1)

(a)The smallest possible Erech is one Sela, the largest - fifty Sela'im.

(b)We learn the minimum Shi'ur from the Pasuk in Bechukosai "ve'Chol Erk'cha Yih'yeh be'Shekel ha'Kodesh" - by explaining the Pasuk to mean that a Shekel ha'Kodesh (a Sela) is the minimum that one pays for Erchin.

(c)We learn the maximum Shi'ur - from the fact that this is the maximum Shi'ur mentioned in the Torah.

(d)A poor man pays a Sela - if that is all he has.

2)

(a)The Mishnah now rules that a poor man over twenty who undertakes to give his own Erech (See Tosfos Yom Tov) and who becomes rich after paying ...

1. ... a Sela - is Patur from paying more.

2. ... less than a Sela (See Tosfos Yom Tov) - is Chayav to pay the full Erech.

(b)Rebbi Meir rules that, in a case where the same poor man has five Sela'im, he only pays one Sela, based on - the same above-mentioned Pasuk ("ve'Chol Erk'chah Yih'yeh be'Shekel h'Kodesh").

(c)According to the Chachamim - he must pay all five Sela'im ...

(d)... and the Torah write "ve'Chol Erk'chah ... " - to teach us the minimum Shi'ur of an Ani she'be'Aniyim.

(e)The Halachah is - like the Chachamim (See Tiferes Yisrael 8).

3)

(a)The Mishnah now discusses a woman who errs in her counting with regard to Nidus. Min ha'Torah, if a woman sees ...

1. ... one day ...

2. ... two consecutive days ...

3. ... three consecutive days or even ...

4. ... seven consecutive days - she Tovels on the night of the eighth day and is Tahor.

(b)She enters the realm of Zivus - immediately after she becomes Tahor from her Nidus ...

(c)... and she is then subject to Zivus for eleven days.

4)

(a)If, during the period of Zivus, a woman sees ...

1. ... once - she 'guards that day' and if she does not see again, she is Tahor the following night, and the same applies if she saw ...

2. ... on two consecutive days - she becomes Tahor on the following night.

(b)Assuming that she sees on three consecutive days, she becomes Tahor - only after she has counted seven consecutive clean days ('Shiv'ah Neki'im') ...

(c)... and she re-enters the realm of Nidus - the next time, following the Shiv'ah Neki'im, that she sees blood, whenever that may be.

(d)Should she not see blood during the eleven days of Zivus, but sees on three consecutive days afterwards - she counts another four days and is Tahor.

5)

(a)The Mishnah calls the day that she resumes the cycle of Nidus and Zivus - 'Pesach (Nidusah)'.

(b)When the Tana gives the minimum Shi'ur of Pesach as seven days and the maximum, as seventeen, he is referring to - a woman who has a sighting, but she cannot remember whether she is in the period of Nidus or of Zivus.

(c)If she sees blood and cannot remember which period she is currently in, the maximum Pesach is seventeen days - because even if the day on which she sees is her first day of Zivus, when she sees the next time after seventeen days, it will be the first day of the 'Pesach' (See Meleches Shlomoh for more details).

(d)The Mishnah inserts this case (and the subsequent Mishnah's) here - since they belong to the series of Mishnah's which began with the minimum and maximum Shi'urim with regard to Erchin.

6)

(a)Regarding the Dinim of Nega'im ...

1. ... the minimum number of weeks is - one, and ...

2. ... the maximum number of weeks - three.

(b)In the former case - sometimes the Metzora is Tahor and sometimes, Tamei.

(c)The only branch of Tzara'as that can last three weeks is - that of Tzara'as Batim.

(d)The case is - where the Nega remained unchanged for two weeks, in which case the stricken bricks must be re-placed and the house locked-up for a third week.

7)

(a)If every month lasted exactly twenty-nine and a half days, then the months of the year would run alternately Malei Chaser, Malei Chaser. Another name for 'Malei' is - 'Me'ubar'.

(b)A month that is ...

