Tamid 7:3-4
משנה תמיד ז:ג-ד
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Tamid | Chapter: 7
📖 Mishna
Mishna 7:3
משנה ז:ג
Hebrew:
בִּזְמַן שֶׁכֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל רוֹצֶה לְהַקְטִיר, הָיָה עוֹלֶה בַכֶּבֶשׁ וְהַסְּגָן בִּימִינוֹ. הִגִּיעַ לְמַחֲצִית הַכֶּבֶשׁ, אָחַז הַסְּגָן בִּימִינוֹ וְהֶעֱלָהוּ. הוֹשִׁיט לוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן הָרֹאשׁ וְהָרֶגֶל, וְסָמַךְ עֲלֵיהֶן וּזְרָקָן. הוֹשִׁיט הַשֵּׁנִי לָרִאשׁוֹן שְׁתֵּי הַיָּדַיִם, נוֹתְנָן לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְסָמַךְ עֲלֵיהֶן וּזְרָקָן. נִשְׁמַט הַשֵּׁנִי וְהָלַךְ לוֹ. וְכָךְ הָיוּ מוֹשִׁיטִין לוֹ שְׁאָר כָּל הָאֵבָרִין, וְהוּא סוֹמֵךְ עֲלֵיהֶן וְזוֹרְקָן. וּבִזְמַן שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה, הוּא סוֹמֵךְ וַאֲחֵרִים זוֹרְקִין. בָּא לוֹ לְהַקִּיף אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. מֵהֵיכָן הוּא מַתְחִיל, מִקֶּרֶן דְּרוֹמִית מִזְרָחִית, מִזְרָחִית צְפוֹנִית, צְפוֹנִית מַעֲרָבִית, מַעֲרָבִית דְּרוֹמִית. נָתְנוּ לוֹ יַיִן לְנַסֵּךְ, הַסְּגָן עוֹמֵד עַל הַקֶּרֶן וְהַסּוּדָרִים בְּיָדוֹ, וּשְׁנֵי כֹהֲנִים עוֹמְדִים עַל שֻׁלְחַן הַחֲלָבִים וּשְׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרוֹת שֶׁל כֶּסֶף בְּיָדָם, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ. בָּאוּ וְעָמְדוּ אֵצֶל בֶּן אַרְזָא, אֶחָד מִימִינוֹ וְאֶחָד מִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ. שָׁחָה לְנַסֵּךְ, וְהֵנִיף הַסְּגָן בַּסּוּדָרִין, וְהִקִּישׁ בֶּן אַרְזָא בַּצֶּלְצָל, וְדִבְּרוּ הַלְוִיִּם בַּשִּׁיר. הִגִּיעוּ לְפֶרֶק, תָּקְעוּ, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ הָעָם. עַל כָּל פֶּרֶק, תְּקִיעָה. וְעַל כָּל תְּקִיעָה, הִשְׁתַּחֲוָיָה. זֶה הוּא סֵדֶר הַתָּמִיד לַעֲבוֹדַת בֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ, יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁיִבָּנֶה בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ, אָמֵן:
English:
The High Priest is entitled to sacrifice any offering brought to the Temple, at his discretion. When the High Priest wishes to burn the limbs of the daily offering and the accompanying meal offering, he would ascend the ramp to the altar, and the deputy High Priest would walk to his right. When he reached half the height of the ramp, the Deputy would hold his right hand and take him up to the altar at the top of the ramp. And the first of the nine priests who took the limbs up to the altar handed the High Priest the head and the hind leg of the offering, and the High Priest placed his hands upon them and then threw them onto the altar fire. Next the second of the nine priests handed the two forelegs of the offering to the first priest. He gave them to the High Priest, who placed his hands upon them and then threw them onto the altar fire. At that point, the second priest slipped away and left. And in that manner the priests would hand the High Priest the rest of all the limbs, and he would place his hands upon them and then throw them onto the altar fire. And when he wishes, he places his hands and others throw the limbs onto the fire. When the High Priest, who was at the top of the ramp on the south side of the altar, came to circle the altar to reach the southwestern corner, where he would pour the libation of wine, from where does he begin? He begins from the southeastern corner and continues to the northeastern corner, then to the northwestern corner, and ultimately reaches the southwestern corner. At that point, the priests gave him wine to pour. The Deputy stands at the High Priest’s side at the corner of the altar and the cloths are in his hand, so that he can wave them to signal to the Levites to begin singing when the High Priest pours the libation. Two priests stand at the marble table of the fats, where the limbs and fats were placed before being taken to the altar, and there were two silver trumpets in their hands. These two priests sounded a tekia, a long continuous blast; they then sounded a terua, a series of staccato blasts; and lastly they sounded another tekia to alert the Levites to prepare to recite the psalm. The priests with the trumpets came and stood near ben Arza, the title given to the person who was tasked with striking the cymbals, one to his right and one to his left. Then the High Priest stooped to pour the libation, and the Deputy waved the cloths, and ben Arza struck the cymbals, and the Levites recited the psalm of that day of the week. Each psalm was divided into three sections. Whenever the Levites reached the end of one section of the psalm, the priests sounded a tekia, and the people in the courtyard prostrated themselves. At the end of each section there was a tekia, and for every tekia there was a prostration. That is the procedure for the sacrifice of the daily offering in the service of the House of our God; may it be His will that it will be speedily rebuilt in our day, amen.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This magnificent mishna describes the grand finale of the daily morning service. When the High Priest chose to burn the limbs himself, he ascended the ramp with the deputy (segan) at his right side. The deputy physically grasped the High Priest’s hand at the midpoint and escorted him up — a gesture of both honor and assistance. The priests then handed the limbs to the High Priest one by one; he placed his hands on each (performing semikhah, the laying of hands) before throwing them onto the altar fire.
