SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...
A series of articles on Beit HaMikdash-related topics by Catriel Sugarman 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.

The Segan and Meir Hakohein bring Shelamim
Yom Kippur and Sukkot were over and the Segan had much to be thankful for. The masses of Olei Regel had come and gone and B"H, there were no major mishaps. No Oleh Regel remained in a state of impurity, no Oleh Regel lacked a roof over his head during the Chag, and no Oleh Regel lacked a sacrificial animal for his Korban, Arba Minim or S'chach for his Sukka. On Yom Kippur, he had substituted for the Kohein Gadol, competently performed the Avoda, and had "departed in peace from the Kodesh Hakodashim". And as exhilarating as the experience of offering Ketoret in the Kodesh Hakodashim was, it simply PALED before the rapture that he felt in his heart when he saw how the red wool "ribbon" hanging over the door of the Heichal had turned white. The sage R. Yishma'el had said that if Am Yisrael merited it, the red ribbon turned white, and this year, just like in the days of the legendary Shim'on Hatzadik, it also turned white! Such an extraordinary miraculous phenomenon did not go unnoticed by the masses of people in the Azara! When they saw the miracle, they started dancing and singing, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall [be forgiven and be] as white as snow". They were so excited that it took quite a while before they quieted down and the Avoda could continue. Even Rav Reuven's "Time Motion Study for the Kohein Gadol for Yom Kippur" never took such an incredible spontaneous demonstration of joy like that into account! After Ne'ila, the Segan and Meir Hakohein broke their fast in a side room. The Segan was soooo tired. Slipping a pillow under the Segan's head, Meir let him rest for an hour. Then Meir nudged him. "Enough! You have to get up now. Am Yisrael wants to see their Kohein Gadol! You cannot disappoint them!"

An hour later, surrounded by an accompanying honor guard of young Kohanim, the Kohein Gadol and Meir exited the Mikdash and stepped into the brisk night air. To the cheers of hundreds of thousands, the priestly entourage passed through the Eastern Gate. (After Ne'ila, everybody had gone home, broken their fast, rested a few minutes and returned to as close to Har Habayit as they could get. Even the people who had not spent Yom Kippur in the Mikdash were there, men, women and children.)

Filling the vast Har Habayit plaza and the all the adjoining streets, the size of the white-clad throng was unbelievable and growing by the minute. Everybody wanted to celebrate the man who came forth safely from Kodesh Hakodashim and obtained forgiveness of the sins of Am Yisrael. As the priestly entourage slowly inched forward through the adoring crowd, the masses of doting people started to jump up and down. With a spirit of exaltation, they burst into enthusiastic song.

"How was he glorified when the people gathered around him, In his coming out of the House of the Veil.

So was the visage of the kohen!
He was like a morning star in the midst of the cloud,
Like a full moon on festival days.
Like the sun shining on the Temple of the Most High,
Like a rainbow giving light in clouds of glory.
Like a flower of roses on new-moon days,
Like a lily by springs of water.
Like a shoot of Lebanon on summer days.
Like fire and incense upon the censor….."

Then suddenly the heavens lit up; gold, silver, pink, white, green, blue, purple, every color of the rainbow and then some! The sky became full of sparkling celestial wheels, palm trees, waterfalls; there was a barrage of globes, shooting stars, and chrysanthemums. "See, in the old days, the people used to greet their Kohein Gadol carrying torches," whispered Meir, "today, they meet him with fireworks!" At that moment, the Kohein Gadol - Segan decided to bring Shelamim in thanksgiving. He would ask his old friend, Meir Hakohein, to be his partner. Shelamim were one of those Korbanot that could be brought in partnership.

The Mishna states, "Shelamim - the 'Peace Offering' are Kodashim Kalim, they were slaughtered anywhere in the Azara and their blood required two acts of sprinkling (which are indeed four) and they could be eaten anywhere in the City (of Jerusalem), by anyone, and cooked for food after any fashion, during two days and a night… (Zevachim 5:7). The term "Shelamim is from the word "Shalom" - peace - because the Shelamim ' bought peace to the world' since the Mizbei'ach, the Kohanim and the Ba'al Hakorban all received their share.' The blood application was similar to the Olah and the Asham, i.e. the blood was thrown on the northeast and southwest corners of the Mizbei'ach. The ministering Kohein took care that the blood splattered on all four sides. The Ba'alei Hakorban brought Shelamim to convey joy and thanksgiving, and after the events of the last couple of months, the Segan felt he had what to be joyous and thankful for. On the appointed morning, the Segan and Meir led a female calf into the Azara. They could just have easily chosen a sheep or goat of either sex for their sacrificial animal. Since Shelamim were sacrifices of a lower level of sanctity - they could be slaughtered anywhere in the Azara, however, because of the superior facilities in the area to the north of the Mizbei'ach, the Segan and Meir took their Shelamim to be slaughtered there. The first Ba'al Hakorban, the Segan, stood behind his sacrificial animal and faced the Bayit. Performing Semicha, he placed both hands on the calf's head and pressed down with all his might all the while reciting words of praise. Then the second Ba'al Hakorban, Meir followed suit. When he finished, they lowered the animal to the floor and opened one of the 24 iron rings embedded in the stone floor and placed the head of the animal inside, "its head to the south and its face to the west." The Segan made use of his newly honed Shechita abilities and slaughtered the calf while Meir Hakohein caught the blood in a Kli Shareit, brought it to the Mizbei'ach, and tossed it on the northeast and southwest corners. He poured the remaining blood in the vessel into one of the two holes in the southwest corner of the Yesod. Naftali, the chief Shocheit of the Mikdash, swiftly dismembered the slaughtered animal and the three Kohanim "waved" the Emurim (the portions burnt on the Mizbei'ach), the breast and the right hind thigh. Taking salt from a pile on the Kevesh, the Kohanim salted the Emurim and tossed them into the fire on the Mizbei'ach. The remainder of the calf's meat belonged to the Ba'alei Hakorban and Naftali expertly removed the sciatic nerve from the hindquarters.

It was a wonderful evening. Family, friends, and neighbors (all in a state of purity) gathered on Meir Hakohein's spacious veranda overlooking Har Habayit. The massive gold and white Bayit dominated the horizon. The Segan, Meir Hakohein and some of the guests took turns in giving Divrei Torah. As the meat of the Shelamim roasted, Meir's gracious wife Yehudit saw to her guest's comfort. In fact, she even gave a Devar Torah of her own! Before they made Hamotzi, everyone dipped their hands in the Mikveh that Meir, like so many other Kohanim, had on his premises. This immersion of the hands had been ordained by the Sages before the eating of Kodashim. And as the evening progressed, interspersed between the songs, the Segan and Meir said words of praise.

Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim’s Perspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service