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Perek 7

Mishnayos Tamid Perek 7 Mishnah 2

תמיד פרק ז׳ משנה ב׳

2
After the priests emerged from the Sanctuary, they came and stood on the twelve stairs before the Entrance Hall. The first five priests stood to the south of their brethren, the priests, who had taken the limbs of the daily offering up to the altar. And those five priests had five vessels in their hands: The basket with the ashes from the inner altar was in the hands of one priest; and the jug with the ashes from the Candelabrum was in the hands of one priest; and the coal pan was in the hands of one priest; and the smaller vessel, the bowl that held the incense, was in the hands of one priest, who had burned the incense; and the spoon and its cover were in the hands of one priest, the friend or relative of the one who burned the incense. The priests placed their vessels on the ground and then blessed the people, reciting one blessing. The Priestly Benediction was recited outside the Temple as well, but in the Temple, it was recited differently, as in the rest of the country the priests would recite it as three blessings, and the listeners would answer amen after each blessing. But in the Temple they would recite it as one blessing, and the listeners would not respond to each blessing. Rather, at the conclusion of the entire Priestly Benediction they would answer: Blessed are You Lord, God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. In the Temple, the priests would recite the name of God as it is written, with the letters yod, heh, vav, heh, whereas in the rest of the country the priests would recite the name of God by His appellation, alef, dalet, nun, yod. Furthermore, in the rest of the country, while reciting the Priestly Benediction the priests lift their hands opposite their shoulders, and in the Temple they raise them above their heads. That is the halakha with regard to all priests in the Temple, except for the High Priest, who does not raise his hands above the frontplate on his forehead, as the name of God is written on the frontplate. Rabbi Yehuda says: Even the High Priest would raise his hands above the frontplate while reciting the Priestly Benediction in the Temple, as it is stated with regard to the Priestly Benediction recited by Aaron the High Priest: “And Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them” (Leviticus 9:22).

בָּאוּ וְעָמְדוּ עַל מַעֲלוֹת הָאוּלָם. עָמְדוּ הָרִאשׁוֹנִים לִדְרוֹם אֲחֵיהֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים, וַחֲמִשָּׁה כֵלִים בְּיָדָם, הַטֶּנִי בְיַד אֶחָד, וְהַכּוּז בְּיַד אֶחָד, וְהַמַּחְתָּה בְיַד אֶחָד, וְהַבָּזָךְ בְּיַד אֶחָד, וְכַף וְכִסּוּיָהּ בְּיַד אֶחָד. וּבֵרְכוּ אֶת הָעָם בְּרָכָה אַחַת, אֶלָּא שֶׁבַּמְּדִינָה אוֹמְרִים אוֹתָהּ שָׁלשׁ בְּרָכוֹת, וּבַמִּקְדָּשׁ בְּרָכָה אֶחָת. בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים אֶת הַשֵּׁם כִּכְתָבוֹ, וּבַמְּדִינָה בְּכִנּוּיוֹ. בַּמְּדִינָה הַכֹּהֲנִים נוֹשְׂאִים אֶת כַּפֵּיהֶם, יְדֵיהֶם כְּנֶגֶד כִּתְפוֹתֵיהֶם, וּבַמִּקְדָּשׁ עַל גַּבֵּי רָאשֵׁיהֶן, חוּץ מִכֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַגְבִּיהַּ אֶת יָדָיו לְמַעְלָה מִן הַצִּיץ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל מַגְבִּיהַּ אֶת יָדָיו לְמַעְלָה מִן הַצִּיץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ט), וַיִּשָּׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת יָדָיו אֶל הָעָם וַיְבָרְכֵם:

ב׳

באו ועמדו – for after they blessed and read and did their Divine Service that is stated above, they came to the Ascent/steps in the front of the Temple Hall.

עמדו הראשונים – these are the five Kohanim that had the utensils in their hands.

וברכו את העם ברכה אחת – and theses are the three verses of the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), “May the LORD bless you and keep you;” ”May the LORD deal kindly with you and graciously with you;” “May the LORD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace.” But we call it one blessing because they would not answer Amen after tehm between each verse in the manner that they do outside of the Temple/Jerusalem.

את השם ככתבו – with a Yud, Heh, etc.

ובמדינה בכינויו – with an Aleph, Daleth, etc. for we don’t mention God’s name as it is written other than in the Temple alone, as it states (Exodus 20:21): “in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you.” They (i.e., the Rabbis) invert the order in which it is written and expound upon it: In every place where I will come to you and bless you – which is the Temple, there I will mention My name.

כנגד כתפותיהם – because they require the raising of their palms, as it is written (Leviticus 9:22): “Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them,” and it is written (Deuteronomy 18:5): “[For the LORD your God has chosen] him and his descendants, [out of all your tribes, to be in attendance for service in the name of the LORD] for all time;” just as it is he regarding the lifting of the palms, even his descendants (literally, “his sons,) for all time.

ובמקדש – when they bless the people with God’s ineffable Name, and the Divine Presence is above the second joints of their fingers, they raise their hands above from their heads.

שאין מגביה את ידו למעלה מן הציץ – because the name of God is written on it.

רבי יהודה אומר כו' – But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda (see also Tractate Sotah, Chapter 7, Mishnah 6, where the latter sections this Mishnah is also repeated).

באו ועמדו. לאחר שברכו וקראו ועשו העבודות האמורות לעיל, באו למעלות האולם:

עמדו הראשונים. אלו החמשה כהנים שבידם חמשה כלים כו׳:

וברכו את העם ברכה אחת. והן שלשה פסוקים של ברכת כהנים, יברכך, יאר, ישא. וקרי להו ברכה אחת, לפי שלא היו עונין אחריהן אמן בין פסוק לפסוק כדרך שעושים בגבולים:

את השם ככתבו. ביו״ד ה״א:

ובמדינה בכינויו. באל״ף דל״ת. שאין מזכירין את השם ככתבו אלא במקדש בלבד, שנאמר (שמות כ׳:כ״א) בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבוא אליך וברכתיך, סרסהו ודרשהו, בכל המקום אשר אבוא אליך וברכתיך, דהיינו במקדש, שם אזכיר את שמי:

כנגד כתפותיהם. לפי שצריכים נשיאת כפים, דכתיב וישא אהרן את ידיו אל העם ויברכם, וכתיב (דברים י״ח:ה׳) הוא ובניו כל הימים, מה הוא בנשיאות כפים, אף בניו בנשיאות כפים כל הימים:

ובמקדש. שמברכים את העם בשם המפורש ושכינה למעלה מקשרי אצבעותיהם, מגביהים ידיהם למעלה מראשיהם:

שאין מגביה ידיו למעלה מן הציץ. מפני שהשם כתוב בו:

ר׳ יהודה אומר כו׳ ואין הלכה כר׳ יהודה: