1)

(a)Our Mishnah now discusses the second Payas, for which the Memuneh gathered the Kohanim as soon as they arrived in the Lishkas ha'Gazis. The Tana lists five Payasos (before he begins discussing carrying the limbs on to the Mizbe'ach). He lists who will perform the Shechitah (see Tiferes Yisrael), the Zerikah and the Dishun Mizbe'ach ha'Penimi - the Dishun Menorah and who will carry the Evarim to the ramp.

(b)Our Mishnah does not list the Kabalas ha'Dam - because it goes automatically to the Kohen who will sprinkle it.

(c)Carrying the limbs to the ramp incorporates - six Payasos.

(d)The three additional Payasos included in the second Payas are - carrying the flour, the Chavitin and the wine to the ramp.

2)

(a)The Kohanim who followed the Shochet were chosen - by virtue of the fact that they were sitting next to the Shochet (beginning from his right), in which case the first Kohen to his right sprinkled the blood, the second, cleared the ashes from the Mizbe'ach ha'Penimi ... .

(b)Even though the Dishun Mizbe'ach ha'Penimi preceded the Z'rikas ha'Dam, they reversed the order with regard to the Payas - in order to continue with the Avodas ha'Tamid which came first with the choosing of the Shochet.

(c)The Tana did not include which Kohen will bring the Ketores in the current Payas - because it differed from it in that only Kohanim who had never performed the Avodas ha'Ketores before were permitted to participate in it (as we shall see later).

(d)Even though only Avodos that completed a facet of the Avodah are subject to Payas, the Tana nevertheless includes the Shechitah, the Dishun Mizbe'ach ha'Penimi and the Menorah, as well as carrying the limbs to the ramp in the Payasos - because they all begin a phase of the Avodah (the Avodas ha'Tamid, ha'Ketores, Hadlakas ha'Ner and Haktaras Evarim respectively), and this renders them sufficiently important to warrant a Payas.

3)

(a)The first of the six Kohanim (who carried the limbs to the ramp) carried - the head (of the lamb) and the right hind-leg.

(b)The second Kohen carried the two forelegs, and the third, the Ukatz - (i.e. the tail [see Tosfos Yom-Tov])and the left hind-leg.

(c)The fifth Kohen carried the chest and the neck - (incorporating the windpipe, the liver and the heart), and the sixth, the innards.

(d)We have already discussed the last three Avodos determined by the Payas. The Chavitin are called by that name - because they are prepared on a Machavas (a flat pan).

4)

(a)Before they could even begin with the Avodas ha'Tamid, the Memuneh announced - that they should go out and see whether dawn has broken.

(b)If it had, whoever saw it would declare 'Barka'i' - which means that it is light (from the word 'Barak' [lightning]).

(c)He made his declaration standing on the roof.

(d)According to Masya ben Shmuel, the Memuneh would then ask him whether the entire east had lit up as far as Chevron, and the Kohen would reply in the affirmative. Masya ben Shmuel was himself - a Memuneh in charge of the Payasos.

(e)The Kohen needed to mention Chevron - in order to evoke the Divine mercy at the mention of Z'chus Avos, who are buried in Chevron.

5)

(a)The Memuneh then instructed them to fetch a lamb - from the Lishkas ha'Tela'im ...

(b)... which was located - on the south-west corner of the Beis ha'Mokad.

(c)In spite of the fact that this took place before it was light, the Memuneh instructed them to fetch the lamb for the Tamid already then - because they needed time to prepare it for Shechitah and to examine it for defects.

6)

(a)The Lishkas ha'Tela'im, the Lishkas ha'Chosamos and the Lishkas Beis ha'Mokad were located in three of the corners of the Beis-ha'Mokad - the Lishkas Lechem ha'Panim (where they prepared the Loaves for the Shulchan) was located in the fourth corner.

(b)The Lishkas ...

1. ... ha'Chosmos contained discs for the Nesachim. Whoever wanted to obtain flour and oil for his Minchah would pay the Memuneh in charge of the discs there, and receive the disc marked according to how much he had paid (i.e. for a bull, a ram or a lamb).

2. ... Beis-ha'Mokad was used - for a Kohen Ba'al Keri to descend from there to the Beis ha'Tevilah, and then to dry himself and warm himself by the fire that burned there constantly (as we learned in the first Perek).

(c)In addition the Chashmona'im hid in the Lishkas ha'Chosmos - the stones of the Mizbe'ach that the Greeks defiled.

7)

(a)The Kohanim then fetched - the ninety-three Holy Vessels from the Lishkas ha'Keilim.

(b)These were all made of - silver and gold.

(c)Before Shechting the lamb that they picked for the Korban Tamid shel Shachar, they gave it to drink water in a gold cup (as we learned in the previous Perek).

