סוכה 55:2 — Soncino English Talmud

MISHNAH. ON THE FIRST FESTIVAL DAY OF TABERNACLES THERE WERE OFFERED THIRTEEN BULLOCKS, TWO RAMS AND ONE HE-GOAT. FOURTEEN HE-LAMBS THEREFORE REMAINED FOR THE OTHER EIGHT COURSES OF PRIESTS. ON THE FIRST DAY, SIX OFFERED TWO EACH AND THE REMAINING [TWO] ONE EACH. ON THE SECOND DAY FIVE [COURSES] OFFERED TWO EACH AND THE REMAINING [FOUR] ONE EACH. ON THE THIRD DAY FOUR [COURSES] OFFERED TWO EACH AND THE REMAINING [SIX] ONE EACH. ON THE FOURTH DAY THREE OFFERED TWO EACH AND THE REMAINING [EIGHT] ONE EACH. ON THE FIFTH DAY TW OFFERED TWO EACH AND THE REMAINING [TEN] ONE EACH. ON THE SIXTH DAY ONE OFFERED TWO AND THE REMAINING [TWELVE] ONE EACH. ON THE SEVENTH DAY ALL WERE EQUAL. ON THE EIGHTH DAY THEY AGAIN CAST LOTS AS ON THE OTHER PILGRIM FESTIVALS. IT WAS ENJOINED THAT [THE COURSE] THAT OFFERED BULLOCKS ON ONE DAY SHOULD NOT OFFER THEM ON THE MORROW, BUT THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE THEIR TURNS IN ROTATION. GEMARA. Must we say that our Mishnah represents the view of Rabbi, and not that of the Rabbis, since it has been taught, For the bullock which is offered on the Eighth Day lots are cast as at first, these are the words of Rabbi, but the Sages ruled, One of the two courses which did not have a third turn in the bullocks offered it? — You may even say that it represents the view of the Rabbis, for do not two courses also require the casting of lots? Whose view is followed in that which has been taught, All the courses repeated a second and a third time, with the exception of two courses who repeated a second time but not a third one? Must we say that it follows that of Rabbi, and not that of the Rabbis? — You may even say that it follows that of the Rabbis, but the statement that they did not repeat a third time refers to the bullocks of the Festival. What then does this teach us? — It is this that we were taught, that he who offered bullocks on the one day shall not offer them on the morrow, but they must all take their turns in rotation. R. Eleazar stated, To what do those seventy bullocks [that were offered during the seven days of the Festival] correspond? To the seventy nations. To what does the single bullock [of the Eighth Day] correspond? To the unique nation. This may be compared to a mortal king who said to his servants, ‘Prepare for me a great banquet’; but on the last day he said to his beloved friend, ‘Prepare for me a simple meal that I may derive benefit from you’. R. Johanan observed, Woe to the idolaters, for they had a loss and do not know what they have lost. When the Temple was in existence the altar atoned for them, but now who shall atone for them? MISHNAH. AT THREE PERIODS IN THE YEAR ALL THE COURSES OF THE PRIESTS SHARED EQUALLY IN THE FESTIVAL SACRIFICES AND IN THE DIVISION OF THE SHEWBREAD. ON PENTECOST THEY USED TO SAY TO THE PRIEST, ‘HERE IS UNLEAVENED BREAD FOR YOU, HERE IS LEAVENED BREAD’. THE COURSE OF PRIESTS WHOSE PERIOD OF SERVICE WAS FIXED [FOR THAT FESTIVAL WEEK] OFFERED THE DAILY OFFERING, VOW-OFFERINGS AND FREEWILL-OFFERINGS AND ALL OTHER CONGREGATIONAL OFFERINGS; AND IT OFFERED THEM ALL. GEMARA. But are not the emurim the Most High's? - R. Hisda replied, [The meaning is], that which is prescribed [to be offered] on the Festivals. Our Rabbis taught, Whence do we know that all the courses share equally in the sacrifices of the Festival? Since Scripture explicitly stated, And come with all the desire of his soul . . . and minister. As it might be said that the same applies to all the days of the year Scripture explicitly teaches ‘From one of thy gates’ [meaning this:] I have said so, [saith the Lord], Only when all Israel enter by one gate. AND IN THE DIVISION OF THE SHEWBREAD. Our Rabbis taught, Whence do we know that all the courses share equally in the division of the shewbread?^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ^ᵇᵇ

^ᵃnote:As prescribed in Num. XXIX, 13 and 16, a total of sixteen beasts.
^ᵇnote:Ibid. 13.
^ᶜnote:Since there were twenty-four courses (v. Ta'an., Sonc. ed., pp. 136 and 142f) of priests all of whom were entitled to share in the Festival sacrifices, and sixteen of these were occupied with the sixteen beasts (ct. n. 7).
^ᵈnote:Of the eight courses.
^ᵉnote:Of the fourteen lambs.
^ᶠnote:A total of fourteen.
