Tamid 1:1-2
משנה תמיד א:א-ב
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Tamid | Chapter: 1
📖 Mishna
Mishna 1:1
משנה א:א
Hebrew:
בִּשְׁלשָׁה מְקוֹמוֹת הַכֹּהֲנִים שׁוֹמְרִים בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ. בְּבֵית אַבְטִינָס, בְּבֵית הַנִּיצוֹץ וּבְבֵית הַמּוֹקֵד. בֵּית אַבְטִינָס וּבֵית הַנִּיצוֹץ הָיוּ עֲלִיּוֹת, וְהָרוֹבִים שׁוֹמְרִים שָׁם. בֵּית הַמּוֹקֵד, כִּפָּה, וּבַיִת גָּדוֹל הָיָה, מֻקָּף רוֹבָדִים שֶׁל אֶבֶן, וְזִקְנֵי בֵית אָב יְשֵׁנִים שָׁם, וּמַפְתְּחוֹת הָעֲזָרָה בְּיָדָם. וּפִרְחֵי כְהֻנָּה אִישׁ כִּסְתּוֹ בָאָרֶץ. לֹא הָיוּ יְשֵׁנִים בְּבִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ, אֶלָּא פוֹשְׁטִין וּמְקַפְּלִין וּמַנִּיחִים אוֹתָן תַּחַת רָאשֵׁיהֶן, וּמִתְכַּסִּין בִּכְסוּת עַצְמָן. אֵרַע קֶרִי לְאַחַד מֵהֶן, יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ בַּמְּסִבָּה הַהוֹלֶכֶת תַּחַת הַבִּירָה, וְהַנֵּרוֹת דּוֹלְקִין מִכָּאן וּמִכָּאן, עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְבֵית הַטְּבִילָה. וּמְדוּרָה הָיְתָה שָׁם, וּבֵית כִּסֵּא שֶׁל כָּבוֹד. וְזֶה הָיָה כְבוֹדוֹ, מְצָאוֹ נָעוּל, יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁיֶּשׁ שָׁם אָדָם. פָּתוּחַ, יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אָדָם. יָרַד וְטָבַל, עָלָה וְנִסְתַּפֵּג וְנִתְחַמֵּם כְּנֶגֶד הַמְּדוּרָה. בָּא וְיָשַׁב לוֹ אֵצֶל אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים עַד שֶׁהַשְּׁעָרִים נִפְתָּחִים, יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ:
English:
The priests would keep watch in three places in the Temple courtyard, in honor of the Temple, like guards in royal courtyards: In the Chamber of Avtinas, which is the Chamber where the incense was prepared, and on the two sides of the northern section of the courtyard: In the Chamber of the Spark, where there was a small, perpetual fire, from which the fire of the altar would be lit if it went out; and in the Chamber of the Hearth, where there was also a fire, by which the priests would warm themselves when it was cold. In the Chamber of Avtinas and in the Chamber of the Spark there were upper stories, and the young priests, who were not yet eligible to serve in the Temple, would keep watch there. In the Chamber of the Hearth, there was no upper story, as its ceiling was round like a cupola. And it was a large hall, surrounded by rows of stone that protruded from the walls and that served as benches. The elders of the patrilineal priestly family that would serve in the Temple the following day would sleep there, and the keys to the Temple courtyard were in their possession. The young men of the priesthood, who were old enough to serve in the Temple, would also sleep in the Chamber of the Hearth. They would not sleep on benches, but instead each of the priests would sleep with his garment on the ground. Furthermore, they would not sleep dressed in the sacred vestments; rather, they would remove them and fold them up. And then they would place their vestments on the floor beneath their heads, and cover themselves with their own non-sacred garments. If a seminal emission befell one of the priests, rendering him ritually impure and unfit for service, he would leave the Chamber of the Hearth, and he would walk through the circuitous passage that extended beneath the Temple, as he could not pass through the Temple courtyard, due to his impurity. And there were lamps burning on this side and on that side of the passage. He would walk through the passage until he reached the Chamber of Immersion. And there was a fire burning there to warm the priests after they had immersed, and also a bathroom of honor, so that the priests could urinate before immersion. This was the manifestation of its honor: If one found the door closed, he would know that there was a person there, and he would wait for him to exit before entering. If one found the door open, it was known that there was no person there, and he could enter. In this manner, the one using it was afforded privacy. After the priest descended and immersed in the ritual bath, he ascended and dried himself with a towel, and warmed himself opposite the fire. He then came back to the Chamber of the Hearth and sat with his brethren the priests until dawn, when the gates of the Temple courtyard would be opened. He would then leave the Temple and go on his way. Since the purification process of one who immerses is not complete until sunset, by rabbinic law he could not remain in the Temple during the daytime.