(d)It appears strange to examine the lamb at this stage (by the light of torches) - since they had already examined it four days earlier (as the Halachah requires).

8)

(a)The Kohen who merited to Shecht the Tamid now led it to the Beis ha'Mitbachayim - which was on the north side of the Azarah.

(b)The Kohanim who followed him there were - those who had merited to carry the limbs to the ramp.

(c)The eight ...

1. ... short posts that stood in the Beis ha'Mitbachayim - were capped with thick blocks of wood, each of which contained hooks from which they would suspend the animals that required skinning.

2. ... marble tables (see Bartenura) that were placed between the pillars - were to prevent the animals from dragging on the floor, and to wash the innards (see Tosfos Yom-Tov).

(d)Three rows of hooks were attached to each beam of wood.

9)

(a)The Kohen who merited the Dishun Mizbe'ach ha'Penimi now made his way towards the Heichal - accompanied by the Kohen who merited the Dishun ha'Menorah (see Tiferes Yisrael).

(b)Besides a golden basket and a golden flask - they were holding two keys.

(c)The basket held a Tarkav - which is equivalent to three Kabin.

(d)Tarkav is therefore the acronym of 'Trei u'Kav' [i.e. two plus a Kav]).

(e)The two keys were used - to open one of the two Pishp'shim (small openings flanking the main gate leading to the Heichal) that lead from the Ulam to a Ta (a little room), and from there into the Heichal).

10)

(a)When we say that one of the keys went right up to the armpit and the other one, fitted easily - we mean that to open the Pishpesh, the Kohen had to stretch his arm right up to his armpit, in order to reach the lock, but to open the door from the Ta into the Heichal, the key fitted easily.

(b)They gained entry via the northern Pishpesh; the southern Pishpesh - was never opened, as Yechezkel ha'Navi taught us, adding that "Hash-m Elokei Yisrael enters through it".

(c)As soon as the Kohen arrived in the Heichal - he opened the main gate of the Heichal (leading from the Ulam).

(d)The moment - the Kohanim heard the main gate of the Heichal being opened, they Shechted the Korban Tamid.

11)

(a)They even heard the opening of the main gate of the Heichal from as far away as Yericho - which is ten Parsah (forty Mil) from Yerushalayim.

(b)The inhabitants of Yericho heard many things that happened in Yerushalayim, one of them being the sound of the Magripah (an instrument with ten holes and hundreds of sounds). They also heard - the clanging of ben Katin's wheel raising the Kiyor from the well early each morning (that we discussed there).

(c)Besides the sound of the flute and the cymbals, they also heard the cry of G'vini K'ruz - who would announce each morning (in a voice that could awaken the dead) 'Arise Kohanim to perform your service'!

12)

(a)Each day, besides the Levi'im singing Shiros ve'Sishbachos - they also heard the sound of the Shofar being blown (at least twenty-one blasts).

(b)Yesh Omrim adds to the list - the sound of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kipur, when he mentioned the full Name of Hash-m.

(c)According to Rebbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov, they were also able to smell the Ketores in Yericho. Rebbi Eliezer ben Rigla'i adds that the smell of the Ketores caused the goats that his father owned on Har Mechavar (which was far from Yerushalayim) - to sneeze.

13)

(a)The Kohen who merited to Shecht the Tamid now took it to the Beis ha'Mitbachayim - (which was located - north of the Mizbe'ach), accompanied by the Kohanim who had merited carrying the limbs to the ramp.

(b)The eight short posts that were standing there were capped - with thick blocks of wood.

(c)The three rows of hooks that were affixed to the blocks of wood - were used to suspend the animals whilst they were being skinned.

(d)The Kohen who merited the Dishun Mizbe'ach ha'Penimi then ...

1. ... proceeded to clear the ashes with his hands, from the Mizbe'ach - into the golden basket.

2. ... concluded the process (once the remaining ashes became too fine to take with his hands) - with a shovel.

(e)Following that, he placed the basket beside the Mizbe'ach. He did not take it straight to its destination (i.e. the place beside the ramp where the Terumas ha'Deshen was placed) - because it made more sense to wait for the conclusion of the Dishun ha'Menorah, and to place both lots of ashes next to the ramp together.

14)

(a)The Kohen who merited the Dishun ha'Menorah then made his way to the Menorah. If he found ...

1. ... all the lamps still alight - he would extinguish them all except for the first two lamps that he encountered, clear out the oil and the wicks and replace them.

2. ... the two eastern lamps still alight - he would clear out all the other lamps, leaving these two for later.