1. ... Malei comprises - thirty days ...

2. ... Chaser - twenty-nine.

(c)The ramifications of the fact that the a month lasts an extra forty minutes and seventy-three Chalakim (a Cheilek is one thousand and an eightieth of an hour [See Tosfos Yom Tov]) are that - it is necessary to add Malei and Chaser months to the six regular ones.

(d)The minimum and the maximum number of Me'ubarim that the Sanhedrin may fix annually is - eight.

8)

(a)The Sh'tei ha'Lechem are generally eaten only a day after they are baked. They cannot be baked on the day that they are eaten - because they are eaten on Shavu'os and baking them does not override Yom-Tov (and certainly not Shabbos).

(b)They are baked a day earlier still - if Shavu'os falls on Sunday.

(c)Before eating the loaves - the Kohanim wave them (Tenufah).

9)

(a)The Mishnah gives the minimum time after baking that the Lechem ha'Panim can be eaten as nine days; the maximum as - eleven.

(b)They are normally baked - on Friday and eaten on the following Shabbos.

(c)They can only be eaten on ...

1. ... the tenth day after baking however - if Yom-Tov falls on the Friday on which they are supposed to be baked, and on ...

2. ... the eleventh day after baking - if Rosh ha'Shanah falls on Thursday and Friday ...

(d)... because baking the Lechem ha'Panim does not override Yom-Tov either.

10)

(a)The minimum number of days after birth on which a baby can be circumcised is - eight and ...

(b)... the maximum - twelve.

(c)He is circumcised only on the tenth day, if he is born during Bein ha'Shemashos (dusk) of Erev Shabbos ...

(d)... in which case the following Shabbos may be the ninth day, and any Milah that is performed after the eighth day does not override Shabbos.

(e)And he is circumcised on ...

1. ... the eleventh - in the previous case, if Yom-Tov falls on Sunday, and only on ...

2. ... the twelfth - if Rosh ha'Shanah falls on Sunday and Monday.

11)

(a)The Mishnah gives the minimum number of Teki'os in the Beis-ha'Mikdash on one day as twenty-one, the maximum - forty-eight.

(b)They actually blow fifty-seven Teki'os - when Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos ...

(c)... and the reason the Tana does not contend with it is - because it is not common.

(d)The minimum number of lyres (see also Tiferes Yisrael) that they played in the Beis-ha'Mikdash is two, the maximum - six (See Tiferes Yisrael).

12)

(a)The minimum number of flutes that they played in the Beis-ha'Mikdash was - two.

(b)Sometimes they played twelve flutes - corresponding to the twelve days in the year that they played the flutes only.

(c)The flute is special inasmuch as - it can be heard at a great distance ...

(d)... and the Tana uses the word 'Makeh' in connection with it - because one plays it by striking its holes with one's fingers.

13)

(a)Of the twelve days on which only the flutes played in front of the Mizbe'ach, two were the days on which they brought Pesach Rishon and Pesach Sheini. The other ...

1. ... two days of Yom-Tov besides Succos were - on the first day of Pesach and on Shavu'os.

2. ... eight days on which they played it were - the eight days of Succos.

(b)They opted to play on bamboo flutes rather than on copper ones - because their tone is superior.

(c)When the Tana says that they would 'end with a single Ibuv' - the reed that is fitted to the top of the flute or the flute itself), he means that only one flautist would end the song ...

(d)... since it sounds nicer.

14)

(a)On the twelve days when the flutes played, the Levi'im sang - Hallel (See Tosfos Yom Tov).

(b)... whereas on the other days of the year, they sang - the Shir shel Yom (that we recite daily).

(c)Whilst the Shir shel Yom was being sung, they played - harps and cymbals (as recorded in the last chapter of Tehilim [See Tosfos Yom Tov DH 'u'vi'Sheneim-Asar Yom']).

(d)They sang and played the instruments - whilst the Korban Tamid was being brought.

