Yoma 73a — the Talmud in English

It teaches

Exodus 29]

“For seven days shall the priest who comes after him from among his sons wear them, who enters the Tent of Meeting

to minister in the Holy of Holies]”.

One who is fit to enter the Tent of Meeting

to minister in the Holy of Holies—his son serves in his place as his heir. Excluded is an anointed priest for war, who is not fit to enter the Holy of Holies; therefore his son does not inherit his priesthood.

And if it is so

that an anointed priest for war serves in the eight garments all year—then he too

is evidently fit,

he is fit to minister in the Holy of Holies, since the verse that teaches about the high priest who enters within makes this dependent upon his having additional garments [see Rashi].

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: This is what the verse is saying:

the verse:

Anyone whose principal anointing

is

for

service in

the Tent of Meeting

—his son serves in his place.

This one is excluded,

the anointed priest for war,

whose principal anointing

is for his going out

to war

with the people; therefore his son does not serve in his place.

It raises an objection

against Rav Dimi from an explicit beraita:

An anointed priest for war—

does not serve either in four

garments

like an ordinary priest,

or

in eight

garments

like a high priest!?

Abaye said to him: Rather,

now that you disqualify him for service,

you make him like a non-priest,

and this is impossible.

Rather,

by the fundamental law he is fit for service.

But

like a high priest

he does not serve in the eight garments during the service

because of hostility

on the part of the high priest.

And likewise he does not serve in four garments

like an ordinary priest

and then there would be no hostility from the high priest]—

because

“

one elevates in holiness and does not lower”.

And this one, whose law is to serve in eight garments, is not permitted to serve in four.

Rav Adda bar Abba said to Rava: And

we find

this tanna, who does not hold of

a concern for

hostility, and

nevertheless

does not serve

the anointed priest in the service in the Temple. And it is proven that by the fundamental law he does not serve.

For it was taught:

These are the

matters

that are different

between a high priest and an ordinary priest:

A high priest brings:

the bull that comes for

his inadvertence in performing

all the mitzvot

[that involve excision, excluding idolatry],

the bull of Yom Kippur, and the tenth of an ephah

as a meal-offering every day.

He does not let his hair grow

by growing his hair because of mourning,

and he does not rend

by tearing for his dead.

But he does rend

his garment at the lower edge of the garment

from below

and through this tearing one does not fulfill the obligation of tearing for the dead],

and

if

the ordinary

priest tears his garment for his dead,

from above.

And he does not

become

impure for his relatives

who have died.

And he is commanded concerning a virgin

to marry only a virgin.

And he is warned concerning a widow

not to marry her.

And he returns the murderer

from a city of refuge, upon his death.

And he offers

sacrifices when he is

an onen

for his dead, before the burial.

But

he does not eat

sacred food when he is an onen,

and

he also

does not take a portion

while he is an onen, a portion of sacred food in order to eat it after his state of acute mourning.

And

he has the right to be

taking a portion first

of the sacred food divided among the priests.

And he offers a portion,

whatever sacrifice he wishes—

first.

And he serves

in his service

in eight garments.

And he is exempt

from a sacrifice

for impurity of the Temple and its sacred things.

And all the services of Yom Kippur—

are valid only through him.

And

all these laws—

all of them apply to

a high priest who is

abundantly provided with garments,

even if he was not anointed with the anointing oil.

Except for the bull that comes for all the mitzvot,

which applies only to a high priest who was anointed.

And all of them apply to

a high

priest who was anointed and passed on

from his position, and is not currently serving

for example, when a temporary disqualification occurred in the high priest, and they appointed him in his place, and the disqualification of the high priest passed, and he returned to his priesthood, and they removed him from filling the place]. Except for the bull of Yom Kippur and the tenth of an ephah

which does not apply to one who is not currently serving.

And

these laws

all—

do not apply to

a priest who is

“anointed for war ”,

and he does not serve in eight garments.

Except for the five matters stated in the passage

of After Death, which also apply to an anointed priest for war, and these are:

He does not let his hair grow, he does not rend, he does not become impure for his relatives, he is commanded concerning a virgin, and he is warned concerning a widow.

And he returns the murderer, according to the words of Rabbi Judah.