The circling of the altar followed a specific path (southeast to northeast to northwest to southwest), bringing the High Priest to the southwestern corner for the wine libation. At this pivotal moment, an intricate system of signals was activated simultaneously: the deputy waved cloths, ben Arza struck the cymbals, and the Levites began singing the daily psalm. Two priests with silver trumpets sounded tekia-terua-tekia. The psalm was divided into three sections, with trumpet blasts and congregational prostrations at each break. The closing declaration — “This is the procedure of the daily offering in the service of the House of our God; may it be His will that it be speedily rebuilt in our day, amen” — transforms the Mishna from a procedural text into a prayer for restoration.
Key Terms:
- סְגָן (Segan) = The deputy High Priest, who escorted the High Priest up the ramp
- סְמִיכָה (Semikha) = The laying of hands on the offering, performed by the High Priest on each limb before burning
- נִסּוּךְ הַיַּיִן (Nisukh HaYayin) = The wine libation poured at the southwestern corner of the altar
- סוּדָרִין (Sudarin) = Cloths waved by the deputy as a visual signal to begin the Levitical song
- תְּקִיעָה (Tekia) = A long continuous blast on the silver trumpets
Mishna 7:4
משנה ז:ד
Hebrew:
הַשִּׁיר שֶׁהָיוּ הַלְוִיִּם אוֹמְרִים בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (תהילים כ״ד:א׳), לַה’ הָאָרֶץ וּמְלוֹאָהּ תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ. בַּשֵּׁנִי הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם מח), גָּדוֹל ה’ וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד בְּעִיר אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַר קָדְשׁוֹ. בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם פב), אֱלֹהִים נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת אֵל בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט. בָּרְבִיעִי הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם צד), אֵל נְקָמוֹת ה’ אֵל נְקָמוֹת הוֹפִיעַ וְגוֹ’. בַּחֲמִישִׁי הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם פא), הַרְנִינוּ לֵאלֹהִים עוּזֵּנוּ, הָרִיעוּ לֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב. בַּשִּׁשִּׁי הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם צג), ה’ מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ וְגוֹ’. בְּשַׁבָּת הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים (שם צב), מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, לְיוֹם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ שַׁבָּת מְנוּחָה לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָמִים:
English:
The following is a list of each daily psalm that the Levites would recite in the Temple. On the first day of the week they would recite the psalm beginning: “A psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and all who live in it” (Psalms, chapter 24). On the second day they would recite the psalm beginning: “A song; a psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord and highly to be praised in the city of God, on His sacred mountain” (Psalms, chapter 48). On the third day they would recite the psalm beginning: “A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the divine assembly; among the judges He delivers judgment” (Psalms, chapter 82). On the fourth day they would recite the psalm beginning: “O Lord God, to Whom vengeance belongs, God to Whom vengeance belongs, shine forth” (Psalms, chapter 94). On the fifth day they would recite the psalm beginning: “For the leader; upon the Gittith, a psalm of Asaph. Sing for joy to God, our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob” (Psalms, chapter 81). On the sixth day they would recite the psalm beginning: “The Lord reigns: He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, girded with strength” (Psalms, chapter 93). On Shabbat they would recite the psalm beginning: “A psalm, a song for Shabbat day” (Psalms, chapter 92). This is interpreted as a psalm, a song for the future, for the day that will be entirely Shabbat and rest for everlasting life.
קלאוד על המשנה:
The final mishna of Masechet Tamid lists the seven psalms recited by the Levites, one for each day of the week. Each psalm was chosen for its thematic connection to that day of creation: Sunday’s psalm (Psalm 24, “The earth is the Lord’s”) celebrates creation; Monday’s (Psalm 48, “Great is the Lord in the city of God”) references the division of the waters; and so on through the week. The Shabbat psalm (Psalm 92, “A psalm, a song for the Shabbat day”) is interpreted as pointing toward the ultimate future — “the day that will be entirely Shabbat and rest for everlasting life.”
This closing mishna transforms the daily Temple service into a cosmic framework. Each day’s psalm connects the routine of sacrifice to the grand narrative of creation and redemption. The Levitical song was not mere accompaniment but a theological statement: every day of the week has its own character and purpose, mirrored in the psalm selected for it. The final words about the “world to come” (olam shekulo Shabbat) provide a fitting conclusion to the entire tractate, framing the daily service not as an end in itself but as a rehearsal for the ultimate era of divine rest. These daily psalms survive in Jewish liturgy to this day, recited each morning as the “Song of the Day” (Shir Shel Yom).
Key Terms:
- שִׁיר שֶׁל יוֹם (Shir Shel Yom) = The Song of the Day, the psalm recited by the Levites corresponding to each day of the week
- דּוּכָן (Dukhan) = The Levitical platform where the Levites stood to sing during the Temple service
- לְיוֹם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ שַׁבָּת (LeYom SheKulo Shabbat) = “For the day that is entirely Shabbat” — a reference to the messianic era or the World to Come
- חֲצוֹצְרוֹת (Chatzotzrot) = The silver trumpets blown by the priests, distinct from the shofar