More Discussions for this daf
1. The Zar - Shechitah and Lottery 2. Miracles In The Second Beis Hamikdash 3. question 2 and 3 in daily quiz
DAF DISCUSSIONS - YOMA 27

Shua Popper asks:

Did any miracles happen in the second beis hamikdash.

Shua Popper, Chicago, IL USA

The Kollel replies:

1) There were a lot of miracles that happened in the second Beis ha'Mikdash. In fact, the Gemara (Yoma 21b) tells us that there were only five differences between the first Beis ha'Mikdash and the second.

2) Otherwise, the miracles that occured in the first also occured in the second. The Mishnah in Avos (5:5) tells us of ten miracles that happened in the Beis ha'Mikdash. Among them were:

a) Rain never extinguished the fire on the Mizbe'ach even though the Mizbe'ach was open to the sky.

b) The wind never stopped the pillar of smoke from the Mizbe'ach from ascending in a straight line.

c) On festivals, when the people entered the courtyard, it was very crowded even when everyone was standing up, but when everyone bowed down and stretched out on the floor, there was plenty of space.

d) No snake or scorpion ever harmed anyone in Jerusalem, even though they were frequent there.

e) Even though there were hundreds of thousands of guests in Jerusalem, no one ever said that he did not have a place to sleep.

3) The Gemara (Yoma 39a) says that in the 40 years that Shimon ha'Tzadik was the Kohen Gadol (this was towards the beginning of the second Beis ha'Mikdash period), there were several miracles. For instance, the red thread on the Se'ir la'Azazel, the goat sent into the wildereness on Yom Kippur, always turned white. This was a sign that the sins of the Jewish People had been forgiven.

These are just a few of the miracles which took place in the second Beis ha'Mikdash.

Kol Tuv,

Dovid Bloom