Sukkah 55b (נה:) — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

All twenty-four priestly watches would go up to Jerusalem for the Festival, and all of them would receive a share in the offering of the communal sacrifices.

The number of communal sacrifices was not fixed each day, since the number of bulls offered each day of the Festival decreased from day to day. Therefore, the service of the communal sacrifices was divided among all twenty-four watches in accordance with the change in the number of bulls from one day to the next.

On the first day of the Festival

of Sukkot,

there were thirteen bulls, two rams, and one goat.

There were sixteen sacrifices in all.

The service involving them was divided among sixteen watches, one sacrifice for each watch. There thus remained eight watches that had not yet received a share in the service.

And since

fourteen sheep remained [which were fixed each day], the service involving them was divided

among

eight

of the

watches

that had not yet offered a sacrifice.

On the first day,

six

of the eight watches

offered two each

sheep, offering twelve sheep in all.

And the remainder [the two remaining watches] offered the two remaining sheep,

one each

for each watch.

for each division.

However,

on

the

second day,

when only twelve bulls were offered, nine watches remained that had not yet offered a sacrifice. Therefore:

Five

watches

offered two each

sheep, which amounted to ten sheep.

And the remainder [the four remaining watches] offered the four remaining sheep,

one each

for each watch.

for each division.

And

on

the

third day,

when only eleven bulls were offered, ten watches remained that had not offered a sacrifice—

Four

watches

offered two each

sheep, which amounted to eight sheep.

And the remainder [the six remaining watches] offered the six remaining sheep,

one each

for each watch.

for each division.

On the fourth day,

when only ten bulls were offered, eleven watches remained that had not offered a sacrifice—

Three

watches

offered two each,

which amounted to six sheep.

And the remainder [the eight remaining watches] offered the eight sheep,

one each

for each watch.

for each division.

On the fifth day,

nine bulls were offered, and twelve watches remained.

Two

of them

offered two each,

which amounted to four sheep.

And the remainder [the ten remaining watches] offered them

one each.

one each.

On the sixth day,

thirteen watches remained.

One offered two

sheep.

And the remainder [the twelve remaining watches]

offered them

one each.

On the seventh day,

when fourteen watches remained that had not yet offered a sacrifice, the fourteen sheep were divided in such a way that

they were all equal—

one sheep for each watch.

But

on the eighth day,

when there were not enough communal sacrifices to distribute one to each watch,

they returned to drawing lots,

casting lots among the watches,

as

they did

on

the other

Pilgrimage Festivals,

since on those Festivals too there were not enough sacrifices to distribute among all the watches.

And so they

said

on every day of the Festival of Sukkot:

Whoever

offered bulls today—

shall not offer

bulls

tomorrow.

Rather,

he shall offer rams, a goat, or sheep tomorrow. And thus they

would rotate in turn

through the order of the sacrifices: A watch that merited offering bulls on one day would offer rams or sheep on the following day. [And there was a fixed order for the watches, as detailed in Rashi].

Since seventy bulls were offered altogether, if they are divided among the twenty-four watches [the number of the watches], it follows that all of them would return and offer bulls three times, except for two watches, which would offer bulls only twice [72 = 3\24].

Gemara:

The Gemara now assumes that on Shemini Atzeret lots were cast among all the watches, as though they had come to offer the sacrifices at the beginning of the Festival, and that the two watches that had offered bulls only twice were not given the privilege of casting lots between themselves to determine which of the two would offer the bull.

And we raised a difficulty concerning this:

Let us say that the Mishna

is the opinion of Rabbi, and not that of the Rabbis.

For

it

was taught: One bull

that

comes on the eighth day—

it is treated as though they were

at the beginning

of the Festival, and

lots are cast for it

among all the watches,

the words of Rabbi.

And the Rabbis say:

Only

one of the two watches that did not offer bulls three times—

it is the one that

offers it!

And we answer:

You may even say that it is the Rabbis.

The Mishna does not mean that lots are cast among all the watches, but only between the two watches that did not offer bulls three times.

And the tanna used the expression “they cast lots” concerning the lottery between the two watches. For

is it so

that

the two

of the

watches do not need to cast lots,

that they do not need to cast lots between themselves?!

We raised the difficulty again:

In accordance with whom,

according to whose opinion

does this beraita that was taught

“All the watches offer a second and a third time, except for two watches, which offer a second time but not a third”

follow?

Let us say that it is Rabbi and not the Rabbis,

because according to the Rabbis, one of the two watches offers bulls a third time, through the bull of Shemini Atzeret!

