Yoma 16

Chapter 16

א שזה פרישתו לקדושה ואחיו הכהנים נוגעין בו וזה פרישתו לטהרה ואין אחיו הכהנים נוגעין בו כמאן או ר"מ או רבי יוסי דאי ר' חנינא סגן הכהנים הא איכא נמי הא

1 that the latter is removed for the purpose of sanctity,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As the high priest was about to enter the sanctuary, he was removed from all, in order that he may, in solitude, take upon himself the holiness of the day, shed all pride of office and concentrate on his great responsibility viz.,to obtain forgiveness of sin for Israel. As for the priest of the heifer, v. p. 2, n. 2.');">1 and his fellow priests were permitted to touch him, whilst the former is removed for purposes of ritual and his colleagues forbidden to touch him. According to whom [is this teaching]?

ב מתקיף לה רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא בשלמא ראשון שמא שלישי שני שמא שלישי שלישי שמא שלישי חמישי שמא שביעי ששי שמא שביעי שביעי שמא שביעי

2 According to the opinion either of R'Meir or of R'Jose. For if it were in accord with the opinion of R'Hanina, deputy high priest, there would be one more point of difference.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For according to R. Hanina, there is this additional difference that the high priest is sprinkled on the third and seventh day only, whereas the priest who is to burn the heifer is sprinkled on each of the seven days.');">2 R'Jose, the son of R'Hanina demurred to this: It is quite right that we sprinkle him on the first day,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the priest's separation, Num. XIX, 19: And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean person on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day shall he purify him. Ibid. 12: But if he purify himself not on the third day and on the seventh day, he shall not be clean.');">3

ג אלא רביעי למה לי הזאה כלל לא בשלישי איכא לספוקי ולא בשביעי איכא לספוקי

3 because that may be the third of his impurity; similarly on the second, because that may be the third day of his impurity; on the third, because that may be the third day of his impurity; on the fifth, because that may be the seventh day of his impurity; on the sixth, because that may be the seventh day of his impurity; on the seventh, because that may be the seventh day of his impurity. But on the fourth day why should there be any sprinkling at all? That day could not be in doubt as being either the third day4

ד ולטעמיך הזאה כל שבעה מי איכא והא קיימא לן דהזאה שבות ואינה דוחה את השבת אלא מאי אית לך למימר שבעה לבר משבת הכא נמי שבעה לבר מרביעי

4 or the seventh day<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For if the fourth day of his separation were the seventh day of his impurity, then the day before his separation would needs have been the third day of his impurity, and not having been sprinkled on that day, he could not be sprinkled on the seventh day of his impurity (the fourth day of his separation) for a first sprinkling on the third day of the impurity is indispensable for the second sprinkling on the seventh day.');">5 of his impurity? - But, according to your own point of view, how can there be sprinkling throughout the seven days? For have we not an established rule that the sprinkling is forbidden as shebuth6

ה אמר רבא הלכך כהן גדול ביום הכפורים דלא בדידן תליא מילתא אלא בקביעא דירחא תליא מילתא בתלתא בתשרי בעי לאפרושי וכל אימת דמתרמי תלתא בתשרי מפרשינן ליה אבל כהן השורף את הפרה דבדידן תליא מילתא מפרשינן ליה ברביעי בשבת כי היכי דניתרמי רביעי שלו בשבת

5 and as such cannot override the Sabbath?7 - But you must then needs say: 'Seven days with the exception of the Sabbath', similarly here, 'Seven8 with the exception of the fourth day.'

ו ללשכת פרהדרין וכו' תניא רבי יהודה וכי לשכת פרהדרין היתה והלא לשכת בלווטי היתה

6 Rabah said: For that reason since the matter of the high priest on the Day of Atonement does not depend on us but on the fixing of the calendar,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'month'. His entering the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement on the tenth of Tishri depends only on the fixing of the new moon by the Sanhedrin (Cf. Sanh. 2a) , from which the tenth would be counted.');">9 he ought to be separated on the third of Tishri, and on whatever day the third of Tishri falls, we would remove him; but as to the priest who burns the heifer, since the matter depends on us,10 we should remove him on the fourth of the week, so that his fourth day would fall on the Sabbath.

ז אלא בתחלה היו קורין אותה לשכת בלווטי ומתוך שנותנין עליו ממון לכהונה ומחליפין אותה כל שנים עשר חודש כפרהדרין הללו שמחליפין אותם כל שנים עשר חודש לפיכך היו קוראין אותה לשכת פרהדרין

7 TO THE CELL OF THE COUNSELLORS etc. R'Judah said, Was it the 'cell of the parhedrin [counsellors], was it not rather the 'cell of the buleute11 [senators]'? Originally, indeed, it was called the 'cell of the buleute' but because money12

ח תנן התם הנחתומין לא חייבו אותן חכמים להפריש אלא תרומת מעשר וחלה

8 was being paid13 for the purpose of obtaining the position of high priest and the [high priests] were changed every twelve<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is not to be taken literally. On an average, as the Talmud tells later on, these high priests lasted twelve months, no longer. [MS.M. reads: 'They were changed by Heaven'. I.e., they did not survive the twelve months. Others: 'They were removed by the king when a higher price was offered him for the priesthood.' Rashi reads: 'They changed it,' 'it' referring to the chamber. Each new priest on his accession would set up a new chamber for himself.]');">14 months, like those counsellors, who are changed every twelve months,15

ט בשלמא תרומה גדולה לא דתניא

9 therefore it came to be called 'the cell of the counsellors'. We learnt elsewhere: upon the bakers<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Bakers who were 'Fellows' of the pharisaic order. As such they had to undertake scrupulous observance especially of the laws of levitical purity. The haberim (fellows) were distinguished from the great mass of the 'ame ha-arez, the untrained multitude, who were suspects as to levitical purity and also as to the payment of tithe. V. infra.');">16 the Sages imposed only the duty of setting apart17 enough for the heave-offering of tithe18 and hallah.19 Now, it is quite right [that they did not impose] the great heave-offering, because it has been taught:

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