^ᵍnote:When the number of bullocks was reduced by one (cf. Num. XXIX, 17), and only fifteen courses were occupied with the twelve bullocks, two rams and one he-goat.
^ʰnote:Of the remaining (24 — 15 = ) 9.
^ⁱnote:When the number of bullocks was again reduced by one. From the second day to the seventh day the number was reduced by one on each successive day (v. Num. XXIX, 17-32).
^ʲnote:Of the remaining (24 — 14 = ) 10.
^ᵏnote:A total of fourteen.
^ˡnote:Cf. p. 267, n. 15 mut. mut.
^ᵐnote:Cf. p. 267, n. 16.
^ⁿnote:When the number of beasts, seven bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs (Num. XXIX, 32) and one he-goat (ibid. 34) was equal to the number of the courses of priests.
^ᵒnote:Sc. each course offered one beast.
^ᵖnote:When there was but one bullock, one ram and seven he-lambs to be offered (Num. XXIX, 36) a number that did not suffice to provide even one beast for each course of priests.
^ᵠnote:As prescribed in Yoma 22a.
^ʳnote:So that twenty-two of the courses had three turns with the bullocks and only two had no more than two turns (cf. Rashi a.l.).
^ˢnote:Which states ON THE EIGHTH DAY THEY AGAIN CAST LOTS, presumably for all the twenty-four courses.
^ᵗnote:Sc. by all the twenty-four courses, as if the Festival has just begun, and not merely by those who had only two turns in the bullocks (cf. prev. n. but one).
^ᵘnote:Cf. supra n. 8.
^ᵛnote:The Sages.
^ʷnote:To determine which of them should have the privilege of offering the bullock of the Eighth Day.
^ˣnote:Of course they do.
^ʸnote:The offering of a bullock during the seven days of Tabernacles.
^ᶻnote:Tosef. Suk. IV, 15.
^ᵃᵃnote:Since according to the Rabbis, who regard the offering of the bullock of the Eighth Day as connected with the offerings on the previous seven days, only one course did not offer a third time.
^ᵃᵇnote:Lit., ‘what’.
^ᵃᶜnote:But not to the bullock of the Eighth Day.
^ᵃᵈnote:The statement that twenty-two repeated three times and two repeated only twice.
^ᵃᵉnote:Is it not obvious that seventy bullocks divided among twenty-four courses means that twenty-two offered three each and the remaining two courses two each?
^ᵃᶠnote:Cur. edd. in parenthesis, ‘Eliezer’.
^ᵃᵍnote:Cf. prev. n. but one.
^ᵃʰnote:Seventy is the traditional number of Gentile nations, and the seventy bullocks are offered to make atonement for them.
^ᵃⁱnote:Israel.
^ᵃʲnote:By their destruction of the Temple.
^ᵃᵏnote:That it is no longer in existence.
^ᵃˡnote:Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
^ᵃᵐnote:Sc. those prescribed for respective Festivals. The word used is emurim which usually signifies that part of the sacrifice which is burnt upon the altar. The Gemara explains this infra.
^ᵃⁿnote:If there was a Sabbath during the Festival. Cf. Lev. XXIV, 5-9. The shewbread was removed from the table and distributed among the priests on the Sabbath day (cf. Men. 52b).
^ᵃᵒnote:If it happened to be on a Sabbath.
^ᵃᵖnote:When he was given his share.
^ᵃᵠnote:Sc. shewbread. The twelve loaves of the shewbread were unleavened.
^ᵃʳnote:The two loaves prescribed as a Pentecost offering. These were leavened. Each priest must receive a share from the leavened as well as from the unleavened. It is not enough to give him a larger share in the one to make up for the share due to him in the other (cf. Kid. 53a, Men. 73a).
^ᵃˢnote:Each course officiated in turn for one week during which they offered and received the dues from all the sacrifices of that week.
^ᵃᵗnote:That have not been prescribed for the Festival. It is only in the sacrifices that were prescribed for the Festival in question that all the courses have an equal share.
^ᵃᵘnote:This apparently superfluous statement is explained in the Gemara infra.
^ᵃᵛnote:Rendered in our Mishnah SACRIFICES (cf. supra p. 269, n. 14).
^ᵃʷnote:Burnt upon the altar. How then can they be shared among the priests?
^ᵃˣnote:R. Hisda connects emurim with amur ‘stated’, ‘declared’, referring to the sacrifices prescribed to be offered by individuals on a Festival; the festive peace-offerings of the breast and shoulder belonged to the priests, and the burnt-offerings brought on appearing in the Temple of which the hide was given to the priests. V. Hag., Sonc. ed., p. 2, nn. 1-2.
^ᵃʸnote:Deut. XVIII, 6, 7. ‘Levite’ in this verse refers to the priests. On all other days the offering belonged to the officiating course (cf. Lev. VII, 9).
^ᵃᶻnote:Deut. XVIII, 6; emphasis on ‘one’.
^ᵇᵃnote:I.e., into the one city of Jerusalem.
^ᵇᵇnote:Sc. during the Festivals.