1)

(a)Besides the flute - they also played on harps and on many other kinds of instruments during the Simchas Beis ha'Sho'evah ...

(b)... and the reason the Mishnah refers specifically to Chalil shel Beis ha'Sho'evah - is because when many instruments are played simultaneously, the sound of the flute stands out.

(c)When Shabbos fell on Yom-Tov, the Chalil was sven days, and when it fell on Chol ha'Mo'ed, it was six (See Tos. Yom-Tov DH 'she'Einah Dochah' & 'Lo es ha'Shabbos ... ').

2)

(a)'They' said that whoever did not see the Simchas Beis ha'Sho'eivah - ever saw Simchah in his life.

(b)They referred to the Simchah by that name - because it was connected to the water-drawing ceremony that sparked it off (See also Tos. Yom-Tov).

(c)This is based on the Pasuk in Yeshayah "u'She'avtem Mayim be'Sason (And you shall draw water with joy!)"

3)

(a)The big Tikun did they arranged at the termination of the first day of Yom-Tov - was to go down to the Ezras Nashim and to arrange there a balcony for the ladies to stand (See Tos. Yom-Tov) ...

(b)... to prevent the men and women from mixing during the celebrations (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

4)

(a)There were four gigantic lamps there - each one topped by four bowls.

(b)Young lithe Kohanim climbed up the ladders to kindle them ...

(c)... each one holding in his hands - a jar containing thirty Lugin (a hundred and eighty egg-volumes) of oil even as he climbed (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

5)

(a)They manufactured the wicks - from the worn-out pants and belts of the Kohanim (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

(b)They also used strips from the Kohanim's pants and belts to kindle the wicks.

(c)The Tana describes the brightness of the lamps - by declaring that there was not a Courtyard in Yerushalayim (which lay in the valley to the east of the Beis-ha'Mikdash) that was not lit-up by them.

(d)They got them to illuminate such a distance - by building them to a height of fifty Amos (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

6)

(a)It was the Chasidim and men of good deeds who used to dance in front of the large crowd that assembled in the Ezras Mashim for 'Simchas Beis ha'Sho'evah' (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

(b)They used to juggle with - four and even eight fire-brands.

(c)The Chasidim and men of good deeds - used to declare 'Praiseworthy is our youth that it did not shame our old age!'

(d)Th Ba'alei Teshuvah used to declare - 'Praiseworthy is our old age that it atones for our youth!'

(e)Both groups would then say - 'How praiseworthy is the one who did not sin, and someone who did should do Teshuvah, and he will be forgiven!'

7)

(a)Meanwhile, the Levi'im were standing on the fifteen steps leading up to the Ezras Yisrael. What was the significance of the number fifteen was - corresponding to the fifteen 'Shir ha'Ma'alos' in Tehilim.

(b)They played on the flutes and the numerous musical instruments and sang Shirah to Hash-m.

(c)Normally, when they sang whilst the Korban Tamid was being brought - they stood on the Duchan that was next to the Mizbe'ach.

(d)Two Kohanim stood at the Upper-Gate (See Tos. Yom-Tov), holding two trumpets.

(e)The moment the cock crowed, the two Kohanim blew another 'Teki'ah, Teru'ah, Teki'ah' - a signal that whoever was designated to fill up the jug with water for the Nisuch ha'Mayim ceremony, should start to make their way towards the Shilo'ach Spring.

8)

(a)When the Kohanim with the jug reached ...

1. ... the tenth step (See Tos. Yom-Tov) - the Kohanim once again blew 'Teki'ah, Teru'ah, Teki'ah', and they did the same when they reached ...

2. ... the floor of the Ezras Nashim.

(b)The Kohanim stop blowing 'Teki'ah, Teru'ah, Teki'ah' when reached the Gate that goes to the east.

(c)When they reached the eastern gate, the Kohanim with the jar turned towards the west and declared 'When our fathers (See Tos. Yom-Tov) were in this place, they turned their backs towards the Heichal of Hash-m, faced the east and prostrated themselves eastwards towards the sun. But as for us, our eyes are turned towards Hash-m!'.

(d)They finished with the words 've'Anu le'Kah Eineinu'. According to Rebbi Yehudah - they said 'Anu le'Kah, u'le'Kah Eineinu'!'

9)

(a)The minimum number of 'Teki'os' (blasts) that one blows in the Beis-ha'Mikdash is twenty one, the Maximum is - forty eight (See end of Mishnah).

(b)They ...

