{"id":10094,"date":"2006-06-08T21:16:00","date_gmt":"2006-06-08T21:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_yoma_2a8b\/"},"modified":"2015-10-21T12:43:05","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T17:43:05","slug":"masechet_yoma_2a8b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_yoma_2a8b\/","title":{"rendered":"Masechet Yoma 2a-8b"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Coming Week’s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n

This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n

This month’s Steinsaltz Daf Yomi is sponsored by\u00a0Dr. David Katzin\u00a0in memory of Jack and Eva Katzin, z\u201dl<\/em><\/p>\n

Yoma 2a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Masechet<\/a> Yoma<\/a><\/em> is a chronological presentation of the various activities that take place in preparation for the Temple service on Yom ha-Kippurim<\/a><\/em>, beginning with those things that need to be done prior to the holiday, and culminating with the day itself.<\/p>\n

The first Mishnah<\/a> in the Masechet<\/em> teaches how the kohen gadol<\/a><\/em> – the High Priest – is taken aside for an entire week of preparation and purification in anticipation of Yom Kippur<\/em>. Since the entire complicated service will be done by him, reaching a climax with his entering the kodesh kodashim<\/a><\/em> – the Holy of Holies – it was clear that serious preparation was essential. The Sages of the Talmud<\/a> learned this from the Torah<\/a>‘s description of the Tabernacle in the desert, where Aharon<\/a> and his sons were confined for a week during the ceremonies\u00a0inaugurating the Mishkan<\/a><\/em> to practice the service that needed to be done afterwards.<\/p>\n

This preparation became even more important during the Second Temple<\/a> period. Although the ideal kohen gadol<\/em> should have been a scholar and righteous person, for a variety of reasons the person who filled the position during that period often did not live up to that expectation. \u00a0This led the Sages to institute rules that would ensure that the High Priest would be knowledgeable in the service that he was to perform, and that he would do it
\ncorrectly.<\/p>\n

Aside from the day of Yom Kippur<\/em>, all of the kohanim<\/a><\/em> have the opportunity, and, in fact, were required, to take a turn in the Temple service. Our Gemara<\/a> asks whether every bet av<\/em> – family of priests – should be required to spend a week preparing for their turn working in the Beit ha-Mikdash<\/a><\/em>, a suggestion ultimately rejected by the Gemara.<\/p>\n

The idea of priestly families \u2013 of a bet av<\/em> \u2013 stems from a very early division of the kohanim<\/em> – as early as the time of King David<\/a> (see I Divrei ha-Yamim<\/a> 24:1-18<\/a>) – into 24 mishmarot<\/a><\/em> (watches). The same number existed during the Second Temple, as well, although it was a new division of labor, since only four priestly families returned to serve in the Second Temple. Each of the 24 “watches” was divided into six families (bet av<\/em>). Every “watch” would go up to Jerusalem<\/a> to work for one week at a time, so that in the course of a year each “watch” would work approximately two weeks. During the festivals of Pesach<\/a><\/em>, Shavuot<\/a><\/em> and Sukkot<\/a><\/em> all the kohanim<\/em> would come to work together.<\/p>\n

During the week that a given mishmar<\/em> was in the Temple, each bet av<\/em> would work on a specific day, and only if there was an inordinate amount of work would a second family join them. Thus, generally speaking, every family of kohanim<\/em> would work on two set days during the year.<\/p>\n

\n

Yoma 3a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

We learned in yesterday’s daf<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that the Sages of the Talmud<\/a> derived the need for a seven-day preparation for the Yom Kippur<\/a><\/em> service from the Torah<\/a>‘s description of the Tabernacle in the desert. In that case the High Priest Aharon<\/a> and his sons were confined for a week during the ceremonies inaugurating the Mishkan<\/a><\/em> so that they would practice the service that needed to be done afterwards. Specifically, the Gemara<\/a> refers to Vayikra<\/a> 8:33-34<\/a>, where the Torah teaches that the week of preparation was a model for a situation where kapparah<\/em> – atonement – was offered, which is understood to mean Yom Kippur<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Gemara on our daf<\/em> discusses how we know that the passages in Vayikra that talk about kapparah<\/em> refer to preparation for Yom Kippur<\/em>; perhaps they are teaching that other holidays – like Rosh ha-Shanah<\/a><\/em>, for example – need such preparation. The Gemara points to the uniqueness of Yom Kippur<\/em> as a holiday on which the kohen gadol<\/a><\/em> brings his own sacrifice, similar to the personal sacrifice brought by Aharon ha-Kohen at the consecration of the Mishkan<\/em>. This is significantly different than other holidays – including Rosh ha-Shanah<\/em> -where the sacrifices brought were communal ones.<\/p>\n

The conclusion of the Gemara is clear that, with regard to Yom Kippur<\/em>, some sacrifices were the personal property of the High Priest. It points out, though, that there are some things that were used in the Temple whose ownership is less clear. The baraita<\/a><\/em> quotes Rabbi Yoshia<\/a>, who claims that every time the Torah uses the expression kakh lekha<\/em> (literally “take for you,” as in the command to make the incense<\/a> \u2013 see Shmot<\/a> 30:34<\/a>) or a’se lekha<\/em> (“make for you,” as in the command to make silver trumpets – see Bamidbar<\/a> 10:2<\/a>) it means that the object should be taken or made from the property of the person who was commanded about it.\u00a0 Rabbi Yonatan<\/a> argues that both of these expressions are still to be understood as commanding that the object be taken from community funds. These expressions are used in order to indicate that God was saying that he preferred to take it from Moshe<\/a>, rather than from the Jewish people.<\/p>\n

This rather enigmatic statement is explained by the Maharsha<\/a> as follows: Since the entire world belongs to God, there is nothing that can be “given” to him, and it is impossible to discuss a physical thing that He “wants” from this world. Therefore, His command to offer something to Him means that He is honoring Moshe by accepting something from him, and He would prefer to honor Moshe than the Jewish people.<\/p>\n

\n

Yoma 4a-b<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

As we learned previously, the Sages of the Talmud<\/a> derived the need for a seven-day preparation for the Yom Kippur<\/a><\/em> service from the Torah<\/a>‘s description of the Tabernacle<\/a> in the desert. An alternative source is suggested by Resh Lakish<\/a>, who proposes that this rule is derived from the story of Moshe<\/a> receiving the commandments on Mount Sinai<\/a>. The Torah describes Moshe as being enveloped by a cloud for six days and entering God’s presence on the seventh day (see Shmot<\/a> 24:16<\/a>). This teaches that someone who is about to enter machane shekhinah<\/a><\/em> – the “encampment of God” – needs a week of preparation to do so.<\/p>\n

The Gemara<\/a> quotes a baraita<\/a><\/em> that includes at least one Tanna<\/a><\/em> who supports Reish Lakish. Several opinions are presented about thesix days that Moshe was in the cloud:<\/p>\n