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Week 32 - Wednesday - 5 July 2000

YOMA: CHAPTER 7 : MISHNA 5

The High Priest serves in eight pieces of vestments, and the common priest in four: in the tunic, breeches, turban and girdle. The High Priest adds to these the breastplate, the ephod the robe and the frontlet. In these were the urim ve-tumim consulted; and they were consulted only for the king, the Court and for one of whom the public had need.

Kehati

The High Priest serves - the entire year, in eight pieces of vestments and the common priest serves in four pieces of garments: in the tunic, breeches, turban and girdle - as it is written, "And for Aaron's sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make for them girdles, and turbans shall you make for them...And you shall make them linen breeches" (Ex. 28:40, 42). All of these were made of white flax. The migbaot (turban) mentioned in the Torah is called in this mishnah mitznefet. The High Priest adds to these - the following four additional "golden garments": the breastplate - which was woven from five types of thread: gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. The manner of its manufacture is specified in Ex. 28:15-26, where it is written, "And you shall put in the breastplate of judgement the urim ve-tumim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually" (ibid., v. 30), the ephod - which, like the breastplate, was woven from five types of thread; it was a type of apron which the priest wore over his clothes, on his back, and tied in front, over his heart. The details of its manufacture are given in Ex. 28:6-14, the robe - made of blue alone had golden bells on its hem, so that their sound should be heard upon his entry into the holy place (ibid., vv. 31-35),

And the frontlet - a golden plate, bearing the inscription "Holy to the Lord," which he wore on his forehead, as specified in the Torah (ibid., vv. 36-38).

In these were the urim ve-tumim consulted - i.e., the urim ve-tumim were consulted only when the High Priest was wearing these eight garments. How were the urim ve-tumim consulted? The High Priest stood facing the Ark, and the person asking stood behind him, facing the High Priest's back (according to another opinion, he faced the High Priest - Rashi), and the consulting person said, "Should I do such-and-such a thing or should I not?" He asked neither in a loud voice nor did he meditate, but rather spoke softly, as if praying to himself, and the Divine Spirit rested upon the priest, who looked at the breastplate, and could distinguish letters standing out in the breastplate, telling him to do or not to do such-and-such, for the breastplate contained all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in the names of the twelve tribes which were written on the stones of the breastplate, followed by the words, "the tribes of the Lord." Furthermore, the names, "Abraham, Isaac, Jacob" were written on it. Through the Divine Spirit which rested on him, the High Priest knew how to combine these prominent letters together in order to understand their meaning. This is the meaning of the statement in the Gemara: one inquired of a priest who speaks by means of the Divine Spirit and upon whom the Divine Presence rests, but one does not inquire of a priest who does not speak by means of the Divine Spirit and upon whom the Divine Presence does not rest (Yoma 73a-b; Rambam, in his commentary on the Mishnah; Rambam, Hil. Kelei ha-Mikdash 10:11);

And they - the urim ve-tumim, were consulted only for the king and - or, for the Court - the Great Court, and - or, for one of whom the public had need - as it is written, "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgement of the urim before the Lord; at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation" (Num. 27:21). The Sages interpreted "he" as meaning the king (since the Biblical text refers to Joshua bin Nun); "and all the children of Israel with him" means the one Anointed for Battle (for all the children of Israel are with him, to go forth to war after him - Rashi). Rambam adds, or one whose inquiry the public requires; "even all the congregation" - this refers to the Sanhedrin, who are called "congregation", as it is written, "Then the congregation shall judge" (Num. 35:24).

YOMA: CHAPTER 8 : MISHNA 1

On Yom Kippur eating and drinking and washing and anointing and putting on sandals and marital intercourse are forbidden. A king and a bride may wash their faces, and the women after childbirth may put on sandals; so Rabbi Eliezer. But the Sages prohibit it.

Kehati

We have already mentioned that this last chapter of the Tractate discusses the physical afflictions of Yom Kippur, as well as the topics of repentance and atonement. This mishnah teaches that the physical afflictions of Yom Kippur include five prohibitions.

On Yom Kippur eating and drinking and washing - with water, and anointing - with oil, and putting on leather sandals and marital intercourse are forbidden - the Gemara explains that eating and drinking are regarded as one prohibition, for drinking is included in the category of "eating," and that the five physical afflictions of Yom Kippur correspond to the five times that "affliction" appears in the Torah: (1) "in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls" (Lev. 16:29); (2) "It is a sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls" (ibid., v. 31); (3) "Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement...and you shall afflict your souls" (Lev. 23:27); (4) "It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls" (ibid., v.32); (5) And on the tenth day of this seventh month...and you shall afflict your souls" (Num. 29:7). But the warning "For whatever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from his people" (Lev. 23:29) refers only to eating and drinking; the violation of the other prohibitions is not punishable by karet.

The commentators differ as to the reason for this law. According to one opinion, all the afflictions are indeed by Torah law, as a baraita teaches: "Whence do we know that washing, anointing and the putting on of sandals, and marital intercourse are prohibited? The word shabbaton teaches this" ("It is a sabbath of solemn rest [shabbat shabbaton] to you, and you shall afflict your souls" [Lev. 16:31]; this includes the other afflictions, besides that of not eating and drinking). However, the main kind of "affliction of the soul" is the refraining from eating and drinking (as the Gemara also learns from the Biblical texts), and the punishment of karet was therefore given only in regard to this affliction (Rabbeinu Nissim). According to another opinion, the Torah commands us only regarding affliction of the soul, which entails only the prohibition of eating and drinking, and the punishment of karet refers only to this. The other afflictions, however, were imposed only by Rabbinical law, and all the expositions from the Biblical texts are only ashakhtot (Biblical supports) (Tosafot; Hameiri). However, even according to those who hold that the other afflictions are also commanded by Torah law, the penalty for transgressing them is not as severe as for eating and drinking, since they are not stated explicitly in the Torah (for the Torah states only "affliction of the soul," which refers only to the prohibition of eating and drinking), but are inferred from the additional word shabbaton, as explained above, and the Torah left it to the discretion of the Sages to be lenient or not regarding them (Rabbeinu Nissim).

A king and a bride may wash their faces - on Yom Kippur; the king is permitted, because it is written, "Your eyes shall behold the king in his beauty" (Isa. 33:17), and the bride lest she become unattractive to her husband. The Gemara explains that in this respect she has the status of "bride" for thirty days following her wedding.

And the woman after childbirth may put on sandals - on Yom Kippur, because she will suffer from the cold (Gemara); so Rabbi Eliezer - who refers also to the law regarding the king and the bride. But the Sages prohibit it - even the king and the bride from washing their faces, and even the woman after childbirth from putting on sandals. The halakhah follows Rabbi Eliezer.

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