3. ... the two eastern lamps extinguished - he would rekindle them from the other lamps (assuming that they were still burning), before proceeding to clear out the other lamps and replace the oil and the wicks.

(b)According to this Tana (who refers to 'the eastern lamps'), the Menorah was facing - from east to west.

(c)The second lamp is called the Ner Ma'aravi (which one must leave burning until last and kindle first) - because it is the first lamp that is not the eastern one (and the reason that it is chosen, rather than the extreme western one, is because of the principle 'Ein Ma'avirin al ha'Mitzvos).

(d)The significance of the 'two eastern lamps' that the Kohen leaves burning is - the fact that the Pasuk writes "be'Heitivo es ha'Neiros (in the plural) ... ", implying that Hatavas ha'Neiros is never performed on less than two lamps.

(e)In spite of the Pasuk however, in the time of Shimon ha'Tzadik, when the Ner ha'Ma'aravi miraculously burned all day - they would only extinguish the extreme eastern lamp, and prepare it on its own, allowing the Ner Ma'aravi to continue burning until nightfall.

15)

(a)The Kohen performed the Hatavas ...

1. ... Chameish Neiros - after the Dishun Mizbe'ach ha'Penimi.

2. ... Sh'tei Neiros - after the Z'rikas ha'Dam.

(b)He did not rather prepare all seven lamps simultaneously - because the Torah writes in Ki Sisa (in connection with the Ketores) "ba'Boker ba'Boker be'Heitivo es ha'Neiros ... ", from which the Chachamim learn to divide the Hatavah into two ('Chaleik ha'Hatavah li'Shenei Bekarim').

(c)The Kohen placed the old oil and wicks - in the flask which he had brought with him from the Azarah.

16)

(a)Even though the Menorah was eighteen Tefachim (three Amos) tall (the height of an average person up to his head), the Kohen managed to clear out the lamps comfortably - by ascending three steps that led up to the Menorah ...

(b)... which we learn from the Pasuk in Beha'aloscha - which mentions three Ha'ala'os ("be'Ha'aloscha es ha'Neiros", "ve'He'elah es Neirosehah" and "Leha'alos Ner Tamid").

(c)The Kohen then placed the flask on the second step - until after the Hatavas Sh'tei Neiros (when he would complete the Avodah, and then take all the ashes to the Beis ha'Deshen ...

(d)... following which he left the Azarah.

17)

(a)When the Tana says ...

1. ... 'Lo Hayu Kofsin es ha'T'leh', he means - that they did not tie all four legs together.

2. ... 'Ela Ma'akidin oso', he means - that they tied each fore-leg with the equivalent hind-leg.

(b)Whilst it was being Shechted - it was the Kohanim who had been chosen to carry the limbs on to the ramp who held the lamb still.

18)

(a)The Tamid was Shechted - on the north side of the Mizbe'ach, as close to the Mizbe'ach as possible.

(b)During the Shechitah, the ...

1. ... body of the lamb faced - towards the south ...

2. ... and the head - towards the west.

(c)Even though it was supposed to face the west (because the Torah writes in Tzav "Lifnei Hash-m"), they did not stand the body too, facing east to west - so that, should it let droppings, it would be as far away from the Mizbe'ach as possible.

(d)The ...

1. ... Shochet - performed theShechitah facing east to west, whereas ...

2. ... Kohen who performed the Kabalas ha'Dam stood diagonally opposite him half facing him and half inclined towards the south ...

(e)... so that he faced the Mizbe'ach whilst receiving the blood).

19)

(a)The Tamid shel Shachar was Shechted standing on the north-west of the Mizbe'ach, by the second ring (towards the north), and the Tamid shel Bein ha'Arbayim - by the equivalent ring on the north-east ...

(b)... opposite the sun, because the Torah writes in Tzav "Shenayim la'Yom". Consequently, the lamb is Shechted in a location that is as far away as possible from the eastern wall of the Azarah in the morning, and from the western wall in the afternoon, so as not to get caught in the shadow of either of them.

(c)There were four rows each comprising six rings (from north to south) all in all (twenty-four rings ...

(d)... corresponding to the twenty-four Mishmaros).

(e)Given that the Shechitah had to be performed in line with the Mizbe'ach, the Shechitah was performed specifically by the second ring and not the first (both in the morning and in the afternoon) - in order to avoid being caught in the shadow of the Mizbe'ach, which was ten Amos tall, and only eight Amos distant from the first rings.

20)

(a)The second Kohen then sprinkled the blood - on the north-east and the south-western corners.

(b)He bypassed the south-eastern corner - because it did not have a Y'sod (and the blood of the Tamid had to be sprinkled on a part of Mizbe'ach which had a Y'sod).

(c)The leftover blood - he poured on to the southern Y'sod.