Yoma 73a (עג.) — the Talmud in English

The verse states

Exodus 29

“For seven days he shall wear them, the priest who serves in his place from among his sons, who enters the Tent of Meeting

to serve in the Sanctuary [of Sanctuaries].”

One who is fit to enter the Tent of Meeting

to serve in the Sanctuary of Sanctuaries: his son serves in his place as his successor. Excluded is a priest anointed for war, who is not fit to enter the Sanctuary of Sanctuaries; therefore, his son does not succeed him in his priesthood.

And if it is so

that a priest anointed for war serves in the eight garments throughout the entire year, then he too

is evidently fit,

is fit to serve in the Sanctuary of Sanctuaries, since the verse that teaches about the High Priest who enters the innermost chamber makes this dependent upon his wearing the additional garments [see Rashi].

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

the verse

“Anyone whose anointing is primarily

for

the

service in the

Tent of Meeting

—his son serves in his place.”

This one is excluded,

the priest anointed for war,

whose anointing is primarily

for his going out

to war

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

The Gemara raises an objection

to Rav Dimi from an explicit beraita:

A priest anointed 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 from service, do

you make him like a non-priest,

which is impossible.

Rather,

in principle, he is fit for service.

However,

as a High Priest

he does not serve in the eight garments

because of animosity

on the part of the High Priest.

Likewise, he does not serve in four garments

like an ordinary priest

—[and then there would be no animosity on the part of the High Priest]—

because

“one ascends in sanctity and does not descend.”

“One ascends in sanctity and does not descend.”

And since his prescribed service is in eight garments, he may not serve in four.

Rav Adda bar Abba said to Rava: But

we find

this tanna, who does not have

the concern of

animosity, and

nevertheless

does not serve

—the anointed priest does not serve in the Temple service. This proves that, in principle, he does not serve.

As it was taught:

These are the

matters

that differ

between a High Priest and an ordinary priest:

A High Priest brings:

the bull that comes for

his inadvertent transgression in performing

all the mitzvot

[that carry the punishment of excision, excluding idolatry],

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

as an offering every day.

He does not let his hair grow long

because of mourning,

and he does not rend

his garment in mourning for his dead.

But he does rend

his garment at the lower edge of the garment,

below

[and this rending does not fulfill his obligation to rend for the dead],

whereas

if an

ordinary

priest rends his garment in mourning for his dead,

he rends it above.

And

he

does not become impure for his deceased relatives

who have died.

He is commanded regarding a virgin

to marry only a virgin.

And he is warned regarding 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.

However,

he does not eat

sacred food when he is an onen,

and

he also

does not take a portion

while he is an onen, with the intention of eating his portion of the sacred food after his period of acute mourning.

And

he has the privilege of

taking his portion first

of the sacred food distributed 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 bringing an offering

for contracting impurity of the Temple and its sacred objects.

And all the services of Yom Kippur

are valid only when performed by him.

And

all these halakhot

apply to

a High Priest who is

one appointed by virtue of the additional 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 subsequently passed from office

and is not currently serving [for example, where a temporary disqualification befell the High Priest, and this priest was appointed in his place; then the disqualification of the High Priest passed, he returned to his office, and this priest was removed from his position as his replacement].

Except for the bull of Yom Kippur and the tenth of an ephah

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

And

these halakhot

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 the Death, which also apply to a priest anointed for war; and these are:

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

And he returns the murderer, according to the statement of Rabbi Yehuda.

And the Sages say:

A priest anointed for war

does not return

the murderer from a city of refuge upon his death.

And it is demonstrated from the law concerning a priest who passed from his position as High Priest, who continues to serve in eight garments, that according to the tanna of this beraita there is no concern of animosity. Nevertheless, according to him, a priest anointed for war does not serve in eight garments. It therefore follows that the reason he does not serve is a matter of Torah law, the fundamental law, and not a concern of animosity; this is difficult for Abaye!

And we answer:

When he does not have animosity

toward the High Priest

is when he is his equal,

a priest who served and then passed from office, since he does not become jealous of him when he sees him serving in eight garments as prescribed. There is no concern of animosity in his case.

But

with

a priest anointed for war,

who is lower than him,

who is not his equal, since he did not attain the High Priesthood, there is concern that he

does have

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

Rabbi Abbahu was sitting and reciting this teaching

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

in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan.

Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi turned

back

their faces away

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

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

Rav Pappa raised an objection: 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 away and did not explicitly tell him that they disagreed with him,

because of the honor of the imperial court,

since Rabbi Abbahu was esteemed in the emperor’s court.

But

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

To Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba

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

When Ravin came

from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia,

he said:

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

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

consulted

by the king through the Urim and Thummim that he wears, because at that time, when he goes out to war, he wears these garments. This is what was

stated

according to Rabbi Yoḥanan.

It was taught likewise: The garments in which a High Priest serves

are those in which a priest anointed for war is consulted

by the king when going out to war.

The Sages taught: How does one inquire

through the Urim and Thummim?

The one who inquires,

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

his face

is turned

toward

the priest who is

being consulted.

And

the

face of the priest being consulted

is turned

toward the Divine Presence,

toward the Urim and Thummim, in which the Explicit Name is found within the breastplate.

For example,

the one who inquires says,

as we find with David, who inquired through the Urim and Thummim: [I Samuel 30] “Shall I

pursue this troop?”

And the one being consulted says: So said the Lord

through the Urim and Thummim:

Go up and succeed!

Rabbi Yehuda says: There is no

need for the priest being consulted

to say, “So said the Lord,”

’—

but

only

“Go up and succeed.”

One does not inquire in a loud voice

aloud, because

it is stated

Numbers 27

“And he shall inquire of him

regarding the priest,” and this implies that only the priest hears his voice, since he must inquire in a low voice.

And he does not merely contemplate

the question

in his heart,

but articulates it with his lips.

As

it is stated, “And he shall inquire of 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 who inquires shall inquire of him by his word,” teaching that he must ask with his mouth and not merely contemplate the question.

Rather,

he asks

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

I Samuel 1

“And Hannah was speaking in her heart.

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

One does not inquire

through the Urim and Thummim

about two matters at once.

And if he asked

about two matters at once,

they do not

him

answer

him

except

regarding

one

matter alone.

And they answer him only

regarding the

first

matter.

As it is stated

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

“Will the people of Keilah

my men

hand me over into his hands

of Saul”?

“Will Saul

come down

to Keilah”?

And they answered him regarding one matter:

“And the Lord said: He will come down,”

Saul to Keilah!

And we object:

But you said that they answer only

regarding the

first

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