יומא 53 — Soncino English Talmud

¹not to start in front of thee lest thou be burnt. Our Rabbis taught: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord: i.e., he must not put it in order outside and thus bring it in. [This is] to remove the error from the minds of the Sadducees who said: He must prepare it without, and bring it in. What is their interpretation? — For I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover ‘that teaches us that he prepares it outside and brings it in’. The Sages said to them: But it is said already ‘And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord’. If so for what purpose then is it stated ‘For I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover’? It comes to teach us that he puts into it a smoke-raiser. — Whence do we know that he must put a smoke-raiser into it? — Because it is said: So that the cloud of the incense may cover the ark-cover. But if he did not put a smoke-raiser into it, or that he omitted one of its spices he is liable to death. But [why not] infer this from the fact that he effected an entrance for no purpose. R. Shesheth said: We speak here of the case that he was in error about the entrance, but deliberate in omitting the spice. R. Ashi said: You might even set the case when he was deliberate with regard to both but [here we deal with the case] where he brought in two incenses, one incomplete, the other defective, so that he is not guilty because of the purposeless entrance because he had offered up a perfect incense, but he is guilty in regard to the incense because he had offered up one defective incense. The Master had said: ‘Whence is it known that he must place a smoke-raiser into it? To teach us that, it is said: "So that [the cloud] may cover etc." [What need of] one scriptural verse added to another? — Said R. Joseph: This is what is meant: From here I know only about the leaf of the smoke-raiser, whence do I know about the root? To teach us that Scripture said: ‘So that it may cover [etc.]’ Said Abaye to him: But the opposite has been taught; for it was taught: If when he put in the root of the smoke-raiser, it would rise up straight like a stick until it reached the ceiling beams; as soon as it reached the beams of the ceiling it would come slowly down the walls until the house became full of smoke, as it is said: And the house was filled with smoke? — Rather, said Abaye, this is what it means: Now I know only about the root of the smoke-raiser, whence do I know also about its leaf? To teach us that Scripture said: ‘So that it may cover [etc.]’. R. Shesheth said: I know only about the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness; whence do I know about Shiloh and the eternal Sanctuary? To teach us that Scripture said: ‘So that it may cover [etc.]’ But that we infer from, And so shall he do for the Tent of Meeting, that dwelleth with them? — Rather is this meant: Now I know about the Day of Atonement, whence do I know about the other days of the year? To teach us that, Scripture said: ‘So that it may cover [etc.]’. R. Ashi said: One [passage] refers to the commandment, the other to its indispensableness. Raba said: One refers to the penalty incurred, the other to the prohibition. It was taught: R. Eliezer said: That he die not, i.e., the penalty, For I appear in the cloud, i.e., the prohibition. I might have assumed that both were stated before the death of the sons of Aaron, to teach us [the true fact] it is written: After the death of the two sons of Aaron. One might assume that both were said after the death of the two sons of Aaron; to teach us [the true fact] it is written: ‘For I will appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover.’ How is that [to be explained]? The prohibition [was stated] before the death, the penalty after the death. — How is this inference made? Raba said: ‘For I will appear in the cloud’ — but He had not appeared yet. Then why were they punished? — As it was taught: R. Eliezer said: The sons of Aaron died only because they decided a question of law in the presence of Moses their Master. What was it they decided? — And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar [means] although the fire was coming down from heaven yet was it obligatory to bring private fire. HE CAME OUT BY THE WAY HE ENTERED: Whence is this known? — Said R. Samuel b. Nahmani in the name of R. Jonathan: Scripture said: So Solomon came to the high place that was at Gibeon, [unto] Jerusalem. What has Gibeon to do with Jerusalem? Rather, [Scripture] compares his departure from Gibeon towards Jerusalem with his entrance from Jerusalem into Gibeon, i.e., just as when he entered Gibeon from Jerusalem his face was directed towards the high place, in the same way as he had come in; in the same manner as he left Gibeon for Jerusalem his face was turned toward the high place even in the same way as when he had come in. In similar manner the priests as they ministered, the Levites on their service, the Israelites on their posts — as they left they would not turn their face back, to go out, but would turn their face sideways to leave. Thus also a disciple taking leave of his master, must not turn his face back to go away, but must turn sideways to depart. As was the case with R. Eleazar, whenever he took leave of R. Johanan: if R. Johanan wanted to leave, R. Eleazar would stand on his place, the head bowed, until R. Johanan disappeared from his sight but when R. Eleazar wished to take leave he would walk backwards until he disappeared from the sight of R. Johanan. When Raba was about to take leave of R. Joseph he would go backwards, so that his feet were bruised and the threshold of the house of R. Joseph was stained with blood.^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

^ᵃnote:The incense which he had heaped up towards his end and which burns continually may touch his arm and burn it whilst he is working it towards the other side.
