o sumo sacerdote se ele se tornar inadequado em Yom Kipur] o posiciona no meio entre ele e o povo . [Porque a memunah caminha para a direita do sumo sacerdote e todas as pessoas à sua esquerda, para que o sumo sacerdote se encontre no meio.] E quando ele é consolado por outros, todas as pessoas dizem: ele: "Nós somos sua expiação" [isto é, você receberá expiação através de nós, e nós estamos no seu lugar por tudo o que vier sobre você], e ele lhes disse: "Seja abençoado pelo céu!" E quando eles lhe dão a refeição do enlutado, [é proibido ao enlutado comer a primeira refeição de sua própria comida, e seus parentes e amigos a fornecem], todos se sentam no chão [se contraindo e se lamentando por seu sofrimento ], e ele se senta [em consideração a sua dignidade] em um banco.
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
כהן גדול. אינו יוצא אחר המטה – Perhaps he would come to touch [the corpse] in the midst of his troubles. And the All-Merciful One said (Leviticus 21:11): “He shall not go where there is any dead body.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Introduction
Mishnah one contains with special rules regarding the High Priest.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
הן נכסין והוא נגלה – since those who carry the bier are covered from the entrance to a group of buildings/alleyway that is to say, when they left him; he was revealed and went inside within, but all the while that they were revealed and appeared in the alleyway, he was covered from them and did not enter into their midst.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
This mishnah can be divided into three basic sections: 1) the High Priest’s relationship to the court; 2) the High Priest’s ability to perform halitzah (the release of the widow from the obligation to marry the levir, her dead husband’s brother) and levirate marriage; 3) the High Priest’s participation in the mourning ritual.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ויוצא עמהן עד פתח העיר – that in the city were found alleyways and he can cover himself from them, but outside of the city, there is no recognition.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
The High Priest can judge and be judged; he can testify and others can testify against him. The High Priest is treated like a normal person with regards to the laws of the court. As we shall see in mishnah two, this is not true with regards to the king.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
שנאמר: "ומן המקדש לא יצא" – Rabbi Yehuda expounds [on the verse – Leviticus 21:12]: “He shall not go outside the sanctuary,” at all. And Rabbi Meir expounds that he shall not leave from his holiness, that is, he should be careful that he not come in contact [with the bier] and within the city there are alleys where there is recognition and he is careful. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
He can perform halitzah for another’s wife and others can perform halitzah for his wife or contract levirate marriage with his widow, but he cannot contract levirate marriage since he is forbidden to marry a widow. The High Priest is basically the same as any other person with regards to the laws of levirate marriage. If he should die without children, his wife must either marry his brother or his brother must perform halitzah for her. If his brother should die without children he must perform halitzah for his wife. He cannot, however, contract levirate marriage with her since he is in general prohibited from marrying a widow (Lev. 21:14).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
וכשהוא מנם את אחרים – that is of a dead person that is not his (family), everyone admits that he is able to go and not go to the trouble that he won’t come in contact [with the bier]. And when they return from the graves and stand in a line to comfort the mourners and all the people pass one after another and comfort the mourner who stands at his standing post [to receive the consolation of the others in attendance] , and everyone says to him: “May you be comforted from Heaven.”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
If any of his near kin die he may not follow after the bier, rather when the bearers are not visible, he is visible, when they are visible he is not visible, and he may go out with them as far as the city gate, according to Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Judah says, “He may not leave the Temple, as it says, “Nor shall he go out of the Sanctuary”. And when he comforts other mourners the custom is for all of the people to pass by, the one after the other, while the appointed [priest] stands between him and the people. And when he receives comfort from others, all the people say to him, “Let us be your atonement”, and he says to them, “May you be blessed by Heaven.” When they feed him the funeral meal all the people sit around on the ground and he sits on a stool. The High Priest is severely restricted with regards to his participation in the rituals of burial. Since contact with the dead causes impurity the High Priest cannot even participate in the burying of his own immediate family (unlike a regular priest who may) (see Lev. 21:10-12). According to Rabbi Meir, the High Priest is allowed to semi-secretly participate in the burial procession, up until they leave the city gates of Jerusalem (people were not buried within the city confines). Rabbi Judah states that he may not even participate this much, since the Torah states that he may not leave the Sanctuary at all. If the High Priest needs to participate in the comforting of mourners he may do so, but the “appointed” priest would come in between him and the other people. According to the Rambam this is to show the honor due to the High Priest, that he shouldn’t be just a part of the crowd. When others comfort him they say, “Let us be your atonement”. It seems to me that this is to assuage the sense of guilt that the High Priest must feel since he was not able to participate in the burying of his own dead. When he comforts others he should give them a blessing. When he is fed the traditional funeral meal which would normally be eaten by the mourner while sitting close to the ground, the rest of the people must sit on the ground. This fulfills two functions: 1) he retains a higher status than them; 2) they are able to participate in his sorrow and grief.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
הממונה – he is the deputy [High Priest] , who is appointed to serve in place of the High Priest, lest something occur to him that would make the High Priest unfit for service on Yom Kippur.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
והממונה מנצעו – who walks to the right of the High Priest and all the people are to his left, so that the High Priest is in the middle.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
אנו כפרתך – though us you will be forgiven – you and we under you for all that is appropriate to come upon you.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
וכשמברין אותו – for a mourner is forbidden to eat the first meal of his own [possessions], but his relatives and loved ones/friends feed him.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
מסובין על הארץ – they distress themselves and mourn in his grief/pain.
