Tamid 5:2-3
משנה תמיד ה:ב-ג
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Tamid | Chapter: 5
📖 Mishna
Mishna 5:2
משנה ה:ב
Hebrew:
אָמַר לָהֶם, חֲדָשִׁים לַקְּטֹרֶת בֹּאוּ וְהָפִיסוּ. הֵפִיסוּ, זָכָה מִי שֶׁזָּכָה. חֲדָשִׁים עִם יְשָׁנִים בֹּאוּ וְהָפִיסוּ, מִי מַעֲלֶה אֵבָרִים מִן הַכֶּבֶשׁ לַמִּזְבֵּחַ. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, הַמַּעֲלֶה אֵבָרִים לַכֶּבֶשׁ הוּא מַעֲלֶה אוֹתָן עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ:
English:
The appointed priest said to them: Let only those priests who are new to burning the incense come and participate in the lottery for the incense. Whoever won that lottery won the privilege to burn the incense. The appointed priest said to them: Those new priests, i.e., those who had never performed the service, together with those old priests, i.e., those who had already performed it, may come and participate in the lottery to determine who takes the limbs from the bottom half of the ramp, where they had been placed earlier, up to the altar. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: The priest who takes the limbs up to the ramp is the one who takes them up from the ramp and places them upon the altar.
קלאוד על המשנה:
The incense lottery was unique among the Temple lotteries in one crucial respect: only priests who had never burned incense before were eligible to participate. The Talmud explains that burning incense was believed to bring wealth, and the Sages wanted to ensure that this privilege was distributed as widely as possible, rather than being monopolized by a few priests. This rule meant that in a well-attended priestly watch, a priest might only burn incense once in his entire lifetime — making it one of the most coveted and rare honors in the Temple service.
The fourth lottery, for carrying the limbs from the ramp to the altar, was open to both “new” and “old” priests (those who had and had not previously performed this task). Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov’s dissenting view — that the same priests who carried the limbs up to the ramp should also carry them onto the altar — reflects a preference for continuity: the priest who began the task should complete it. The accepted view, however, held that a separate lottery allowed more priests to participate, distributing the honor more broadly.
Key Terms:
- קְטֹרֶת (Ketoret) = The incense, a mixture of eleven spices burned on the golden altar inside the Sanctuary
- חֲדָשִׁים (Chadashim) = “New ones” — priests who had never previously won the incense lottery
- יְשָׁנִים (Yeshanim) = “Old ones” — priests who had previously performed a particular service
- פַּיִס (Payis) = A lottery, the method by which priestly duties were assigned
Mishna 5:3
משנה ה:ג
Hebrew:
מְסָרוּם לַחַזָּנִים, הָיוּ מַפְשִׁיטִין אוֹתָם אֶת בִּגְדֵיהֶם, וְלֹא הָיוּ מַנִּיחִין עֲלֵיהֶם אֶלָּא מִכְנָסַיִם בִּלְבָד. וְחַלּוֹנוֹת הָיוּ שָׁם, וְכָתוּב עֲלֵיהֶם תַּשְׁמִישֵׁי הַכֵּלִים:
English:
The priests who did not win a lottery were still dressed in the priestly vestments that they were required to don when entering the lottery, so that if they won they would be prepared for immediate service. The appointed priest handed over these priests to the care of the attendants [laḥazanim]. The attendants would undress these priests and remove their garments, and they would leave only their trousers on them. After the priests donned their non-sacred garments, they would remove the priestly trousers and don their non-sacred trousers. And there were four storage compartments there in the Temple for the storage of priestly vestments for each priestly watch, and on each of them was written the use of the garment stored there: Trousers, tunic, belt, and mitre.
קלאוד על המשנה:
After the lotteries, the priests who did not win any service role needed to change out of their priestly vestments. The Temple attendants (chazanim) helped them undress, leaving only their trousers on until they could change into their personal clothing. The storage compartments for priestly garments were labeled with the name of each garment type, ensuring an orderly system for the large number of vestments used by the rotating priestly watches.
This brief mishna offers a glimpse into the logistical reality of Temple service. Hundreds of priests might be present for the morning lotteries, but only a fraction would win actual service roles. The rest needed to be efficiently processed — divested of their sacred garments and returned to their regular status. The care taken with the vestments (folded, stored in labeled compartments) reflects the sanctity of the garments themselves: even when not being worn for active service, they were treated with respect and maintained in proper order.
Key Terms:
- חַזָּנִים (Chazanim) = Temple attendants who assisted with dressing and undressing the priests
- מִכְנָסַיִם (Mikhnasayim) = Priestly trousers, the last garment removed and first put on, for the sake of modesty
- בִּגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ (Bigdei Kodesh) = Sacred priestly vestments, which could only be worn during Temple service
- מִשְׁמָר (Mishmar) = The priestly watch; each watch had its own designated storage area for vestments