Tamid 3:6-7
משנה תמיד ג:ו-ז
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Tamid | Chapter: 3
📖 Mishna
Mishna 3:6
משנה ג:ו
Hebrew:
מִי שֶׁזָּכָה בְדִשּׁוּן מִזְבֵּחַ הַפְּנִימִי וְהַמְּנוֹרָה הָיוּ מַקְדִּימִין, וְאַרְבָּעָה כֵלִים בְּיָדָם, הַטֶּנִי וְהַכּוּז וּשְׁנֵי מַפְתְּחוֹת. הַטֶּנִי דוֹמֶה לְתַרְקָב גָּדוֹל שֶׁל זָהָב, מַחֲזִיק קַבַּיִן וָחֵצִי. וְהַכּו��ז דּוֹמֶה לְקִיתוֹן גָּדוֹל שֶׁל זָהָב. וּשְׁנֵי מַפְתְּחוֹת, אֶחָד יוֹרֵד לְאַמַּת הַשֶּׁחִי וְאֶחָד פּוֹתֵחַ כֵּיוָן:
English:
The priests who won the privilege of the removal of ash from the inner altar and of the removal of ash from the Candelabrum would precede the other priests and would hold four vessels in their hands: The basket, and the jug, and the two keys. The basket is similar to a large gold vessel with a capacity of three kav [letarkav], but it holds only two and a half kav. And the jug is similar to a large flask [lekitton] of gold. And as for the two keys, with one of them the priest would lower his arm to his armpit through a small opening in the door and open the lock that was at the bottom of the door on the inside, and he would pass through that door into a compartment. And the other one is the key with which the priest opened the lock on the inner door of the compartment, through which he entered the Sanctuary, and that lock he opened directly.
קלאוד על המשנה:
While the lamb was being prepared for slaughter in the courtyard, two priests with special duties — cleaning the inner altar and the Candelabrum — moved ahead toward the Sanctuary. They carried four items: a basket (teni) for the inner altar ashes, a jug (kuz) for the Candelabrum ashes, and two keys for the Sanctuary doors. The Mishna provides detailed descriptions of these vessels, comparing them to familiar objects (a large gold measure, a large gold flask) to help the reader visualize their size and shape.
The two-key entry system for the Sanctuary is particularly fascinating. The outer door had a lock that could only be reached by inserting one’s arm through a small opening up to the armpit — a security measure that prevented unauthorized entry. Only after passing through this outer door into a compartment could the priest use the second key to open the inner door directly. This double-lock system protected the most sacred interior space of the Temple, ensuring that access was controlled and deliberate.
Key Terms:
- טֶּנִי (Teni) = A basket-like gold vessel used to collect ashes from the inner (incense) altar, holding about 2.5 kav
- כּוּז (Kuz) = A jug-like gold vessel used to collect ashes and wicks from the Candelabrum
- אַמַּת הַשֶּׁחִי (Amat HaShechi) = Literally “the cubit of the armpit,” referring to reaching through a small opening up to the armpit to access the inner lock
- תָּא (Ta) = The compartment between the outer wicket and the inner door of the Sanctuary
Mishna 3:7
משנה ג:ז
Hebrew:
בָּא לוֹ לַפִּשְׁפָּשׁ הַצְּפוֹנִי. וּשְׁנֵי פִשְׁפָּשִׁין הָיוּ לוֹ לַשַּׁעַר הַגָּדוֹל, אֶחָד בַּצָּפוֹן וְאֶחָד בַּדָּרוֹם. שֶׁבַּדָּרוֹם לֹא נִכְנַס בּוֹ אָדָם מֵעוֹלָם, וְעָלָיו הוּא מְפֹרָשׁ עַל יְדֵי יְחֶזְקֵאל (יחזקאל מד), וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי ה’, הַשַּׁעַר הַזֶּה סָגוּר יִהְיֶה לֹא יִפָּתֵחַ וְאִישׁ לֹא יָבֹא בוֹ כִּי ה’ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא בוֹ וְהָיָה סָגוּר. נָטַל אֶת הַמַּפְתֵּחַ וּפָתַח אֶת הַפִּשְׁפָּשׁ, נִכְנַס לַתָּא, וּמִן הַתָּא אֶל הַהֵיכָל, עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לַשַּׁעַר הַגָּדוֹל. הִגִּיעַ לַשַּׁעַר הַגָּדוֹל, הֶעֱבִיר אֶת הַנֶּגֶר וְאֶת הַפּוֹתְחוֹת וּפְתָחוֹ. לֹא הָיָה שׁוֹחֵט הַשּׁוֹחֵט, עַד שֶׁשּׁוֹמֵעַ קוֹל שַׁעַר הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁנִּפְתָּח:
English:
The priest came to the northern wicket. There were two wickets for the large gate, one in the northern part of the gate and one in the southern part. Through the wicket that was in the southern part, no person entered. In its regard, the wicket’s status is clarified by the prophet Ezekiel, as it is stated: “Then he brought me back the way of the outer gate of the Sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut. And the Lord said unto me: This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; and it shall be shut” (Ezekiel 44:1–2). The priest took the key, opened the wicket north of the gate, and entered the compartment. He went from the compartment to the Sanctuary and continued until he would reach the large gate. Once he reached the large gate, which was locked from the inside, he moved the bolt and the locks fixing the bolt in place and opened the gate. The priest who slaughters the daily offering would not slaughter the animal until he would hear that the large gate had been opened.
קלאוד על המשנה:
The entry into the Sanctuary was through the northern wicket of the great gate. The southern wicket was permanently sealed, in fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy that “this gate shall be shut… for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it.” This is a rare instance where a prophetic text directly shaped the physical architecture and daily practice of the Temple. The sealed gate served as a constant, visible reminder of God’s presence.
The sequence of opening the Sanctuary is carefully choreographed: the priest entered through the northern wicket, passed through the compartment, walked through the Sanctuary to reach the great gate, removed the bolt and locks from inside, and opened it wide. The sound of the great gate opening served as a signal to the priest waiting to slaughter the daily offering — he would not slaughter until he heard this sound. This interconnection of tasks through auditory signals is one of the most characteristic features of the Tamid service: each step triggered the next, creating a chain of coordinated actions that linked the Sanctuary to the courtyard.
Key Terms:
- פִּשְׁפָּשׁ הַצְּפוֹנִי (Pishpash HaTzfoni) = The northern wicket, the small door through which the priest entered the Sanctuary
- שַׁעַר הַגָּדוֹל (Sha’ar HaGadol) = The great gate of the Sanctuary, whose opening signaled the start of slaughter
- נֶגֶר (Neger) = The bolt securing the great gate from the inside
- פּוֹתְחוֹת (Potchot) = The locks or clasps that held the bolt in place