Yoma 26a — the Talmud in English

What does it come for?

For the fader too is included among the limbs, so why was it written separately?

As it was taught: How would he do it? He would place the fader over the place of slaughter

over the place of slaughter

and raise it

onto the altar

and this is the way of honoring the One above

so that the place of slaughter, soiled with blood, would not be exposed.

Mishna:

The third lottery:

They would announce in the Courtyard

“newcomers for the incense,”

kohanim who had never merited burning the incense in their lives

would come and draw lots.

They would come and participate in the lottery for the service of the incense. And in the Gemara it will be explained why only newcomers were permitted to participate in this lottery.

And the

lottery

fourth

they would announce

“newcomers together with veterans,”

kohanim who had still not merited this service together with kohanim who had already merited it: They would come and draw lots in order to determine

who would raise the limbs from the ramp to the altar.

Those limbs that had been raised to the ramp in the second lottery now again had lots drawn for them to determine who would raise them from the ramp to the top of the altar in order to burn them.

Gemara:

A tanna taught: No person ever performed it a second time.

There were so many kohanim in each paternal division [who served on that day] that it never happened that there was no one there who had never burned incense in his life [Meiri].

And we raise a difficulty:

What is the reason

that they did not allow one kohen to merit performing the incense twice?

And we answer:

Rabbi Hanina said: Because it makes one wealthy

those who engage in it; therefore, they wanted as many kohanim as possible to have the opportunity to merit it, so that they would become wealthy.

Rav Pappa said to Abaye: What is the reason

that it makes one wealthy?

If you say it is because it is written

in Moses’ blessing to the tribe of Levi

“They shall place incense before You,”

and afterward it is written, “Bless, Lord, his resources,”

so it follows that the incense makes one wealthy?

If so,

the burning of the

burnt offering

sacrifice should also

make one wealthy,

for it is written

in that very verse, “and wholly consumed on Your altar,”

that is, the burnt offering, which is wholly consumed upon the altar. And why were they not also particular with regard to it that one kohen should not offer it twice?

He said to him,

Abaye:

This one,

the burnt offering

is frequent,

for there are many voluntary burnt offerings.

But

the incense

is not frequent,

for the obligatory incense is only [offered] twice a day, and incense is not brought as a voluntary offering. And it stands to reason that the blessing of wealth was stated only with regard to a service that is not frequent. For if not, all the kohanim would be found to be wealthy.

Rava said: You will not find a Torah scholar

a Torah scholar

who gives instruction

who gives legal instruction in Israel

unless he comes from the tribe of Levi or from the tribe of Issachar.

From the tribe of

Levi, for it is written

there, in Moses’ blessing to the tribe of Levi,

“They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob.”

From the tribe of

Issachar, for it is written: “And of the children of Issachar, those who know understanding of the times, to know what Israel should do.”

And we raise an objection:

And say that Judah as well

produced those who gave legal instruction,

for it is written, “Judah, my legislators”?

And we answer:

I am speaking of bringing a teaching to a conclusion according to the halakha,

that those who give legal instruction from the tribes of Levi and Issachar know how to rule according to the halakha, but although those from the tribe of Judah are sages, they did not merit that the halakha should be like them.

Rabbi Yohanan said: They do not draw lots for the daily offering between the evenings.

Rather, the kohen who merited it

in a particular service

in

the daily offering of

the morning merits it

in that same service also in the

evening

in the daily offering between the evenings.

He raises an objection

from that which was taught in a beraita:

Just as they draw lots in the morning, so they draw lots between the evenings?

And we answer:

When that was taught —

with regard to the incense.

They would draw lots a second time for the incense between the evenings, since they did not allow one kohen to burn incense twice. But with regard to the services of the daily offering, where they were not particular that one kohen should not perform the same service twice, they would not draw lots again for the daily offering between the evenings.

And we raise an objection:

But it was taught: Just as they draw lots for it in the morning, so they draw lots for it in the evening.

And since it teaches “for it,” and not “for her,” it implies that it is speaking of the daily offering, which is masculine in gender, and not of the incense, which is feminine in gender. And we answer:

Say, “for her.”

Indeed, this beraita too is speaking of the incense.

And we raise an objection:

But it was taught: Just as they draw lots for it in the morning, so they draw lots for it in the evening;

and just as they draw lots for her in the morning, so they draw lots for her in the evening.

It follows that this beraita speaks both of the daily offering and of the incense, for they draw lots for them a second time between the evenings. And this is difficult for Rabbi Yohanan.

And we answer:

Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzhak said: Here we are dealing with Shabbat.

They were compelled to draw lots a second time on it between the evenings even for the daily offering,

since the divisions were renewed

they changed at midday on Shabbat, and the kohanim who had merited the morning daily offering did not again serve in the daily offering between the evenings.

But on the other weekdays they would not conduct a second lottery for the daily offering between the evenings. Rather, the kohen who merited it in the morning also merited it in the evening.

And we raise a difficulty:

And according to what we initially assumed,

according to the reasoning of the one who raised the objection against Rabbi Yohanan, that they would return and draw lots for the daily offering between the evenings, this is difficult, for

the lotteries would then be numerous,

and it would follow that there were more than four lotteries. But did we not learn at the beginning of our chapter that there were only four lotteries each day?

And we answer:

They all came from the morning.

All the kohanim came in the morning.

That is to say, there was no separate gathering for the lottery of the daily offering between the evenings; rather, at that same morning gathering they drew lots twice: once for the morning daily offering. And

the one who merited it in the morning merited it,

and the one who merited it merited it. And a second time they drew lots for the daily offering between the evenings, and

the one who merited it in the evening merited it.

And the one who merited it merited it. Therefore, the two lotteries are considered one lottery.

We learned in the Mishna:

The fourth: newcomers together with veterans,

who raises the limbs from the ramp to the altar.

The Mishna is not in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov.

For we learned: Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: The one who raises the limbs to the ramp is the one who raises them

afterward

to the altar,

each kohen raises to the top of the altar that same limb which he had previously raised to the ramp.

And we explain:

With regard to what do they disagree?

One

the tanna of the Mishna

holds: “In the multitude of the people is the glory of

the king,”

and therefore it is preferable that as many kohanim as possible engage in offering the limbs of the daily offering, for this is the honor of the king.

And the other

Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov

holds: The place of the Divine Presence,

which is in the Temple,

— this is not proper conduct!

It is not proper conduct for one kohen to begin a service and abandon it, and for another kohen to complete it, since it appears as though the matter is burdensome to them; rather, the kohen who began the service should complete it.

Rava said: Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov does not hold like Rabbi Judah,

who held [above, 25b] that there was no lottery for the firepan. Rather, Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov holds that indeed there was a separate lottery for the firepan.

And Rabbi Judah does not hold like Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov.

Rather, Rabbi Judah holds that there was a lottery for raising the limbs from the ramp.

For if so,

if you say that they agree with one another

the lotteries would be lacking!

There would be fewer than the count of four lotteries. And inevitably, Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov, who removes the lottery for raising the limbs from the ramp to the altar, adds in its place the lottery for the firepan, in order to complete the count of four lotteries.

And Rabbi Judah, who removes the lottery for the firepan, adds in its place the lottery for raising the limbs from the ramp to the altar.