קלאוד על המשנה:
The Mishna opens Masechet Tamid by establishing that the Temple was never left unguarded. The priestly watch system reflects the principle that the Temple is treated like a royal palace — just as a king’s court has guards stationed around the clock, so too the House of God requires a constant priestly presence. The three guard locations — the Chamber of Avtinas (where incense was prepared), the Chamber of the Spark, and the Chamber of the Hearth — correspond to key areas surrounding the Temple courtyard.
The description of sleeping arrangements reveals a careful balance between readiness and reverence. The priests slept in their own garments, not in sacred vestments, to avoid degrading the holy clothing. Yet they kept the keys to the courtyard close at hand, symbolizing their constant responsibility. The younger priests slept on the floor rather than on the stone benches reserved for the elders, reflecting the hierarchical structure of Temple service.
The passage about ritual impurity is remarkable for its sensitivity. A priest who experienced a seminal emission had to leave through a hidden underground passageway — he could not walk through the courtyard in his impure state. The “bathroom of honor” with its locked-door privacy system shows that even in a sacred space, human dignity was carefully preserved. After immersing, the priest would warm himself by the fire and rejoin his brethren, waiting for dawn to depart.
Key Terms:
- בֵּית הַמּוֹקֵד (Beit HaMoked) = The Chamber of the Hearth, a large domed hall where priests slept and warmed themselves
- פִרְחֵי כְהֻנָּה (Pirchei Kehuna) = Young priests, literally “blossoms of the priesthood,” junior members of the priestly families
- מְסִבָּה (Mesiba) = The winding underground passageway beneath the Temple complex
- בֵּית הַטְּבִילָה (Beit HaTevila) = The immersion chamber, a mikveh located at the end of the underground passage
Mishna 1:2
משנה א:ב
Hebrew:
מִי שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לִתְרֹם אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, מַשְׁכִּים וְטוֹבֵל עַד שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא הַמְמֻנֶּה. וְכִי בְאֵיזוֹ שָׁעָה הַמְמֻנֶּה בָא. לֹא כָל הָעִתִּים שָׁווֹת, פְּעָמִים שֶׁהוּא בָא מִקְרִיאַת הַגֶּבֶר, אוֹ סָמוּךְ לוֹ מִלְּפָנָיו אוֹ מִלְּאַחֲרָיו. הַמְמֻנֶּה בָא וְדוֹפֵק עֲלֵיהֶם, וְהֵם פָּתְחוּ לוֹ. אָמַר לָהֶן, מִי שֶׁטָּבַל יָבֹא וְיָפִיס. הֵפִיסוּ, זָכָה מִי שֶׁזָּכָה:
English:
The mishna describes the commencement of the daily service in the Temple: Among the members of the priestly family who are to serve in the Temple that day, whoever wants to remove the ashes from the altar rises early and immerses himself in a ritual bath, as required of anyone who enters the Temple courtyard. He must immerse before the appointed priest arrives, as the appointed priest oversees the lottery that determines which priests perform the various rites of the Temple service, and the first of those lotteries determines who will be charged with the removal of the ashes. And at what time does the appointed priest arrive? The times of his arrival are not all the same. There are times that he comes at the call of the rooster [hagever], or he might come at an adjacent time, either before the call of the rooster or after it. The appointed priest arrived at the Chamber of the Hearth, where the priests of the patrilineal family were assembled, and he knocked on the gate to alert them to open the gate for him. And when they opened the gate for him, he said to them: Whoever immersed in the ritual bath may come and participate in the lottery. They then conducted the lottery, and whoever won that lottery won the privilege to perform the rite of the removal of the ashes.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna describes how the daily service began each morning. The first task of the day — removing ashes from the altar — required a lottery to determine which priest would perform it. This seemingly humble task of clearing yesterday’s ashes was considered a genuine privilege, worthy of a formal selection process. The requirement to immerse before participating underscores that even preparatory tasks demanded full ritual purity.
The timing of the appointed priest’s arrival is described with deliberate imprecision: sometimes at the rooster’s call, sometimes before or after. This reflects the reality that dawn varies with the seasons, and the Temple service had to adapt accordingly. The appointed priest (memuneh) served as the operational director of the daily service, ensuring that everything proceeded in proper order. His knock on the gate of the Chamber of the Hearth was the signal that launched the entire morning routine.
The lottery itself was a democratic mechanism within the priesthood. Rather than assigning tasks based on seniority or favoritism, the system ensured fairness. The phrase “whoever won, won” (zakha mi shezakha) conveys both the randomness and the acceptance of the outcome — every priest had an equal chance at this sacred duty.
Key Terms:
- תְּרוּמַת הַדֶּשֶׁן (Terumat HaDeshen) = The removal of ashes from the altar, the first service performed each morning
- הַמְמֻנֶּה (HaMemuneh) = The appointed priest who oversaw the Temple lotteries and daily procedures
- קְרִיאַת הַגֶּבֶר (Keriat HaGever) = The call of the rooster (or the crier), used as a time marker for dawn
- הֵפִיסוּ (Hefisu) = They cast lots; the lottery system used to assign priestly duties fairly