meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt_done/Mishnah/Seder Kodashim/Mishnah Tamid/English/Open Mishnah.txt"}
text: Mishnah Tamid
  משנה תמיד
  Open Mishnah
  
  
  Mishnah Tamid
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The appointed [priest] said to them: “Say one blessing” [one right before the Shema], and they blessed.  They then recited the Ten Commandments, 'Shema', 'Vehaya im Shamoa' and 'Vayomer' [the three paragraphs of the Shema].   They also blessed the people with these three blessings: <i>Emet Veyatsiv</i> [the blessing that follows the Shema in the morning prayer], <i>Avodah</i> [the blessing in <i>Shemoneh Esreh</i> calling for G-D to accept the Temple service], and the <i>Birkat Kohanim</i> [the Priestly Blessing].  On Shabbat, they added a blessing for the watch that was leaving.
  He [the appointed priest] said to them: The new [priests who have never offered] the incense, come and draw lots. They drew lots and the one who won, won. He said to them: The new and the old [priests], come and draw lots [to determine] who will bring up the limbs from the ramp to the altar. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: The one who would bring up the limbs to the ramp, he would be the one who would bring them up to the top of the altar.
  They [the ones who lost the lottery] were given over to the caretakers. They would remove their [priestly] garments and would not leave anything on except for their pants. And there were cubicles [in the wall, used for storage of the clothing] and on each [cubicle] was written what garment was put there.
  The one who won [the right] to [offer] the incense would take the spoon. The spoon was similar to a large gold <i>Tarkav</i> [measurement of volume] that could hold three kav [measurement of volume]  and in it there was a censer filled and piled with incense. There was a cover [on the spoon] with a cloth attached to it from above.
  The one who won [the right] to [do] the shovel  [service] took the silver shovel and went to the top of the [copper] altar and pushed the coals to this side and that side and scooped [some coals]. He went down and poured it onto a [shovel of] gold. Approximately one <i>kav</i> [measurement of volume] of coals would scatter [when the coals were transferred], and he [another kohen] would sweep them to the ditch [that ran though the Temple Courtyard]. And on Shabbat [when he could not sweep the coals] he would cover them with a <i>psakhter</i> [a copper pot]. The copper pot was a large vessel that could hold a <i>letekh</i> [a measurement of volume] and there were two chains [attached] to it, one that he would use to pull on [when lowering the ash] and the pot would come down [the altar's ramp] and one that he [another kohen] would grab from on top it in order to prevent it from rolling [off the altar's ramp]. It [the copper pot] had three functions: they would cover the coals [that spilled on Shabbat] or [to cover] a [dead] rodent [found in the Temple courtyard on Shabbat], and they would lower the ash from on top of the altar [into it].
  They [the two priests designated to bring the incense and the coals] arrived at the area between the vestibule [of the sanctuary] and the [copper] altar and one took the <i>Magrefa</i> [a shovel-shaped instrument that makes loud sound when thrown] and threw it between the vestibule and the altar. No one could hear the sound of his friend in Jerusalem [when it was thrown] because of the [loud] sound of the <i>Magrefa</i>. And [the trowing] served three functions: A kohen [standing outside] who heard its sound knew that his brothers, the priests were [currently] entering [the sanctuary] to bow  down and he would run and go [to join them]. A Levi that heard its sound knew that his brother Levites were entering to sing the [daily] song and he would run [to join them]. And the head of the <i>Ma'amad</i> [one of 24 regions, each of which sent in turn a delegation to the Temple to be present and represent the entire people at the public sacrifices] would gather the impure people at the eastern gate [of the Temple Mount].  