^ᵇnote:Lev. XVI, 13.
^ᶜnote:The Sadduceans in literal translation have this interpretation: ‘I, the Lord, am to be visited’, i.e., seen, in the Holy of Holies, in the cloud of the smoke of incense, which must be a cloud, i.e., prepared outside, so that when, in the Holy of Holies I am seen, it is in the cloud of incense, all ready and rising up, as the high priest enters.
^ᵈnote:Which clearly shows that the incense is put in the fire inside.
^ᵉnote:The name of a plant used as an ingredient of the incense and whose effect lay in achieving a straight rising smoke.
^ᶠnote:Lev. XVI, 13.
^ᵍnote:That he is culpable if he omitted one of its ingredients.
^ʰnote:That is indicated already by the passage in Lev. XVI,2: That he come not at all times ... lest he die, which indicates that a fruitless entrance incurs such penalty, hence no additional source of that law is necessary.
^ⁱnote:To which no penalty of death is attached.
^ʲnote:The incense without the smoke-raiser could not possibly effect such ‘covering’.
^ᵏnote:From the passage ‘For in the cloud, etc.’ we inferred the necessity of the smokeraiser, why then an additional verse?
^ˡnote:Whether the roots or the leaf achieved the straight smoke. R. Joseph holds that the leaves had such property, Abaye attributed that quality to the root.
^ᵐnote:‘Cover’ may refer to the capacity to just cover the ark-cover, but not to rise above it.
^ⁿnote:Isa. VI, 4. This proves that the root is more effective for producing the straight smoke.
^ᵒnote:Lev. XVI, 16, i.e., wherever he shall dwell with them, shall they do this.
^ᵖnote:The portion of the Torah refers to the Day of Atonement.
^ᵠnote:‘So that it may cover’ is the command. He shall not come at all times ... for in a cloud shall I appear — and not otherwise is the prohibition that the incense is indispensable.
^ʳnote:Lit., ‘warning’.
^ˢnote:Lev. XVI, 13.
^ᵗnote:Who died in expiation of their sin; and thus assumed it was their neglect to put the smoke-raiser into the incense.
^ᵘnote:Lev. XVI, 1.
^ᵛnote:This is the literal rendering.
^ʷnote:I.e., when this scriptural verse was uttered the Lord had not appeared yet. But if the reference were to a time after the death of the two sons of Aaron, He would have appeared already, namely on exactly that day, as it is said: And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. (Lev. IX, 23).
^ˣnote:Lev. I, 7.
^ʸnote:V. supra 21b.
^ᶻnote:Although their decision was correct, they incurred penalty for their presumptuousness in rendering a decision before their master, instead of requesting him to render it for them.
^ᵃᵃnote:II Chron. I, 13.
^ᵃᵇnote:The indeterminate ‘Jerusalem’ in the text is ambiguous and therefore invites ad hoc interpretation.
^ᵃᶜnote:So that the text means: In the same manner as Solomon journeyed to Gibeon, so did he proceed on his return journey from Gibeon to Jerusalem.
^ᵃᵈnote:V. Ta'an. 24a.