1. ... blow twenty-one 'Teki'os') - every day (three for opening the gates of the Azarah, nine for the Tamid shel Shachar and nine for the Tamid shel bein ha'Arbayim).

2. ... added another nine - whenever they brought a Korban Musaf (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

3. ... added another six (on to the twenty-one) - on Erev Shabbos just before Shabbos came in.

(c)They always blew the first three when the gates of the Azarah were opened. These three (and every subsequent three) comprised - 'Teki'ah, Teru'ah, Teki'ah'.

(d)The Kohanim blew nine for the Tamid shel Shachar and the Tamid shel bein ha'Arbayim whilst the Levi'im were singing Shirah. The ...

1. ... Levi'im sang Shirah - whilst the Kohanim poured the wine libation in the course of the bringing of the Korban Tamid shel Shachar.

2. ... Kohanim blow three times Teki'ah, Teru'ah, Teki'ah - during the three times that Levi'im made a break in the singing.

(e)When the people heard the Teki'os - they prostrated themselves.

10)

(a)Of the six Teki'os that they blew on Erev Shabbos, the first three were meant to remind the people to stop performing Melachah. If the first Teki'ah reminded the laborers in the fields to return home, the second Teki'ah (i.e. the Teru'ah) remind the shopkeepers to fold the shutters of their shops (which doubled as stalls) and to lock up their shops, to prepare for the advent of Shabbos.

(b)The third Teki'ah reminded them - to remove the pots from the stoves, to wrap them up to keep them hot and to kindle the Shabbos lights.

(c)They then waited - as long as it takes to roast a small fish before finally blowing the final Teki'ah. Teru'ah Teki'ah.

(d)The final three blasts (Teki'ah, Teru'ah, Teki'ah) was a sign that it was now Shabbos.

11)

(a)They blew forty-eight Teki'os - on Erev Shabbos in the middle of Succos (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

(b)Besides the thirty-six Teki'os that we just discussed, they blew an extra twelve in connection with the Nisuch ha'Mayim. They blew three for the upper-Gate (Sha'ar Nikanor), three for the lower-Gate and three for filling the water (i.e. as they entered the Sha'ar ha'Mayim), they blew the last three - when the Kohanim arranged the Aravos on the Mizbe'ach (See also Tiferes Yisrael).

(c)The Mishnah omits the three that they blew when they reached the tenth step - because this Mishnah holds like Rebbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov, in whose opinion they did not blow at that point.

12)

(a)They actually blew more than forty-eight Teki'os - on Erev Pesach that fell on Shabbos (due to the three groups who sang Hallel three times and who blew Teki'ah, Teru'ah, Teki'ah each time they recited it (See Tos. Yom-Tov, DH 'Erev Shabbos ... ').

(b)They sometimes blew as many as fifty-seven Teki'os then.

(c)The Mishnah does not mention it - because it does not occur often (See Tos. Yom-Tov, Ibid.).

13)

(a)On each day of Succos, the Kohanim brought two rams, one goat - and fourteen lambs for the Musaf-offering.

(b)The only animal that fluctuated from day to day was the bull - of which they brought thirteen on the first, twelve on the second and so on, until on the seventh day (Hoaha'na Rabah) they brought seven.

(c)All twenty-four groups of Kohanim served in the Beis-ha'Mikdash during the seven/eight days of Succos.

(d)After the first sixteen groups brought the bulls, the rams and the goat - six of the remaining eight groups brought two each of the fourteen lambs, and two, one each.

14)

(a)On the second day, when there was one bull less to contend with, five of the nine remaining groups brought two lambs each, and four, one.

(b)By the same token, on the third day, four of the remaining groups brought two lambs each, on the fourth day, three, on the fifth day two, and on the sixth day, one (and the remaining groups brought one each). On the seventh day - the Musaf comprised exactly twenty-four animals (seven bulls, two rams, one goat and fourteen lambs) so that each group brought one animal.

(c)On Shemini Atzeres, the Musaf comprised - one bull, one ram and seven lambs.

(d)They decided which groups brought which animals by following the specific order of the Mishmaros (See Tos. Yom-Tov). To decide who would bring the animals of the Musaf on Shemini Atzeres - they made a Goral (a special lottery as described in Yoma).

15)

(a)They said that the group that brought a bull 'today' - should not bring one tomorrow ...

(b)... because the bull being larger than the other animals, it was considered a great privilege to bring it before Hash-m.

