Yoma

not to start in front of thee lest thou be burnt.1 Our Rabbis taught: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord:2 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-cover3 ‘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’.4 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.5 — 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.6 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 this7 from the fact that he effected an entrance for no purpose.8 R. Shesheth said: We speak here of the case that he was in error about the entrance,9 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."10 [What need of] one scriptural verse added to another?11 — 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?12 To teach us that Scripture said: ‘So that it may cover [etc.]’13 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?14 — 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?15 — Rather is this meant: Now I know about the Day of Atonement,16 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.17 Raba said: One refers to the penalty incurred, the other to the prohibition.18 It was taught: R. Eliezer said: That he die not,19 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,20 to teach us [the true fact] it is written: After the death of the two sons of Aaron.21 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.’22 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 appeared23 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 altar24 [means] although the fire was coming down from heaven25 yet was it obligatory to bring private 26 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.27 What has Gibeon to do with Jerusalem?28 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.29 In similar manner the priests as they ministered, the Levites on their service, the Israelites on their posts30 — 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. whilst he is working it towards the other side. 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. that a fruitless entrance incurs such penalty, hence no additional source of that law is necessary. attributed that quality to the root. otherwise is the prohibition that the incense is indispensable. 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). their master, instead of requesting him to render it for them. journey from Gibeon to Jerusalem.