Tamid 33a — the Talmud in English

And the small vessel

[the small ladle] in which the incense was placed

was

placed

inside

the large ladle,

when it

[the small vessel]

was full and heaped with incense.

And they placed it inside the large ladle, because it was heaped with incense; and if some spilled from it while he was walking, it would fall into the large ladle.

And it had a cover

for the ladle.

And something like a small handle

[a ring]

was upon it

[upon the cover]

above,

by which he carried it and removed the cover.

For the purpose of offering the incense, it was necessary to bring with it into the Sanctuary a firepan full of coals.

The one who merited

to rake these coals

in the firepan took

the

silver firepan,

[which held four kav,]

and ascended to the top of the outer altar.

.

And he cleared away the coals

on the outside, which were extinguished,

this way and that,

until he reached the inner ones, which glowed from side to side,

and raked from them four kav of coals.

He descended

from the altar

and poured the coals

from the silver firepan

into

a firepan

of gold,

which held three kav. At first he did not rake with the gold firepan, because it would become diminished through the heat of the fire. And the Torah spared the property of Israel.

And during the pouring,

about a kav of it scattered

to the side, along the sides of the gold firepan,

like a kav of coals,

and approximately three kav of coals remained in the gold firepan for the offering of the incense.

And he swept them

the scattered coals

into the channel

through which the water passed in the courtyard.

And on Shabbat,

when doing so is forbidden because of extinguishing [and although it is labor not needed for its own purpose, it is forbidden as a rabbinic restriction],

he would place a large vessel over them

so that the priests’ feet should not be burned by the coals.

And

the

large vessel was a large utensil,

and

it held

within it

half a kor

[half a kor].

And it had two chains.

One chain

which he

[the priest] would

pull,

when it was full of altar ashes, when he

descended

with it from the altar.

And one

chain

which he

[the second priest] who accompanied him

held from above, so that it should not roll!

Because its bottom was not flat; rather, it was made like a cauldron.

And

for

three purposes it was

the large vessel

used:

They would place it over the coals

on Shabbat, as stated.

And

they would place it

over a creeping creature

found in the Temple

on Shabbat!

So that no person should become impure through it and be forbidden to remain in the courtyard. For on Shabbat it was impossible to remove it, because of the prohibition of muktze.

And

likewise

they would lower the ashes with it from upon the altar,

to remove them outside the Temple. [And the details of removing the ashes have already been explained in the second chapter.]

When the priests who had merited the incense and the firepan

reached between the Entrance Hall and the altar, one

of the priests

took the rake,

[a vessel in the Temple; it is not the same rake with which they raked the ashes, nor the musical instrument called a “rake.” Tosafot Yom Tov,]

and threw it between the Entrance Hall and the altar,

so that it should make a sound when it fell, and all the priests should come to bow in the courtyard after the offering of the incense.

And the rake made a great sound, so that

no person could hear the voice of his fellow in Jerusalem because of the sound of the rake.

And

for

three purposes was this rake used

:

1. Every

priest who heard its sound knew that his fellow priests were entering to bow

at the completion of the incense service,

and he would run and come and bow

with them.

2.

And a Levite,

when

he heard its sound,

he

knew that his fellow Levites were entering to sing

at the time of the wine libation,

and he would run and come

and join them.

3.

And the head of the standing group

of that week [for corresponding to every priestly watch there was a standing group of Israelites in the Temple; but the Rosh wrote “head of the ancestral division”], when he heard its sound,

would station

all the priests

who were impure

of that ancestral division whose day of service it then was,

at the Eastern Gate

of the Women’s Courtyard [but from there inward, those who had immersed that day were not permitted to enter. Tosafot, Pesaḥim 82], so that everyone would know that they were not serving because of their impurity and would not suspect them of deliberately not serving because they did not wish to interrupt their work. [Or, in order to shame them for not taking care not to become impure. And this is a dispute in Pesaḥim 82.]

We have completed for you the chapter ‘The appointed one said to them’.

Mishna:

1.

