1)

(a)We reject the Beraisa's initial statement that there were twenty-four group in Eretz Yisrael and twelve in Yericho - because there were only twenty-four groups altogether.

(b)We therefore emend it to read - that twelve of them (of the twenty-four groups went to Yericho).

(c)When the time came for a specific group to go to Yerushalayim, half of the group would actually go to Yericho for the week ...

(d)... so as to provide the other half in Yerushalayim with water and food.

2)

(a)The Ma'amados in Yerushalayim had to comprise Kohanim and Leviyim, as well as Yisraelim. Rav Yehudah Amar Shmuel rules that if at any time, there were no Kohanim or Leviyim - the Tana declares the Korban Tamid, Pasul.

(b)Rav Yehudah Amar Shmuel omits the instruments mentioned by the Beraisa - because the Beraisa holds that the instruments (e.g. the flutes) comprised the main Mitzvah of Shirah, and the singing of the Leviyim was secondary; whereas Shmuel holds like the Tana in Erchin who holds that the main Mitzvah of Shirah was the singing (of the Leviyim), and the playing of the instruments was secondary.

3)

(a)According to Rav Chama bar Guriah Amar Rav, Moshe instituted eight Mishmaros - four from Elazar and four from Isamar.

(b)Shmuel added - another eight.

(c)David ha'Melech (and Shmuel) later changed it to twenty-four.

(d)The Beraisa which says that Shmuel and David instituted twenty-four - means that they did so in stages, Shmuel from eight to sixteen and David (and Shmuel) from sixteen to twenty-four.

4)

(a)We ask on Rav from a Beraisa, which specifically states that Moshe instituted sixteen Mishmaros, eight from Elazar and eight from Isamar. David and Shmuel then changed it to twenty-four - because Elazar had grown in numbers to exceed Isamar by far.

(b)So they instigated - sixteen groups from Elazar and eight from Isamar.

(c)The Pasuk in Divrei ha'Yamim explicitly says that there were ultimately sixteen Mishmaros from Elazar and eight from Isamar. We learn from the Pasuk "Beis Av Echad Achuz l'Elazar v'*Achuz Achuz* l'Isamar" - that the Mishmaros belonging to Isamar had not increased, and that, consequently, Moshe must have instituted eight Mishmaros for Elazar and eight for Isamar (not like Rav Chama bar Guriah Amar Rav).

(d)Rav Chama bar Guriah Amar Rav reconciles his opinion with the Beraisa - by pointing out that this is in fact, a Machlokes between two Beraisos, and that he holds like the other Beraisa (as quoted above).

5)

(a)Yedayah, Charim, Pashchur and Imar - are the names of the four Mishmaros that returned to Eretz Yisrael from Bavel in the time of the second Beis Hamikdash.

(b)The problem with 'Pashchur' - is that it is not listed among the twenty-four Mishmaros in Divrei ha'Yamim. (It is however, mentioned in Ezra - see Hagahos ha'Bach).

(c)They divided each of the four into groups of six, and placed the twenty-four names in a box. Then the four original heads picked six names from the box to determine the order of the twenty-four groups.

(d)Even if Yehoyariv (the first of the twenty-four Mishmaros during the first Beis-Hamikdash) would have arrived from Bavel after that - they would have had to wait until after the entire group of Yedayah had served, before they would be have been permitted to serve. The six groups of Yedayah would subsequently be reduced to five (to accommodate Yehoyariv).

6)

(a)We learned in our Mishnah that the Ma'amados would Lein from Ma'aseh Bereishis - because of Rav Asi, who is quoted as saying that the world was only created because of the Ma'amados (i.e. the Korbanos with which Yisrael concern themselves).

(b)When Avraham asked Hash-m "ba'Mah Eida Ki Irashenah" - he meant to ask on what merit Hash-m will not destroy Yisrael whenever they sin, like He did with the generations of the flood and of the tower.

(c)Hash-m replied - that it was the merit of the Korbanos that would atone for their sins (the Tamid shel Shachar for the sins of the night, and the Tamid shel Bein ha'Arbayim for the sins of the day).

