1)

(a)Alexander Mokdon asked the elders of the south ten questions.

(b)When he asked them which was further apart, heaven and earth or east and west, they replied - east and west, seeing that whereas it is possible to look at the sun in both the east and the west, it is not possible to do so when the sun is in the middle of the sky. And if the distance between earth and east or west, is further than from the earth to the sun, how much more so from east to west.

(c)The Chachamim maintain that the two are equal - based on the Pasuk in Tehilim "ki'Gevohah Shamayim al ha'Aretz ... ki'Rechok Mizrach mi'Ma'arav". And had one of them been closer than the other, then the Pasuk ought to have omitted it.

(d)And they counter the elders' of the South's proof - by pointing out that whereas one sees the sun in the sky without anything to obstruct one's view (or to deflect one's vision), there is half a world-full of landscape between oneself and the sun at either extremity, which deflect one's view (thereby weakening the power of the sun [even assuming that it is closer]).

2)

(a)And when he asked them which was created first ...

1. ... heaven or earth, the elders replied - by quoting the opening Pasuk of the Torah "Bereishis Bara Elokim es ha'Shamayim ve'es ha'Aretz".

2. ... light or darkness - they replied that this question could not be answered.

(b)They did not quote the Pasuk in Bereishis, which first mentions darkness, before continuing "And Hash-m said 'Let there be light ... ' " (which would have been the correct answer) - in order to discourage any further questions concerning the creation ...

(c)... because they were afraid that he would go on to ask them - what exists above and below the earth, and what existed before the creation and what will be after the world is destroyed (see also the Rosh).

(d)They not withhold the answer to the previous question for this reason - because they initially believed that his opening question concerning the creation was no more than a chance one, and it was only when he posed a second question on the same subject that they realized that he may continue to ask on the same topic.

3)

(a)When Alexander asked the elders , for the definition of ...

1. ... a wise man, they answered - 'One who foresees the outcome of his actions.

2. ... a strong man - ... one who overcomes his Yeitzer ha'Ra.

3. ... a rich man - ... one who is content with whatever Hash-m grants him.

(b)When they replied to the question what a person should do ...

1. ... to live, that he should kill himself, they meant - that he should humble himself (kill his ego [see also Rosh]), because people tend to take to a humble person.

2. ... to die, that he should let himself live - that he should become conceited since that is what earns a person an Ayin ha'Ra).

(c)And to the question what a person should do to become popular, they replied - that they should hate rulership and authority (i.e. keep away from the ruling power [to avoid people becoming jealous]) see also Rosh.

(d)Alexander Mokdon claimed that his advice in this matter was superior to theirs (since he was after all, a mighty king). For a person to gain popularity, maintained - he needed to love the king and the ruling power, and to be good to others (to speak on their behalf to the king or to the rulers).

4)

(a)And when he asked them ...

1. ... whether it is preferable to live on dry land or on the sea - they cited the former, based on the fact that sailors feel constantly insecure until they return to terra firma

2. ... which of them was the cleverest - they replied that they were all equal, seeing as they all answered his questions as on man.

(b)Having concluded his ten questions, he asked them why they did not submit themselves to his authority and religion - since he and his followers were in the majority and had jurisdiction over them.

(c)They replied ...

1. ... to this question - by referring to the Satan, who conquers people and makes them do his bidding (which doesn't make him right).

2. ... when he suggested that he would have no problem in obtaining the consent of other kings in the region to kill them - that sure nothing could prevent him from physically doing just that, only he had, at the outset, given them his word that no harm would befall them on account of this dispute, and it was not befitting for a king to break his word.

(d)The reason that he wanted to do that was - because they had insulted him by comparing him to the Satan.

5)

(a)Before taking leave of them, Alexander Mokdon - dressed them in (royal) purple robes and placed a golden chain around their necks.

(b)When he told them ...

1. ... that he was about to embark for Africa, they told him - that this was impossible due to the dark mountains (that saw no light by night or by night) that one had to pass.

2. ... that he was determined to go, and that this was why he was asking them for a solution to the problem - they advised him to obtain large Egyptian donkeys (which were able to travel in the dark) and to take with him balls of string, one end of which he would tie as he entered the area of the dark mountains, and which he would then unravel as he walked, enabling him to return (by following the string back the way he had come).

6)

(a)When he reached Africa, the first town he arrived at was inhabited entirely by women. They ...

1. ... said to him (when he threatened to attack them) - that were he to defeat them, people would say that he had killed a town of women, whereas if they defeated him, they would say that he was defeated by women (no glory, either way).

2. ... served him (when he sat down to him) - golden food on golden tables.

