יומא 47 — Soncino English Talmud

¹CHAPTERV MISHNAH. THEY BROUGHT OUT TO HIM THE LADLE AND THE PAN. [FROM THE LATTER] HE TOOK HIS TWO HANDS FULL [OF INCENSE] AND PUT IT INTO THE LADLE, A TALL [HIGH PRIEST] ACCORDING TO HIS SIZE, A SHORT ONE ACCORDING TO HIS SIZE AND THUS WAS ITS MEASURE. HE TOOK THE PAN IN HIS RIGHT [HAND] AND THE LADLE IN HIS LEFT [HAND]. GEMARA. THE PAN? But was it not taught: He took the pan and went up to the top of the altar, took out the burning coals, and went down? — There the reference is to the pan of burning coals, here to the pan of the incense. For it was taught: One brought out for him the empty ladle from the Cell of Vessels, and the heaped pan of incense from the Cell of the House of Abtinas. HE TOOK HIS TWO HANDS FULL AND PUT IT INTO THE LADLE, A TALL [HIGH PRIEST] ACCORDING TO HIS SIZE, A SHORT ONE ACCORDING TO HIS SIZE AND THUS WAS ITS MEASURE: For what purpose was the ladle on the Day of Atonement necessary? Surely the Divine Law said: [And he shall take] his hands full and bring it — Because [otherwise] it is impossible. For how shall he do it? Shall he bring in [the pan of burning coals] and then again bring in [the incense]? The Divine Law refers to one ‘bringing in’, not to two ‘bringings in’. — Shall he take the incense in his handfuls and place the pan [of burning coals] on top of it, entering thus? Then when he comes [within the veil] how shall he act? Shall he take it between his teeth and set the pan [of burning coals] down? Now, if such procedure is unseemly in the presence of a mortal king, how much less seemly is it before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He? — Thus it is impossible and since it is impossible, we do it as we find it in connection with the [offerings of the] princes. He took the pan in his right hand and the censer into his left hand. ‘The native below and the alien in the heavens above’?This one [the ladle] is small, the other [coal-pan] large, and even where both are alike, as with R. Ishmael b. Kimhith, the one is hot and the other cold. It was reported about R. Ishmael b. Kimhith that he was able to take four kabs in his two handfuls, saying: All women are valiant but the valour of my mother exceeded them all. Some interpret it as referring to the crumb-dough, in accord with Rabbah b. Jonathan who said in the name of R. Yehiel that crumb-dough is very helpful to a sick person. Others say it refers to the [healthy] semen [she received], in accordance with what R. Abbuha asked. For he raised a contradiction: It is written: For thou hast sifted me with strength unto the battle but it is also written, Who has girded me with valour [for the battle] [to interpret the divergence thus]: David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Lord of the Universe, Thou hast [first] ‘carefully sifted’ and then strengthened me. It was told of R. Ishmael b. Kimhith that one day he talked in the street to an Arab, and spittle from his mouth flew on his garments, whereupon his brother Jeshebab entered and ministered in his stead. Thus their mother saw two high priests on one day. Furthermore, it is told of R. Ishmael b. Kimhith that he went out and talked with a certain lord in the street, and spittle from his mouth squirted on his garments, whereupon Joseph his brother entered and ministered in his stead so that their mother saw two high priests on one day. The Sages said unto her: What hast thou done to merit such [glory]? She said: Throughout the days of my life the beams of my house have not seen the plaits of my hair. They said to her: There were many who did likewise and yet did not succeed. Our Rabbis taught: with his fists , that means that he must not make a measure for his fistful. The question was: How about making a measure for his handfuls? Is it only there since it is written, ‘With his fist’, whereas here where it is not written ‘With his handfuls’ but ‘his hand full of fine incense,’ [it matters] not, or does he derive [the meaning of] ‘full’ from [the word], full’ [occurring in connection with] his fist? — Come and hear: AND THUS WAS ITS MEASURE’. Would you not say that it means: If he wishes to make a measure he may do so? — No, this is what it means: In the same manner would he take the hands full within the Holy of Holies. May not you then conclude from this that he takes the handfuls [outside] and repeats it inside again! — [No], perhaps it means that if he wants to have a measure made, he may do so; or, that he must take neither less nor more. Our Rabbis taught: His fistfull. One might have assumed that it may come forth on both sides, therefore Scripture says: ‘With his fist’. From ‘With his fist’ I might have inferred that he should just take some with his finger-tips hence Scripture says: His fistful’, i.e., in the manner in which people take a fistful. How so? He bends three of his fingers up to his wrist and takes a fistful.^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

^ᵃnote:V. Gemara.