And the Sages say:

An anointed priest for war

does not return

the murderer from a city of refuge upon his death.

And it is proven from the law of a high priest who passed from his greatness, that he continues to serve in the service in eight garments, that there is no concern for hostility according to the tanna of this beraita; nevertheless, according to him, an anointed priest for war does not serve in eight garments, and it is proven that the reason he does not serve is from the Torah, by the fundamental law, and not because of a concern for hostility—and this is difficult for Abaye!

And we answer:

When he does not have hostility

toward the high priest—

with one like him,

with a priest who is on his level, who served and passed from his position, with regard to whom he is not jealous if he sees him serving in eight garments as is his law. And there is no concern for hostility in his case.

But

with

an anointed priest for war,

who is lower than him,

who is not on his level, since he did not attain the high priesthood, there is a concern that

he has

hostility toward him if he sees him serving in eight garments.

Rabbi Abbahu was sitting and stating this teaching

of Rav Dimi, that an anointed priest for war serves in eight garments,

in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan.

Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi turned

back

their faces

from Rabbi Abbahu, to show that they did not agree that Rabbi Yoḥanan had said this.

Some say: Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said it, and Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi turned their faces back.

Rav Pappa raised an objection to this: Granted,

if it was

Rabbi Abbahu

who said this [as explained in the first version], it is understandable that Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi merely turned their faces and did not explicitly tell him that they disagreed with him,

because of the honor of the Caesar’s house,

for Rabbi Abbahu was important in the Caesar’s court.

But

if we say according to the second version, that Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said this, it is difficult:

To Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba—

they should have said to him explicitly: Rabbi Yoḥanan did not say this!

When Ravin came

from the Land of Israel to Babylonia,

he said:

Rabbi Yoḥanan did not say at all that an anointed priest for war serves in eight garments.

Rather, when an anointed priest for war goes out to war, he is

asked

by the king through the Urim and Tummim that are upon him, because at that time, when he goes out to war, he wears these garments. So

it was stated

according to Rabbi Yoḥanan.

It was also taught so: The garments in which a high priest serves—

an anointed priest for war is asked through them

by the king, when going out to war.

The Sages taught: How does one ask

through the Urim and Tummim?

The one asking,

who is a king or the head of the court of the Sanhedrin,

his face

is turned

toward

the priest who is

asked.

And

the priest

who is asked, his face

is turned

toward the Divine Presence,

toward the Urim and Tummim, for the Explicit Name is found inside the breastplate.

For example,

the one asking says,

as we find with David, who asked through the Urim and Tummim: [I Samuel 30] “

Shall I pursue this troop?”

And the one who is asked says: Thus said the Lord

through the Urim and Tummim—

Go up and succeed!

Rabbi Judah says: There is no

need for the priest who is asked

to say, “Thus said the Lord”

’—

rather,

only

“Go up and succeed”.

One does not ask aloud

in a loud voice, because

it is stated [

Numbers 27]

“And he shall ask him

the priest”, and it implies that only the priest hears his voice, because he must ask in a low voice.

And he does not contemplate

the question

in his heart,

but he expresses it with his lips.

According to

that which is stated, “And he shall ask him

by the judgment of the Urim

before the Lord.

By his word they shall go out”.

And we must read the verse as follows: “And the one asking shall ask him by his mouth”, to teach us that he must ask with his mouth and not through contemplation.

Rather,

he asks

in the manner in which Hannah prayed, as it is stated [

I Samuel 1]

“And Hannah was speaking upon her heart.

Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard”—that is, she expressed her prayer with her lips, in a whisper.

One does not ask

through the Urim and Tummim

two things at once.

And if he asked

two things at once—

they do not

him

answer him

respond to him

except

concerning

one

thing alone.

And they answer him only

concerning the

first matter.

As it is stated

when David asked two questions at once [I Samuel 23]:

a.

“Will the men of Keilah

hand me over

into his hand

of Saul”?

b.

“Will Saul go down

to Keilah”?

And they answered him concerning one thing:

And the Lord said: He will go down

Saul to Keilah!

And we object:

But you said, they answer only

concerning the

first matter, whereas here he received an answer concerning the second matter!?

matter, whereas here he received an answer regarding the second matter!?