intended to increase the knowledge, interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hastening the realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.

A Unique Pirsuma D'Nisa in the Mikdash
A bit of background. The Feast of Lights, Chanukah, a Mikdash holiday par excellence, has come and gone. Be'ezrat Hashem, we have internalized something of its message and, as a result, we have renewed our dedication to Torat Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and the soon to be restored Beit HaMikdash. One evening during the Chag, a group of us were discussing some aspects of Beit HaMikdash Inyanei D'Yoma and we discovered (or we think we did) a "new concept in Pirsuma D'Nisa" which I think is truly fascinating. Even though by the time you read this, the Chanukiyot will have been cleaned and put away and the last of the latkes long eaten, nevertheless, I still wanted to share our "revelation" with you.

"And when they (Yehuda HaMaccabi and his men after they liberated the Beit HaMikdash) consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offering (in the Mikdash), which had been profaned, they thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them since the heathen had defiled it. Therefore they pulled it down, and concealed the stones in the Temple Mount in a convenient place, until there should arise a prophet to tell what should be done with them" (I Mac.4: 44-46). In describing the Beit HaMokeid, "the Chamber of the Hearth", a building located on the northern side of the Azara, the Mishna (Midot 1:6) refers to these very same stones. The interior of the Beit HaMokeid "had four chambers" - one in each corner - "like cells opening into a hall… And what were they used for? …In the (chamber) to the northeast, the 'sons of the Chashmona'im' had hidden away the stones which the Grecian Kings, i.e. Antiochus IV, had defiled…" Tif'eret Yisrael in his commentary on the Mishna (ibid.), raises a very interesting Halachic question. "When the Greeks ruled over Israel in the days of Antiochus, these evil doers sacrificed to Avoda Zara (pagan deities) on the holy altar in the Beit HaMikdash to cause Israel anguish. When the Chashmona'im liberated the Mikdash, they (dismantled the desecrated altar and) concealed the stones in this chamber. But why did they destroy the Mizbei'ach? We find everywhere (in the Halachic literature) that something (like an altar) which is attached to the ground is considered Halachically 'similar to the ground' (and therefore, like the ground, cannot be rendered ritually impure.) True it may be disgusting to offer sacrifice to G-d on such a desecrated altar; nevertheless, strictly speaking, Halachically, it is not forbidden to do so. How then were the Chashmona'im permitted to destroy it? By destroying the Mizbei'ach, didn't they violate the Biblical commandment (Devarim 12:4), 'You shall not do this to the Lord your G-d'? (In the previous Pasuk in the Torah, B'nei Yisrael are commanded to destroy heathen altars and the accoutrements of Avoda Zara; note the very incisive Rashi.) Tif'eret Yisrael answers his own question. "It seems to me that the Chashmona'im's motive in destroying the contaminated altar was to increase the glory of Heaven (because as a result of their action, no one could ever point to that particular altar and condescendingly say that sacrifices to Avoda Zara had been offered on it.) There- fore, the dismantling of the Mizbei'ach by the Chashmona'im would not be considered 'destroying (G-d's altar.)'" (Note Rambam's Hil. Beit HaBechira 1:17 and the Kesef Mishneh's comment.) "Bartenura" explains that in the Mishnaic tractates of Shekalim (5:4) and Tamid (3:3), this room is referred to as the Lishkat HaChotamot, the "Chamber of the Seals" or stamps.

When Olot, animal burnt offerings, and Shelamim, peace offerings were sacrificed (both public and private), they were accompanied by Nesachim; fine flour (Solet), mixed with oil and a measure of wine. (Nesachim also accompanied the sin and guilt offerings of the leper but were not brought with bird offerings.) The Solet would be mixed with olive oil, salted and cast into the fire on the Mizbei'ach at the time of sacrifice; the wine would be poured as a libation (Nisuch HaYayin) into a silver cup embedded in the south-west corner of the Mizbei'ach. The ingredients of the Nesachim had to be of the highest standards of ritual purity. In order to ensure that the Nesachim met these exacting standards, the Olei Regel, the pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem, obtained the Nesachim ingredients from the Mikdash authorities who supplied the necessary flour, oil and wine. "If anyone wanted to (acquire) "drink offerings (or meal offerings - the Nesachim) he would go to Johanan who was over the seals (whose office was in this chamber) and give him money and receive from him a Chotemet, a seal…" (Shekalim 5:4). When the Olei Regel entered Jerusalem, they first stopped at the stalls of the local bankers and money changers, (who had their businesses outside of the sacred precincts) to exchange their foreign currency for ritually acceptable coin. They could then purchase their sacrificial animals in the Jerusalem markets and their Nesachim at the Mikdash. We can picture the crowds of Olei Regel from near and far, some already leading their sacrificial animals, waiting patiently (?) to purchase their Chotamot. With Leviyim on hand to keep order, the moving lines of Olei Regel converged on the massive entrance of Lishkat HaChotamot on the northern side of the Beit HaMokeid. There, sitting behind a counter was "Johanan", the generic name of the superintendent who was "over the seals" and his staff. Johanan and his helpers efficiently collected the correct amounts of money from the Olei Regel (not all Korbanot required the same amount of Nesachim.) and swiftly handed out the appropriate Chotamot. Once the Oleh Regel had his Chotemet, he would then to go to "Ahijah" (another generic name, note the Mishna) who was in charge of the Mikdash storeroom containing the Nesachim. The Oleh Regel presented his Chotemet to Ahijah and received the quantity of Nesachim, probably pre-packaged, that he needed. No doubt Ahijah had a large staff to assist him in collecting the Chotamot and distributing the Nesachim. Ritually pure Nesachim in hand, the Oleh Regel entered the Azara with his Korban.

But Lishkat HaChotamot also served an instructive purpose. Lishkat HaChotamot was a relatively small room and certainly could not contain all the stones of the desecrated altar dismantled by the Maccabees. While it is likely that most of the stones were indeed stored somewhere on the Temple Mount as per I Maccabees; some probably were displayed in Lishkat HaChotamot for the edification of the masses of Olei Regel. Possibly the stones were accompanied by an exhibit depicting high points in the great struggle against Antiochus and his successors. The tens of thousands of Olei Regel, as they purchased their Chotamot, would view the profaned altar stones and recall the miracle of Chanuka. Can you imagine a greater Pirsuma D'Nisa than that?

Catriel Sugarman gives illustrated lectures on the Beit HaMikdash and related topics. He can be reached at(02) 652-7531 or acatriel@netvision.net.il

Catriel is in the process of writing a book entitled: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrims Prospective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service

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