²The people told R. Joseph that Raba did that, whereupon he said to him: May it be the will [of God] that you raise your head above the whole city. R. Alexandri said in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi: One who prays [the ‘Amidah] should go three steps backwards, and then recite ‘peace’. R. Mordecai said to him: Having taken the three steps backwards, he ought to remain standing, as should a disciple who takes leave of his master; for if he returns at once, it is as with a dog who goes back to his vomit. It has also been taught thus: One who prays shall take three steps backwards and then pronounce ‘peace’. And if he did not do so, it would have been better for him not to have prayed at all. In the name of R. Shemaya they said: He should pronounce ‘peace’ towards the right, then towards the left, as it is said: At His right hand was a fiery law unto them, and it is also said: A thousand may fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand. For what reason ‘and it is also said’? — You might have said it is the usual thing to take a thing with the right hand, come therefore and hear: ‘A thousand may fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand’. Raba saw Abaye pronouncing ‘peace’ first towards the right and he said to him: Do you mean that your right hand is meant? It is your left hand, which is the right of the Holy One, blessed be He. R. Hiyya the son of R. Huna said: I saw Abaye and Raba who were taking all three steps with one genuflexion. AND HE UTTERED A SHORT PRAYER IN THE OUTER HOUSE: What did he pray? Raba son of R. Adda and Rabin son of R. Adda both reported in the name of Rab: ‘May it be Thy will, O Lord our God, that this year be full of heavy rains and hot’. But is a hot year an advantage? — Rather: If it be a hot one, let it be rich in rain. — R. Aha the son of Raba concluded the prayer in the name of R. Judah [thus]: May there not depart a ruler from the house of Judah, and may the house of Israel not require that they sustain one another, and permit not the prayers of travellers to find entrance before you. R. Hanina b. Dosa was walking along a road when rain came down upon him. He said: ‘Lord of the Universe! All the world is comfortable and Hanina is afflicted!’ The rain stopped. As he came home, he said: ‘Lord of the Universe! All the world is afflicted and Hanina is comfortable!’ The rain came again. R. Joseph said: Of what use is the prayer of the high priest against R. Hanina b. Dosa! Our Rabbis taught: It happened with one high priest that he prolonged his prayer. His fellow priests undertook to enter after him. As they began to enter he came forth. They said to him: Why did you prolong your prayer? — He said: Is it disagreeable to you that I prayed for you, for the Sanctuary, that it be not destroyed? — They said to him: Do not make a habit of doing so, for thus have we learnt: He would not pray long lest he terrify Israel. MISHNAH. AFTER THE ARK HAD BEEN TAKEN AWAY, THERE WAS A STONE FROM THE DAYS OF THE EARLIER PROPHETS, CALLED THE SHETHIYAH, THREE FINGERS ABOVE THE GROUND, ON WHICH HE WOULD PLACE [THE PAN OF BURNING COALS]. HE WOULD TAKE THE BLOOD FROM HIM WHO WAS STIRRING IT, AND ENTER [AGAIN] INTO THE PLACE WHERE HE HAD ENTERED, AND STAND [AGAIN] ON THE PLACE ON WHICH HE HAD STOOD, AND SPRINKLE THEREOF ONCE UPWARDS AND SEVEN TIMES DOWNWARDS, AIMING TO SPRINKLE NEITHER UPWARDS NOR DOWNWARDS BUT KEMAZLIF [MAKING THE MOVEMENT OF SWINGING A WHIP]. AND THUS WOULD HE COUNT: ONE, ONE AND ONE, ONE AND TWO, ONE AND THREE, ONE AND FOUR, ONE AND FIVE, ONE AND SIX, ONE AND SEVEN. THEN HE WOULD GO OUT AND PUT IT ON THE GOLDEN STAND IN THE SANCTUARY. ONE WOULD BRING HIM THE HE-GOAT, HE WOULD SLAY IT, RECEIVE ITS BLOOD IN A BASIN, ENTER [AGAIN] THE PLACE HE HAD ENTERED BEFORE, STAND [AGAIN] ON THE PLACE HE HAD STOOD ON BEFORE AND WOULD SPRINKLE THEREFROM ONCE UPWARDS AND SEVEN TIMES DOWNWARDS. THUS WOULD HE COUNT; ONE, ONE AND TWO, ETC. THEN HE WOULD GO OUT AND PLACE IT ON THE SECOND GOLDEN STAND IN THE SANCTUARY. R. JUDAH SAID: THERE WAS NO MORE THAN ONE GOLDEN STAND. HE WOULD TAKE THE BLOOD OF THE BULLOCK AND PUT DOWN THE BLOOD OF THE HE-GOAT, SPRINKLE THEREOF UPON THE CURTAINS FACING THE ARK OUTSIDE, ONCE UPWARDS, SEVEN TIMES DOWNWARD, AIMING TO SPRINKLE NEITHER UPWARDS NOR DOWNWARDS, BUT KE-MAZLIF [MAKING THE MOVEMENT OF SWINGING A WHIP]. THUS WOULD HE COUNT [AS ABOVE]. THEN HE WOULD TAKE THE BLOOD OF THE HE-GOAT, DEPOSITING THE BLOOD OF THE BULLOCK, AND SPRINKLE THEREOF UPON THE CURTAIN FACING THE ARK OUTSIDE ONCE UPWARDS, SEVEN TIMES DOWNWARDS [AS ABOVE]. THEN HE WOULD POUR THE BLOOD OF THE BULLOCK INTO THE BLOOD OF THE HE-GOAT EMPTYING THE FULL VESSEL INTO THE EMPTY ONE. GEMARA. [The Mishnah] does not teach ‘After the Ark has been hidden away’, but ‘After the Ark had been taken away’, this is in accord with him who holds that the Ark went into exile to Babylonia, for it was taught: R. Eliezer said: The Ark went into exile to Babylonia, as it was said: In the following year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and had him brought to Babel together with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord. R. Simeon b. Yohai said: The Ark went into exile to Babylonia, as it was said: Nothing shall be left, saith the Lord, i.e., the Ten Commandments contained therein R. Judah b. Ilai said: The Ark was hidden [buried] in its own place, as it was said:And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place, even before the Sanctuary; but they could not be seen without; and there they are unto this day. Now he disputes ‘Ulla for ‘Ulla said: R. Matthiah b. Heresh asked R. Simeon b. Yohai in Rome: Now since R. Eliezer had taught us on the first and second occasion that the Ark went into exile to Babylonia (the first was the one which we said just now: ‘And he had him brought to Babel together with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord’, but what is the second one? — Because it is written: And gone is from the daughter of Zion^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ

^ᵃᵉnote:R. Joseph being blind would not have noticed this reverent conduct of his pupil. On learning it he pronounced a prayerful hope, which was fulfilled. For Raba did become head of the Academies of both Sura and Pumbeditha.
^ᵃᶠnote:Lit., ‘(prayer read) standing’. The prayer par excellence, v. P.B. p. 44ff.
^ᵃᵍnote:At the end of that prayer one says: May He who maketh peace in His high places, make peace for us and for all Israel. This is the pronouncement of ‘peace’.
^ᵃʰnote:Deut. XXXIII, 2.
^ᵃⁱnote:Ps. XCI, 7.
^ᵃʲnote:People would usually use their right hand, but there is no particular importance attached to it to bestow ceremonial preference upon it.
^ᵃᵏnote:Which suggests that the right hand is granted greater victory, hence is more significant than the left.
^ᵃˡnote:Who would pray for dry weather, as better for their comfort on the road.
^ᵃᵐnote:As he had no fields and thus no need of rain.
^ᵃⁿnote:Tosef. Yoma II.
^ᵃᵒnote:By his delay, attributable either to his failure to obtain forgiveness or to personal mishap.
^ᵃᵖnote:According to Sot. 48b this term includes Samuel, David and Solomon.
^ᵃᵠnote:Root: shatha — to lay a foundation, thus foundation stone. From it, as the Gemara says, the world was founded or started.
^ᵃʳnote:Into the Holy of Holies.
^ᵃˢnote:Between the two staves.
^ᵃᵗnote:In the direction of the ‘ark-cover’.
^ᵃᵘnote:This continues R. Judah's account. (5) V. Gemara. (6) Lev. XVI, 18: And he shall take the blood of the bullock and the blood of the goat and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. The inference is that since but one act of ‘putting’ is mentioned the two were mixed, by pouring the first into the second.
^ᵃᵛnote:II Chron. XXXVI, 10.
^ᵃʷnote:Isa. XXXIX, 6, dabar, ‘thing’, here taken as ‘word’, i.e., the word(s) i.e., the ten commandments.
^ᵃˣnote:Corrected according to Jer. Shek. VI; cur. edd. b. Lakish.
^ᵃʸnote:I Kings VIII, 8.
^ᵃᶻnote:The one who reports in this Baraitha the view of R. Simeon b. Yohai.
^ᵇᵃnote:Who had gone there to plead with the Emperor on behalf of the people of Israel afflicted by emergency decrees of the Governor, see Graetz II, 443 (Engl. ed.).