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Week 44 - Tuesday - 26 September 2000

TA'ANIT : CHAPTER 4: MISHNAH 1

Three periods during the year kohanim raise their hands four times during the day - in Shaharit, in Musaf, and in Minhah, and in the "closing of the gates": on the fasts, and the ma'amadot, and on Yom Kippur.

Kehati

The mishnah now instructs us regarding the raising of the hands in blessing (nesi'at kapayim) on a fastday, for on a non-fast day the kohanim pronounce their blessing only during the Shemoneh Esreh prayer of Shaharit, at the conclusion of the Modim blessing. When Musaf is recited, the kohanim pronounce their blessing in both the Shaharit and Musaf services. Kohanim do not bless during the Minhah service, lest they bless while under the influence of wine (intoxication invalidates a kohen from reciting the blessing, as stated in the Gemara: "Why does the section dealing with the kohen who blesses appear next to that of the nazir? To teach that just as a nazir is prohibited from wine, so, too, a kohen who blesses is prohibited from wine" [Ta'an. 26b]). The mishnah also states that on a fastday the kohanim bless during the Minhah service as well, for there is no chance of intoxication. It also states that on the days in which the Ne'ilah service is recited, the kohanim bless during this prayer as well. When is the Ne'ilah prayer recited? The Jerusalem Talmud says that it is at the time of the closing (ne'ilah) of the sanctuary gates in the Temple; Rashi writes that it is at the closing of the gates of Heaven, in the evening, at the conclusion of the prayers. Rambam writes: "Similarly, they instituted a prayer after the Minhah prayer, close to sunset, only on a fastday, in order to add supplications and requests for the fastday; this is the prayer called Ne'ilah, i.e., the gates of Heaven close behind the sun and it is concealed, for it is recited only close to sunset" (Hil Tefillah 1:7).

Three periods during the year the kohanim raise their hands - bless the congregation while raising their hands, four times during the day - as follows: in Shaharit, in Musaf, and in Minhah, and in - the prayer which is recited at the time of the closing of the gates - as was explained in the introduction to this mishnah; this "closing" (ne'ilah) is the source of the name of the Ne'ilah prayer. These are the three periods:

On the public fasts, and the ma'amadot - the prayers of the members of the ma'amadot (see the following mishnah), and on Yom Kippur - the wording of the mishnah implies that there were four prayers (Shaharit, Musaf, Minhah, and Ne'ilah) in these three periods, and the kohanim would raise their hands during each prayer. This appears to be the opinion of Rambam (Hil. Kelei Ha-Mikdash 6:4), and is implicit in the Jerusalem Talmud. The Babylonian Talmud, however, questions this and asks rhetorically, is there a Musaf service on fastdays and on ma'amadot? And the Gemara replies with the assumption that there is a lacuna in the mishnah: "At three periods during the year the kohanim raise their hands whenever they pray" (i.e., Shaharit, Minhah, and Ne'ilah - Rashi), and in some instances "four times during the day - in Shaharit, in Musaf, and in Minhah, and in the closing of the gates" (i.e., on Yom Kippur). And these are the three periods: "on the fasts, and on the ma'amadot, and on Yom Kippur."

This mishnah follows the opinion of Rabbi Meir that on a fastday the kohanim bless the congregation during Minhah as well, since there is no chance of intoxication (see the introduction to the mishnah). The accepted ruling, however, is that of Rabbi Yose that even on a fastday kohanim do not bless during Minhah, for the prohibition against doing so during Minhah on a regular day is extended to a fastday. "To what does this prohibition refer? This refers to the fastdays on which they recite the Minhah and Ne'ilah prayers, e.g., Yom Kippur and a public fastday, but on a fastday in which there is no Ne'ilah prayer (e.g., the Ninth of Av and the seventeenth day of Tammuz), since their Minhah prayer is recited close to sunset, it resembles Ne'ilah, and is unlikely to be confused with the Minhah of a regular day; therefore, the raising of the hands is performed in it" (Rambam, Hil. Tefillah 14:1-2).

TA'ANIT: CHAPTER 4: MISHNAH 2

Which are the ma'amadot? As it is written, "Command the children of Israel, and say to them: My offering my food" (Num. 28:2); and how can the offering of one be done, if he does not stand by its side? The Early Prophets established twenty-four divisions; for each division there was in Jerusalem a deputation [ma'amad] of kohanim, of Levites, and Israelites. When the time of the division arrives, the kohanim and Levites go up to Jerusalem, and Israelites of the division gather in their towns to read the section of the Creation.

Kehati

Incidental to the preceding mishnah, this mishnah explains the subject of the ma'amadot.

Which are the ma'amadot? And why were they established? As it is written - in the Torah section concerning the daily sacrifices, "Command the children of Israel, and say to them: My offering my food… you shall observe to offer Me in its due season" - we learn from this that all Israel is commanded to offer a sacrifice daily;

And how can the offering of one be done, if he does not stand by its side? - I.e., any individual who brings a sacrifice is obligated to stand in the azarah while it is being offered; however, regarding a public sacrifice, such as a tamid, or a musaf sacrifice, it is unfeasible for all Israel to be in the Temple Inner Court (azarah) while it is being offered.

Therefore,

The Early Prophets - Samuel and King David (Rashi), established twenty-four divisions - they divided the kohanim and the Levites into twenty-four priestly divisions and twenty-four Levitical divisions, and similarly, the Israelites were divided into twenty-four deputations; for each division there was in Jerusalem a deputation [ma'amad] of kohanim - at their service in the Temple, of Levites - in their singing and music, and of Israelites - in their deputation, for each week another division of kohanim and Levites would serve in the Temple, and similarly, another deputation of Israelites would stand (omed) in the Temple Inner Court, as representatives of all Israel at the time the public sacrifices were being offered.

When the time of the division arrives - to go up to Jerusalem, kohanim and Levites - according to another version, "its kohanim and its Levites," i.e., all the kohanim and all the Levites of this division, go up to Jerusalem - as was explained above: the kohanim to their service, the Levites to their singing and music,

And Israelites of the division - of that week, i.e., all those who had not gone up to Jerusalem, for not all the Israelites in the division would go to Jerusalem, but would gather in their towns - according to another version, "within their towns," i.e., they would gather in the synagogues in their towns and engage greatly in prayer that the sacrifices of Israel would be acceptable to the Lord, to read the section of the Creation - to make known the connection between the Temple service and the continued existence of the world, as it is written, "If it were not for the ma'amadot, the heavens and the earth would not exist" (Ta'an. 27b), for as long as the Temple service exists, the world is blessed, together with its inhabitants, and rain falls at its proper time. Rambam writes, in his commentary on the Mishnah, "Whoever from among the people of this ma'amad who was close to Jerusalem would be in the Temple at the time the sacrifice was offered up, together with the kohanim and the Levites in the same division, and those who were distant from Jerusalem would gather in their synagogues, pray, and read about the Creation." Bartenura also follows Rambam's interpretation; according to most of the commentaries, however, the members of the ma'amad in Jerusalem also would engage greatly in prayer each day and read the section of the Creation.

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