And we answer:

You may even say that it is the Rabbis

—it is their opinion.

And

what does the expression

“two watches that did not offer bulls a third time” mean?

It means

that did not offer bulls of the Festival,

but one of them will return and offer bulls a third time on the eighth day.

And what does it teach us,

what novelty is there in the statement of the beraita? Is the beraita coming to state a calculation that we can perform ourselves?

This teaches us

that the tanna repeated in the beraita the novel point stated by the tanna of the Mishna:

“Whoever offered bulls today shall not offer them tomorrow; rather, they rotate in turn.”

Rabbi Elazar said: These seventy bulls

that are brought during the Festival of Sukkot—

correspond to whom

are they brought?

They correspond to the seventy nations!

Since the entire world is judged during the Festival concerning water, sacrifices are brought to atone for all seventy nations, so that they too should be granted water.

The single bull

that is brought on Shemini Atzeret—

why

is it brought?

It corresponds to

the Jewish people, which is

a single nation,

set apart and chosen from the seventy nations.

This may be compared to a mortal king who said to his servants: “Prepare a great feast for me.”

His servants prepared the feast for him, and they all participated in it.

On the final day

of the days of the feast,

the king said

to his

beloved:

Now

prepare for me

a small feast, just for you and me,

so that I may take pleasure in you,

for only in yours do I find satisfaction.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Woe to the nations that have been lost, and they do not

they

know what they have lost.

For

when the Temple was standing,

there was

an altar

on which seventy bulls were offered during the Festival, and it

atoned for them.

But now—

who will atone for them?!

Mishna:

On three occasions during the year,

the three Pilgrimage Festivals,

all the watches

of the priesthood

were equal

among themselves in the distribution of the gifts that reach the priests in the Temple from sacrifices brought because of the Festival:

Whether

in the portions of the Festivals [the reference is not to the portions that are burned on the altar for the sake of Heaven, but to the hides of the communal burnt offerings, which are divided among the priests, and likewise to the breast and thigh of the peace offerings of rejoicing, which are brought because of the Festival].

[this does not refer to the portions that are burned on the altar for the sake of Heaven, but to the hides of communal burnt offerings, which are divided among the priests, and likewise to the breast and thigh of the festival peace offerings, which are brought because of the festival].

And

whether

in the distribution of the showbread

on the Shabbat that occurs during the Festival.

And

on Shavuot

when it occurs on Shabbat, when both the showbread made of unleavened dough and the two loaves made of leavened dough are distributed, they distribute portions of both to everyone.

And

the distributor says to him,

to each member of the watches:

“Here is matza” [the showbread];

[the showbread];

“here is leavened bread,”

the two loaves.

The Mishna thereby teaches that one does not exchange one sacrifice for another; rather, each person is given a portion of each sacrifice, and he is informed that he has received a portion of both, not that he has received a portion of only one of them.

A watch whose time is fixed

to offer during the Festival

offers the daily offerings, offerings brought because of vows and voluntary offerings, and the other communal sacrifices

that are not brought because of the Festival.

And

that same watch whose time is fixed during the Festival

offers everything.

The Gemara will explain what is included by this statement.

Gemara:

We raise a difficulty concerning the wording “all the watches are equal in the portions of the Festivals”:

But

the portions of the Festivals

are not divided; rather,

they belong to the Most High!

Rav Hisda said:

The meaning of “the portions of the Festivals” is

that which is stated concerning

the sacrifices of

the Festivals.

The Sages taught: From where is it derived that all the watches are equal in the portions of the Festivals?

The verse states [Deuteronomy 18:6]: “When the Levite [the reference is to a priest] comes from one of your cities, wherever he resides,

and he comes with all the desire of his soul

to the place that the Lord will choose,

to the place that the Lord will choose,

and he serves.”

We learn from here that every priest has the right to come and serve during a Festival and to receive the gifts due to him for his service, even though at that time there is a watch whose time is fixed.

Could it be that even during the rest of the year

he has this

right?

The verse states: “From one of your cities.”

I said

that he has this right

only

during a Festival,

when all Israel

goes up for the Festival, and it is as though they

enter through one gate.

That is, they gather in a single city.

We learned in the Mishna: All the watches are equal during a Festival in the gifts from the sacrifices

and in the distribution of the showbread.

The Sages taught: From where is it derived that all the watches are equal in the distribution of the showbread

on the Shabbat that occurs during the Festival?