(d)When there was no Beis Hamikdash (and no Korbanos), Hash-m replied - then reading the Parashah of Korbanos would atone for their sins, as if they had brought the Korbanos,.

7)

(a)The Beraisa says that the men of the Mishmar would Daven for the Korbanos of their brothers to be accepted in goodwill - whereas the Anshei Ma'amad would go into Shul and fast four days in the week (see Hagahos ha'Gra and also Rashi in our Mishnah 26a. DH 'veha'Sha'ar').

(b)According to this Tana ...

1. ... the men of the Mishmar - refers to the men of the Ma'amad in Yerushalayim.

2. ... the men of the Ma'amad - to the men of the Ma'amad in the towns.

8)

(a)The men of the Ma'amad fasted ...

1. ... on Monday, on behalf of the people who were at sea - because it was on Monday that Hash-m established the sky in the middle of the water, turning the lower water into the sea.

2. ... on Tuesday, on behalf of desert travelers - because it is on Tuesday that Hash-m ordered the dry land to appear in the middle of the water, and one needs to pray that the inhabitants of the dry land should be safe from all the wild beasts.

3. ... on Wednesday, on behalf of the babies (that they should not contract croup) - because plagues are caused by the sun and the moon (seeing as "Me'oros" [written without a 'Vav'] comprises the same letters as 'Me'eiros' [curses], and it was on Wednesday that Hash-m placed the sun and the moon in their places in the sky.

4. ... on Thursday, on behalf of pregnant and feeding mothers - because Hash-m ordered the water to produce lots of new-born creatures on Thursday.

9)

(a)The men of the Ma'amad did not fast on Friday and Shabbos - because of Kevod Shabbos.

(b)They did not fast on Sunday, according to Rebbi Yochanan, because of the Notzrim - meaning that it is the day on which the Christians celebrate their Sabbath.

(c)According to Rebbi Shmuel bar Nachmeni, they did not fast on Sunday because it is the third day of the creation - because Adam was created on Friday, and every third day leaves a person weak (like we find by the men of Shechem).

(d)According to Resh Lakish, the men of the Ma'amad did not fast on Sunday - because every Jew loses his Neshamah Yeseirah (that is with him on Shabbos), and is too weak to fast on Sunday.

10)

(a)The Beraisa says that on Sunday, the men of the Ma'amad would call up to the Torah two people for the Parashah of 'Bereishis' (the larger of the two Parshiyos), and one for that of 'Yehi Raki'a'. The problem with that is - that the Parashah of 'Bereishis' contains only five Pesukim.

(b)Rav answers 'Doleg' - meaning that the Kohen Leined three Pesukim, and the Levi repeated the third Pasuk that the Kohen Leined.

(c)Shmuel says 'Posek' - meaning that the Kohen stops in the middle of the third Pasuk (so in effect, they Lein two and half Pesukim each).

11)

(a)

1. Rav objects to Shmuel's ruling (of Posek) - because he holds that any Pasuk which Moshe did not divide, we are not permitted to divide either.

2. Shmuel objects to Rav's ruling (of Doleg) - because of people who come late to Shul (and when they hear the Levi begin two Pesukim from the beginning, they will think that the Kohen Leined only two Pesukim; or because of those who leave early (and when they hear the Kohen stopping two Pesukim from the end, they will think that the Levi is about to Lein only two Pesukim).

(b)Rebbi Chanina ha'Gadol reluctantly permitted Rebbi Chanina, the children's Rebbe, to stop in the middle of the Pasuk when teaching his pupils (but not otherwise). Nevertheless, Shmuel rules 'Posek' - because in his opinion, that is no less an emergency than learning with children.

(c)According to the 'Yesh Omrim' in the Beraisa, if the Ba'al Koreh (mistakenly) Leined three out of five Pesukim in a Parashah and stopped (two short of the end), the next Oleh must conclude the Parashah and Lein at least three Pesukim into the next Parashah. We do not say 'Doleg' there (according to Rav) or 'Posek' (according to Shmuel) - because we have the option of going into the next Parashah, whereas in our case, there is only the one Parashah for two Aliyos, and Rav and Shmuel are forced to rule 'Doleg' or Posek' respectively.