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Yoma 15

1) THE CONFLICTING MISHNAYOS REGARDING THE ORDER OF THE AVODAH IN THE BEIS HA'MIKDASH

QUESTION: The Gemara discusses the apparent contradictions between the various Mishnayos in Tamid and in Yoma regarding the order of the Avodos in the Beis ha'Mikdash. Some Mishnayos state that the Ketores was brought *after* the Hatavas ha'Neros was completed, while other Mishnayos state that the Ketores was brought *before* the Hatavas ha'Neros was completed, between the Hatavah of the first five lamps of the Menorah and the last two lamps of the Menorah.

The Gemara answers that the conflicting Mishnayos depend on the argument between Aba Shaul and the Rabanan. When the Mishnah says that the Ketores is brought before the Hatavas ha'Neros, it is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabanan and is referring to the last two lamps of the Menorah. The Hatavah of the first five lamps of the Menorah, though, is done before the Ketores. When the Mishnah says that the Ketores is done after the lamps of the Menorah and that the *Zerikah* is done between the first five and the last two lamps of the Menorah, it is expressing the opinion of Aba Shaul.

There is another blatant contradiction in the Mishnayos, concerning a different part of the order of the Avodah. The Mishnah in Tamid that deals with the actual performance of the Avodah says that the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach is done before the Shechitah and the Zerikas ha'Dam of the Korban Tamid. The Mishnah that deals with the order of the "drawing of lots" ("Payas") for the Avodah, though, says that lots were drawn first for the Shechitah and the Zerikah, and only afterwards for the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach! How will the Gemara reconcile this contradiction?

ANSWERS:

(a) TOSFOS (14b, DH Amar Abaye) explains that this contradiction can be reconciled the same way as the one dealt with in the Gemara. According to the Rabanan, the Zerikah is done before starting the Hatavos ha'Neros (that is, before the first five lamps of the Menorah). Consequently, it is also done prior to the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach, which is the order of the Mishnah which discusses the lots. The Zerikah was done at the beginning of the day's Avodah, right after the Korban Tamid was slaughtered. Aba Shaul, though, maintains that the Zerikah separated between the Hatavah of the first five lamps of the Menorah and the Hatavah of the last two lamps of the Menorah, and thus it had to be done later. Since it was done after the Hatavah of the first five lamps of the Menorah, it was therefore also done after the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach (since the Dishun was done before the Hatavas ha'Neros).

However, this answer suffices to explain the order in the Mishnah of drawing lots only according to Abaye, who asserts that the Mishnah of lots follows the opinion of the Rabanan. That is why in that Mishnah the Zerikah is *not* delayed until between the two Hatavos, but is done at the beginning of the day. Rav Papa, though, holds that the Mishnah of lots is also following the opinion of Aba Shaul, who holds that the Zerikah is done between the two Hatavos. If so, why is the drawing of the lots for the Zerikah listed *before* that of the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach? After all, Aba Shaul himself holds that in practice, the Dishun is done before the Zerikah! (TOSFOS 15a, DH Eima)

TOSFOS (ibid.) answers that it appears that according to Rav Papa, Aba Shaul holds that the Dishun is done *after* the Zerikah in practice like the order of the lots (and *both* are done between the two parts of Hatavas ha'Neros - - but see Maharsa). The Mishnah in Tamid dealing with the actual performance of the Avodah that mentions the Dishun first, even though it holds that the Zerikah is done between the two Hatavos, apparently is the opinion of a third Tana who agrees with Aba Shaul in one respect and argues in another. He agrees with Aba Shaul that the Zerikah separates the two Hatavos, and he argues and holds that the Dishun is done before everything else. (This appears to be the intention of Tosfos, and this answers the questions posed by the Rashash. Even though the order of the lots mentioned in Tamid also list Dishun after the Zerikah, the Mishnayos in Tamid are expressing the opinions of different Tana'im, as Rav Papa says in our Gemara regarding the Mishnayos in Yoma.)

(c) The BARTENURA (Tamid 3:1) says that even though the Mishnah dealing with the lots mentions Dishun after the Zerikah, it does not mean that it was actually done afterwards. Rather, the Dishun was done first, before the Zerikah. The Mishnah mentions the Payas of the Zerikah first because of the importance of the Avodah of the Zerikah.

The RITVA (here) also explains that the order of the actual performance of the Avodah is not the order of the Payas.

(d) The RASHASH in our Sugya suggests that the order of the Mishnah dealing with the lots is not listing the Avodos in the order in which they were started, but rather it is listing them in the order in which they were *finished*. This is because the completion of the Avodah is more important. Consequently, even though the Dishun was started first, it was finished only when the ashes were carried away, which occurred after the Zerikas ha'Dam of the Tamid was done.

(e) The TOSFOS HA'ROSH (Yoma 25a) suggests that the Shechitah and Zerikah did not precede the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach, but it was nevertheless necessary to choose the *Kohanim* who would perform those Avodos before choosing a Kohen for the Dishun, since the ones who would be Shochet and Zorek performed *another* service which indeed preceded the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach. This service was bringing the lamb for the Korban Tamid from its place, and checking it for blemishes, which was done even before the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach.

In a similar fashion, the VILNA GA'ON (in Tamid) says that the Kohen performing the Zerikah is chosen first in the Mishnah of drawing lots not because the Zerikah is done before the Dishun, but because the person who performs the Zerikah must also perform the *Kabalas ha'Dam*, which is indeed done before the Dishun.! The Zerikah was done only after the Dishun and between the Hatavas ha'Neros in order to separate between the first five and last two lamps of the Menorah. In the time that it takes the Kohen who does the Kabalas ha'Dam to walk with the blood from where the Korban was slaughtered to the Mizbe'ach (a hundred Amos or so), the Dishun ha'Mizbe'ach was performed as well as the Hatavah of the first five lamps of the Menorah. When the Kohen arrived with the blood at the Mizbe'ach, the Zerikah was done, followed by the Hatavah of the last two lamps of the Menorah.


15b

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