^ᵇnote:Infra 48b.
^ᶜnote:Ibid.
^ᵈnote:V. supra.
^ᵉnote:Lev. XVI, 12.
^ᶠnote:To perform the rite without the ladle.
^ᵍnote:In his handfuls.
^ʰnote:Shall he put the pan on the incense and enter.
^ⁱnote:Num. VII, 14; One ladle . . . . full of incense.
^ʲnote:This refers to the pan of burning coal.
^ᵏnote:This is illogical for the ladle with the incense should be in his right hand and the less important pan in the left.
^ˡnote:Hence the heavier of the two, and therefore carried in the right hand.
^ᵐnote:Lit., ‘has ascended to the roof’. She has taken exceedingly good care of her children. The phrase is reminiscent of Prov. XXXI, 29. ;rd may be interpreted as valour (Jast.); as vine (Aruch) or bundles of green (R. Han.) i.e., children.
^ⁿnote:The mother's valour or the children's power.
^ᵒnote:Which she ate during her pregnancy or on which she fed her children.
^ᵖnote:With reference to his inner constitution. E.V. ‘girded me’.
^ᵠnote:II Sam. XXII, 40.
^ʳnote:Ps. XVIII, 33. The texts of II Sam. XXII and Ps. XVIII are almost identical, hence changes or deviations must have a definite idea underlying each. ‘Sifted’ is an ad hoc interpretation. The words ‘for the battle’ are not found in Ps. XVIII, 33.
^ˢnote:Tosaf. Yoma III.
^ᵗnote:It was on the nay of Atonement, he was to minister as high priest and the spittle defiled and thus prevented him from officiating.
^ᵘnote:Both her sons.
^ᵛnote:In the Tosaf. the reading is ‘a king’ and the incident reported to have occurred on the eve of the Day of Atonement.
^ʷnote:Especially a married woman would always cover her hair, as a sign of modesty. [Buchler (JQR. 1926) p. 8 identifies this high priest with Simeon (Ishmael) the son of Kamithos who was appointed by Gratus in the year 17-18.] The sight of a married woman's hair is an impropriety. Git. 90a.
^ˣnote:In obtaining such distinction. Your suggestion is insufficient.
^ʸnote:Lev. VI, 8.
^ᶻnote:I.e., he must not use a measure instead of his fist.
^ᵃᵃnote:I.e., with his fist only, not with a measure.
^ᵃᵇnote:Lev. XVI, 12.
^ᵃᶜnote:Does the prohibition of using a measure not apply here.
^ᵃᵈnote:V. Lev. II, 2; the word ‘full’ written thus implies prohibition of an artificial measure. By inference from the identity of phrase the same may be assumed to apply here.
^ᵃᵉnote:This may be explained to refer to the ladle, to mean that one could have a measure made in accord with the high priest's size of hand.
^ᵃᶠnote:The Mishnah here means: And this was the method of measurement within; i.e., the priest would empty incense from the ladle into his hands and then put it over the burning coals in the pan.
^ᵃᵍnote:I.e., one cannot conclude from the Mishnah either way.
^ᵃʰnote:Thus was the measure-two exact hands full-rigidly so.
^ᵃⁱnote:Lev. II, 2.
^ᵃʲnote:Lev. VI, 8. No more, just as much as the closed fist will contain.
^ᵃᵏnote:Grasping with them.

