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Week 45 - Wednesday - 4 October 2000

MEGILLAH: CHAPTER 1: MISHNAH 9

There is no difference between the Kohen anointed with the oil of anointing and the Kohen with a larger number of garments, except the bullock which comes for all the commandments. There is no difference between an officiating Kohen and a Kohen who passed except for the bullock of Yom Kippur and the tenth of the efah.

Kehati

During the period of the First Temple, the Kohen Gadol was anointed on appointment with the oil of anointing. Starting, however, from the time of King Josiah, and during the period of the Second Temple, the oil of anointing was unavailable because it had been hidden by Josiah. The Kohen Gadol was initiated into office by a large number of garments, i.e., four garments in addition to the four garments he had worn until his appointment (a common Kohen served while wearing four garments, while the Kohen Gadol served while wearing eight garments - see Yoma 7:5). This is why the Kohen Gadol was called "the one with a larger number of garments."

There is no difference between the Kohen anointed with the oil of anointing and the one with a larger number of garments, except the bullock which comes for all the commandments - if an anointed Kohen transgresses "any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done," i.e., he erred and granted himself permission to do something, for whose intentional transgression he is liable karet and for whose unintentional transgression he is liable to bring a hatat sacrifice, and he did this on the basis of his own teaching, he is obligated to bring a bullock, as it is written, "If any one shall sin through error, in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of them: if the anointed kohen shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bullock without blemish to the Lord for a hatat" (Lev. 4:2-3). If, however, the Kohen with a larger number of garments erred, in teaching and in practice, regarding "any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done," he does not bring a bullock as a hatat, rather a ewe or a she-goat, as is the law regarding a common Kohen who erred unintentionally (Lev. 4:27ff.).

If a Kohen Gadol became unfit, another was appointed in his stead. When the first one became fit once again, he returned to officiate. From then on, the first is called "an officiating Kohen," and the second is called "a Kohen who passed."

There is no difference between an officiating Kohen and a Kohen who passed except for the bullock of Yom Kippur - for the officiating Kohen Gadol, and not the Kohen who passed, offers it, and the tenth of the efah - as it is written, "This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord in the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an efah of fine flour for a minhah perpetually, half of it in the morning, and half thereof in the evening…And the anointed Kohen that shall be in his stead from among his sons shall offer it" (Lev. 6:13-15). This sacrifice is called "minhat havitin." The Kohen Gadol offers it in its entirety every day; it is offered only by the officiating Kohen Gadol, and not by the one who passed. Regarding all other matters, however, such as the Yom Kippur service, the prohibition against marrying a widow, and the prohibition against becoming unclean for relatives, both are equal, as is taught in detail in Tractate Horayot (3:4).

MEGILLAH: CHAPTER 1: MISHNAH 10

There is no difference between a Great Altar and a small altar, except Pesah sacrifices. This is the general rule: What one vowed and donated freely is offered on the altar, but what is neither vowed nor donated freely is not offered on the altar.

Kehati

Prior to the consecration of the Tabernacles in the wilderness, the Israelites had been permitted to offer sacrifices on altars [bamot] erected in the places of their choice, as sacrifices had been offered from the time of Adam to Moses. When the Tabernacle had been consecrated, it became forbidden to offer sacrifices except on the Altar in the Tabernacle (see Lev. 17:4). After Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River and the establishment of the Tabernacle at Gilgal, it became once again permitted to offer sacrifices on all bamot, since the holy ark was not inside the Tabernacle, for it accompanied the Israelites in their wars. I.e., any Israelite was permitted to build for himself an altar, wherever he wanted, and to offer sacrifices upon it. The Altar in the Tabernacle was called the "Great Altar [bamah]," or the "Public Altar," and each private altar was called a "small altar [bamah]." When the Israelites came to Shiloh and established the Tabernacle there (Josh. 18:1), bamot were again prohibited, because the Altar and the Ark were placed in the Tabernacle. After Shiloh was destroyed and the Ark was captured by the Philistines, during the time of Eli the Kohen (I Sam. 3), the Tabernacle was brought to the city of Nob, where it stood for thirteen years. After Nob was destroyed, during the time of King Saul (as related in I Sam., chaps. 21-22), the Tabernacle was moved to Gibeon, as it is written, "And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place [bamah]" (I K. 3:4); remaining there for forty-four years. During the Nob-Gibeon period, bamot were permitted once again (see Zev. 119a for the reason for this), until the Temple was built in Jerusalem, when the bamot were prohibited forever. The mishnah deals with the period when bamot were permitted, and states the difference between the Great Altar and a small Altar.

There is no difference between a Great Altar - the public altar in the Tabernacle, in Gilgal, Nob, and Gibeon, and a small altar - a private altar, which anyone would make in any place, except Pesah sacrifices - for an individual would not offer the Pesah sacrifice on a small altar, but only on the Great Altar. The Gemara explains that the mishnah does not refer to Pesah sacrifices only, but to all obligatory sacrifices which have a fixed time as does the Pesah sacrifice, such as the tamid and musaf sacrifices: and they, too, may be offered only on the Great Altar. Obligatory sacrifices which do not have a fixed time, such as the bullock offered for something hidden from the eyes of the Assembly (see Lev. 4:13-14), would not be offered, not even on the Great Altar.

This is the general rule: Whatever - sacrifice has become obligatory because - a person vowed and - or, donated freely is offered on the -- small - altar - but rather on the Great Altar, excluding obligatory sacrifices which do not have a fixed time, which may be offered neither on the Great Altar nor on a small altar (see above).

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