(e)The major difference between the instruments listed in this Mishnah and the instruments that they played during the Simchas Beis ha'Sho'eivah on Succos is - that whereas the former overrode Shabbos, the latter did not (See Tosfos Yom Tov, DH 'u'vi'Sheneim-Asar Yom ... '.)

15)

(a)According to Rebbi Yossi, the musicians were from the families of Beis ha'Pegarim, Beis-Tzefarya - from the town Ma'ama'om ...

(b).. who were all Meyuchasim (of pure pedigree) and who were therefore eligible to marry into the families of Kohanim.

(c)According to Rebbi Meir, the musicians were - slaves of the Kohanim.

(d)The basis of their Machlokes is - whether someone who plays an instrument in the Beis-ha'Mikdash must be a Meyuchas (Rebbi Yossi) or not (Rebbi Meir).

16)

(a)Rebbi Chanina ben Antignos maintains that it was the Levi'im who played the instruments - because in his opinion, an instrumentalist in the Beis-ha'Mikdash is a Meyuchas vis-a-vis Ma'asros (but not vis-a-vis marrying a Kohenes [See Tosfos Yom Tov]).

(b)The Halachah is - like Rebbi Yossi.

17)

(a)The minimum number of lambs that they kept in the Lishkas ha'Tela'im, ready to be brought as the Korban Tamid was - six.

(b)This covered - four days in advance.

(c)'Preparing them' entailed - examining them for Mumin.

(d)They had to prepare six lambs in advance - when Rosh ha'Shanah fell on Sunday and Monday.

(e)There is no maximum number of prepared lambs that one may prepare in advance.

18)

(a)We learn from the Gezeirah-Shavah "Mo'ado" "Mo'ado" from the Korban Pesach that - just as Pesach Mitzrayim (See Tosfos Yom Tov DH 'Ein Pochsin') was taken four days in advance, so too, must the Korban Tamid be taken four days in advance.

(b)They prepared the Korban Pesach in Egypt - on the tenth of Nisan.

(c)Initially, they required - eight lambs to be in the Lishkas ha'Tela'im.

19)

(a)The minimum number of ...

1. ... trumpets that the musicians played in the Beis-ha'Mikdash was two, and of ...

2. ... harps - nine (See Tosfos Yom Tov).

(b)Neither instrument had a maximum number attached to it.

(c)What prompts the Gemara to quote a limit of hundred and twenty trumpets is the fact that - that is how many trumpets they had in the second Beis-ha'Mikdash (as recorded in Divrei ha'Yamim).

20)

(a)There was - only one (pair of) cymbal(s) there.

(b)The Pasuk in Divrei ha'Yamim write "Metzaltayim" (in the plural) - because cymbals can only be played in pairs.

(c)The Pasuk there quotes - Asaf as the sole player in the Beis-ha'Mikdash.

21)

(a)The twelve Levi'im who stood on the Duchan - played the twelve instruments minimum, nine harps, two lyres and one pair of cymbals (See Tosfos Yom Tov).

(b)The Duchan was - the platform on which the Levi'im stood during the Avodah whilst they sang and played the instruments.

(c)There is - no maximum number of Levi'im.

22)

(a)When the Tana says that, with one exception, a Katan does not enter the Azarah for the Avodah, he is referring to - a Levi Katan helping even to sweep the Azarah or to open the gates.

(b)The exception is - to sing together with the grown-ups (See Tosfos Yom Tov).

(c)Even then, he is forbidden - to play an instrument ...

(d)... because his pure childish voice enhances the sound of the Shir.

23)

(a)Rebbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov rules that a Levi Katan - does not make up the twelve Levi'im who need to stand on the Duchan (See Tosfos Yom Tov & Tiferes Yisrael, 53 & 54)).

(b)He stands, according to him, not on the Duchan, but - on the ground of the Azarah, his head 'between the feet of the grown-up Levi'im.

(c)They called them 'Tzo'arei ha'Levi'im' (those who caused te Levi'im pain) - because the grown-up Levi'im, who could match their sweet voices, were a little jealous of them.