²In the case of the [meal-offering baked in a] griddle and the [meal-offering of the] stewing-pan he makes it even with his thumb from above and with his small finger from below. And this was the most difficult service in the Sanctuary. [You say] ‘this is’; and nothing else? Was there not the pinching of the bird's head and was there not the taking of the fistfuls? - But say, rather, this was one of the difficult priestly functions in the Sanctuary. — R. Johanan said: R. Joshua b. Uza'ah asked: How about that which is between [the fingers of the fist]? -R. Papa answered: That which is inside needs no question for it surely belongs to the fistful. Concerning that which is on the outside, too, there is no doubt, it surely is considered a remainder. The question attaches only to such portions as are in between [the fingers]. How about these? — Said R. Johanan: R. Joshua b. Uza'ah had subsequently solved [the question] viz., concerning [the portion] in between, uncertainty prevails. How then shall he act?-R. Hanina said: He shall burn [as an offering] first the fistful and then the portions in between [the fingers]. For, if we were to burn up [the ‘in between’ portions] first, perhaps they are considered remainders, and it would thus be a case where the remainders became reduced between the taking of the fistful and the burning [of it on the altar], whereas the Master has said that if remainders became reduced between the taking of the fistful and the burning thereof no more fistfuls may be burnt up on their account! If that be so, then even now apply thereto the rule: Whatever had partly been used in fire offering must no more be burnt [as an offering]? Said R. Judah, son of R. Simeon b. Pazzi: He burns them [the remainders] up as wood, in accord with R. Eliezer, for it was taught: R. Eliezer said: For a sweet savour, for this you must not bring them up but you may bring them up as fuel. This will be in accord with R. Eliezer, but what is there to be said in accord with the Sages? R. Mari said: Fat priests take the fistful. Now that you have come to this answer, according to R. Eliezer, too, [there is a procedure which may be adopted] at the outset, viz., fat priests should take the fistful. R. Papa inquired: How about the middle [portions] ‘in between’ connection with the [two] hands full? — What is he inquiring about? If he derives [the meaning of the word] ‘full’ from ‘full’ [occurring] there it is the same [as the first question]. — This is what R. Papa asks: [Should we say that] we require that ‘he shall bring it his hands full’, which is the case here, or is it required that he take...bring in, which is not the case here? — The question remains unanswered. R. Papa said: It is obvious to me that ‘his fistful’ means: In the manner in which people usually take a fistful, but R. Papa asked: If he had taken the ‘fistful’ with his finger-tips, what is the law then, or [if he took it] from below upward, or from the sides, what then? — The questions remain unanswered. R. Papa said: It is obvious to me that the ‘handfuls’ are to be taken as men usually take them, but he asked: If he took the ‘handfuls’ with his finger-tips, what then? or from below upward, or from the side; or if he swept it with one hand and with the other and then brought the hands together? — The questions remain unanswered.^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ^ᵇᵇ^ᵇᶜ^ᵇᵈ

^ᵃˡnote:V. Lev. II, 5 and 7.
^ᵃᵐnote:Zeb. 64b, based on Lev. V, 8.
^ᵃⁿnote:The priest's taking of the handfuls of incense, Lev. XVI, 12, v. infra 49b.
^ᵃᵒnote:Is it considered part of the fistful to be offered on the altar, or the remnant which went to the priests?
^ᵃᵖnote:Belonging to the priests.
^ᵃᵠnote:As to where they are to belong.
^ᵃʳnote:Men. 9a.
^ᵃˢnote:Men. 58a.
^ᵃᵗnote:An interpretation of Lev. II, 12. And since he first burns up the fistful he should not be permitted to burn up after that the remainders as an offering.
^ᵃᵘnote:Zeb. 77b.
^ᵃᵛnote:Lev. II, 12, on which the rule cited last is based.
^ᵃʷnote:Who extend the prohibition even against burning them as fuel (v. Zeb. 77b). What is one therefore to do with the portions ‘in between’.
^ᵃˣnote:Whose fingers are fat without any space between them for any quantity to get in.
^ᵃʸnote:The proposal to burn it as fuel is even according to R. Eliezer not one which is to be adopted at the outset, v. Zeb. ibid.
^ᵃᶻnote:Sc. of incense offered on the Day of Atonement.
^ᵇᵃnote:I.e., in connection with the fistful; just as with the fistful any heaping is not burnt up as offering, the same would apply to heapings of the two hands full. The analogy based on the use of the word ‘full’ in both Lev. II, 2, which refers to the first, as in ibid. XVI, 12, which deals with the two hands full.
^ᵇᵇnote:Asked supra, whether a measure may be macle for the hands full.
^ᵇᶜnote:Lit., ‘his hands full... and he shall bring’ v. Lev. XVI, 12.
^ᵇᵈnote:For he has not placed it between his fingers, it having entered there by itself, hence the required personal effort-and he shall take it-was absent.