They began

the priests carrying the incense and the coal-pan

ascending the steps of the Hall

on their way to the Sanctuary.

The one who had merited the removal of the ashes of the inner altar and of the menorah would precede them

and enter the Sanctuary.

The one who had merited the removal of the ashes of the inner altar,

and had already removed its ashes earlier,

entered

now

and took the basket

into which he had previously placed the ashes of the altar, from the floor of the Sanctuary.

And he prostrated himself!

For at the completion of the service he would prostrate himself, like a servant who serves his master, who takes permission and departs.

And he departed

from the Sanctuary.

The one who had merited the removal of the ashes of the menorah,

and had already prepared five lamps before the sprinkling of the daily offering,

entered

now to prepare the remaining two lamps. [For the blood of the daily offering interrupts between the preparation of the five lamps and the two lamps, as stated above].

If

he found

the

two

the

lamps

the

on the eastern side burning,

he extinguishes and

removes the ashes from

[he removes the wick and the oil and cleans it, and places in it a new wick and new oil]

the

lamp

on the eastern side

[the outermost on the east],

and leaves the western one

[the second from the east]

burning .

Since

from it he would kindle

in the evening

the

rest of the lamps of the

menorah.

And concerning it is stated, “to raise up a perpetual lamp.” For he would put into it oil according to the measure of the other lamps, and nevertheless it would burn until evening. And it was testimony that the Divine Presence rests in Israel.

And although “lamps” is written, and the preparation of the lamps is not less than two, nevertheless they would leave it burning without removing its ashes, in order to publicize the miracle.

But this miracle was during the time of Shimon the Righteous. However, after he died, it would sometimes go out in the morning, like the other lamps. And at that time, when the miracle did not occur—if

they found

the western lamp

extinguished,

they remove its ashes

as well, and

kindle it from the altar of the burnt offering !

So that it would be ready in the evening to kindle the entire menorah from it .

And when he completed the preparation of the lamps,

he took the ladle

into which he had placed the ashes of the menorah,

from

the

second

the

step

of the stone before the menorah [where it had previously been placed, from the time he completed preparing the five lamps before the service of the daily offering],

and prostrated himself and departed

from the Sanctuary.

2.

The one who had merited the

bringing of the

coal-pan

of coals for the incense,

piled

[heaped]

the coals upon the altar

the inner one,

and spread them

[spread them out]

along the edges of the coal-pan

that was in his hand, upon the altar, so that they would be spread over a broad area, and thereby the incense would burn more quickly and its smoke would be reduced.

And he prostrated himself and departed.

3.

The one who had merited the incense would take the vessel

in which was the incense,

from within the spoon

in which it had been placed.

And he would give it to his beloved or to his relative,

who entered the Sanctuary with him to assist him in this. And his beloved would pour from the vessel into the handfuls of the one offering the incense. And if

some of it had scattered

[of the incense]

into

the spoon, he would also

give it to him

his beloved

in

the

handfuls.

And since he had never offered the incense [for no priest would repeat the incense offering, as stated], they would

teach him: Be careful

when you scatter the incense,

that you not begin

to scatter it over the coals

that are before you.

Rather, begin from the farther side, and from there bring your hands back while scattering the incense, until you finish with the coals that are near you. So that

you not be burned!

For if you begin scattering from the side near you, the smoke of the incense will rise, and your hands will be burned when you continue scattering outward.

He began spreading them,

scattering them, the ingredients of the incense,

and departed

immediately from the Sanctuary.

The one offering the incense would not offer it until the supervisor said to him: Offer the incense!

And

if

the

priest

the

High Priest

was offering the incense, the

supervisor would say to him: My master, High Priest, offer the incense!

And the reason for this is that at the time of the offering of the incense, no person was permitted to be in the Sanctuary, nor even between the Hall and the altar. And the supervisor would warn everyone to withdraw from there. And afterward he would command him regarding the offering of the incense.

The entire

people

withdrew

from between the Hall and the altar.

And

then

he offered

the incense,

and prostrated himself and departed.

We have completed you, Chapter “They Began Ascending”