16)

(a)The Mishnah informs us that three times each year, all the groups divided two things equally among themselves (See Tos. Yom-Tov). One of them was the Korbanos of the Chagim (Pesach, Shavu'os and Succos). Apart from the Musafim of the Yamim-Tovim that we discussed above and the Se'irei Chata'os, this Halachah incorporates - the Chazeh ve'Shok of the Shalmei Chagigah (See Tos. Yom-Tov) and the Olos Re'iyah that were brought on Yom-Tov.

(b)The second thing that they divided equally on the Chagim was - the Lechem ha'Panim ...

(c)... when it was distributed among them on Shabbos that fell on Yom-Tov.

17)

(a)When they gave each Kohen his portion on Shavu'os, they would say - 'Here is Matzah; Here is Chametz!' (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

(b)They were referring to - the Lechem ha'Panim and the Sh'tei ha'Lechem, respectively.

(c)They said this precisely - because a Kohan was not permitted to swap his portion in the Lechem ha'Panim for another Kohen's portion in the Sh'tei ha'Lechem, since every Kohen had to receive a portion from each Korban (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

18)

(a)The group that was due to serve that week brought ...

1. ... the Korban Tamid and ...

2. ... the Nedarim and Nedavos that individuals tended to bring on Chol ha'Mo'ed.

(b)They also brought 'the other Korb'nos Tzibur' - (i.e. the Par He'elam Davar shel Tzibur and the Se'irei Avodas-Kochavim, in the event that the Tzibur sinned and became obligated to bring them at this time [See Tos. Yom-Tov]).

(c)And when he adds 'u'Makriv es ha'Kol', he is referring to 'Olos Kayitz ha'Mizbe'ach (the Nidvas Tzibur which they brought when the Mizbe'ach was not otherwise being used).

19)

(a)The Mishnah rules that when Yom-Tov falls on Friday or the eighth day (See Tos. Yom-Tov) that falls on Sunday - then all the Mishmaros shared in the Lechem ha'Panim equally ...

(b)... since the former had no option but to remain a day longer, and the latter but to arrive a day earlier.

20)

(a)If Yom-Tov falls on Monday or on Thursday, the Mishnah rules the groups that opted to arrive early or to stay on until Friday (when the former could have arrived on Sunday and the latter could have left on Friday) - were entitled to take two of the twelve Challos (whilst the regular group received ten [See Tos. Yom-Tov]).

(b)According to the Tana Kama, throughout the year, when the changing of the groups took place on Shabbos (afternoon), each group received six (of the twelve Challos). Rebbi Yehudah maintains - that the ratio was seven for the incoming group and five for the outgoing one.

(c)The incoming group received two extra Challos, according to Rebbi Yehudah - on the merit of closing the gates of the Azarah (See Tos. Yom-Tov).

21)

(a)The significance of the fact that ...

1. ... the incoming group were given their portion in the north is - the fact that the north is more Chashuv in the realm of Kodshim.

2. ... the outgoing group were given their portion in the south - so that everybody should see that their turn is about to terminate, and that they have therefore been relegate to a location which is less Kadosh.

(b)The north side is more important - since that is where Kodshei Kodshim are Shechted.

(c)The Halachah is - like the Tana Kama.

(d)Bilgah - (one of the twenty-four groups of Kohanim) always received their portion in the south.

22)

(a)One of the daughters of the group of Bilgah (Miriam bas Bilgah [See Tos. Yom-Tov]) initially converted out and married a Greek general.

(b)Then, when the Greeks entered the Heichal - she kicked the Mizbe'ach and announced 'Lukus Lukus! (Wolf, Wolf) Why do you devour the money of Yisrael, and then you fail to protect them in their hour of need!'

(c)One of the two other punishments that they received was that their ring was closed - (i.e. the ring that each group was allotted that swiveled round in the floor, presenting an opening in which they would place the heads of the Korbanos that they Shechted. Bilgah's ring was now blocked so that it could not be used.

23)

(a)Their third punishment was - that the window next to which they kept their Shechitah-knives was permanently shut.

(b)Consequently, Bilgah was forced to 'borrow' space for their Shechitah-knives from the members of the other groups and like the rings which they used to Shecht the Korbanos that they brought (both on-going humiliating experiences).

(c)Despite the fact that it was only one woman who sinned, they nevertheless penalized ...

1. ... her family - because she would never have spoken like that, if she had not heard her father speaking about the Avodah in a derogatry manner.

2. ... the entire group - on account of the principle 'Woe to the Rasha, and woe to his neighbor!'