3. ... replied (when he asked them whether they always ate golden food) - that he surely was not short of food in his own country (so it wasn't food that he had come for), but gold, so that was what they were offering him.

(b)When he left the city, he wrote on the gates - that he had been a fool until he arrived in Africa, where he had learned wisdom from women.

7)

(a)Alexander Mokdon realized that the spring by which he sat down to eat and drink flowed from Gan Eden - because when he washed the salted fish that he had brought with him, it adopted a wonderful aroma.

(b)Some say he merely washed his face with the water. Others say - that he followed the spring to its source (i.e. to the Gate of Gan Eden).

(c)When he demanded that they open the gates for him - he was quoted the the Pasuk in Tehilim "Zeh ha'Sha'ar la'Hashem, Tzadikim Yavo'u Vo" (a category to which he did not belong).

8)

(a)Alexander requested a memento from Gan Eden - on the grounds that he was a king and a man of high esteem.

(b)So they gave him - a human head.

(c)What was strange about the head was the fact - that its weight exceeded that of all his silver and gold.

(d)The Rabbanan ...

1. ... attributed this strange phenomenon to the fact that the head contained a human eye - which always wants more than what its owner possesses (see also Rosh).

2. ... proved that they were right - by instructing him to place dust on the eye, and he would see for himself that it would weigh no more than one would expect it to (see also Rosh).

(e)The Pasuk in Mishlei states that - Gehinom, destruction and the human eye are never satisfied.

9)

(a)According to Tana de'Bei Eliyahu, Gehinom is above Raki'a (the second Heaven). 'Yesh Omrim' maintain - that it is behind the Harei Choshesh (see Rosh).

(b)A Beraisa cited by Rebbi Chiya learns from the Pasuk "Kumi Roni ba'Laylah ... Nochach P'nei Hash-m" - that anyone who studies Torah at night-time will merit to have the Shechinah with him.

10)

(a)Rebbi Elazar Amar Rebbi Chanina learns from the Pasuk "ve'Chol Banayich Limudei Hash-m, ve'Rav Shalom Banayich" - that Talmidei-Chachamim increase peace in the world.

(b)He learns that the Pasuk is referring to Talmidei-Chachamim - by interpreting "Banayich" as 'Bonayich' (transforming 'your children' into 'your [spiritual] builders').

11)

(a)Our Mishnah cites the Memuneh, who would instruct the Kohanim (when they arrived in the Lishkas ha'Gazis) to recite one B'rachah - that of Ahavas Olam.

(b)They did not recite 'Yotzer Or' together with it - because the sun was not yet shining brightly in the sky. When it was, that was when they recited it.

(c)Before reciting the Sh'ma - they then said the Aseres ha'Dibros (which we do not say every day only because we are afraid that some people will think that this is the entire Torah).

(d)The three B'rachos that they recite after the Sh'ma were - 'Emes ve'Yatziv', Avodah ('Retzei') and 'Birchas Kohanim' (like we say it when there no Kohanim).

(e)On Shabbos, they would add - a special B'rachah for the outgoing group of Kohanim to recite in honor of the incoming group ('May the One who rests His Shechinah in this house place among you love, brotherhood, peace and friendship').

12)

(a)When the Memuneh invited the Kohanim to participate in the Payas for the Ketores - he would announce that only someone who had not performed the Mitzvah before was eligible to participate (because any Kohen who merited it would enjoy Hatzlachah in all his endeavors, and every Kohen was entitled to such an opportunity).

(b)The (final) Payas - was to determine who would bring the limbs from the Kevesh to the Makom ha'Ma'arachah.

(c)This time, to counter the previous announcement - the Memuneh would specifically announce that it was old hands as well as for first-timers.

(d)According to Rebbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov - the same Kohanim who carried the limbs on to the Kevesh carried them from there on to the Mizbe'ach (and no Payas was therefore necessary).

13)

(a)The Shamashim (who worked under 'Pinchas ha'Malbish') would then undress the Kohanim who had not merited in the Payas (and who would therefore have no more Avodah to perform that day), removing the hats, the belt and the shirt that they were wearing, leaving them wearing only the pants.

(b)Those Kohanim would then put on their own clothes, remove the pants and go home.

(c)Until the next morning's Avodah the Bigdei Kehunah were placed - in one of the four cubicles (in the Lishkas ha'Gazis [see Midos 1:4]) pertaining to each Mishmar.

(d)What was actually written on the cubicles which the Tana vaguely refers to as 'Tashmishei Keilim' was - 'Michnasayim', 'Kutones, 'Avnet' and 'Mitznefes' (which incidentally is the order that they put them on in the morning [see Rosh DH 'Mafshitin Osan']).