Sukkah, Daf Nun Gimmel, Part 4
Introduction
The Talmud now goes on to explain more sections of the mishnah that outlined the end of the Simchat Bet Hashoevah ritual.
ועמדו כהנים בשער העליון שיורד כו’.
בעי רבי ירמיה: למעלה עשירית דנחית חמשה וקאי אעשרה, או דלמא דנחית עשרה וקאי אחמשה? – תיקו.
Two priests stood by the upper gate which leads down etc. R. Jeremiah asked: [What is meant by] "the tenth step"? Does it mean that they descended five [of the fifteen] and stood upon the remaining ten, or rather that they descended ten and stood upon the five?
The question stands.
On their way down the steps to proceed out of the Temple, the priests would stop on the tenth step and blow the shofar. R. Yirmiyah tends to ask questions that are a bit nudnicky. Here he asks whether this was the tenth step from the top or the bottom. There is no answer to the question.
תנו רבנן: ממשמע שנאמר +יחזקאל ח+ ופניהם קדמה איני יודע שאחוריהם אל היכל ה’? אלא מה תלמוד לומר אחוריהם אל היכל ה’ – מלמד שהיו פורעין עצמן, ומתריזין כלפי מטה.
Our Rabbis taught: Since it is said, "And their faces toward the east," (Ezekiel 8:16) is it not obvious that "their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord"? Why then does Scripture state "their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord"? It teaches that they uncovered themselves and defecated toward God.
When Ezekiel describes the idolatrous priests in the Temple, he is a bit redundant. They face the east, so obviously there backs were to the Temple. The Talmud uses this redundancy to make the priests out to be even worse than Ezekiel actually stated. The priests turned toward the sun, exposed themselves and actually defecated towards the Temple.
אנו ליה וליה עינינו כו’. איני? והאמר רבי זירא: כל האומר שמע שמע כאילו אמר מודים מודים!
אלא הכי אמרי: המה משתחוים קדמה, ואנו ליה (אנחנו מודים), ועינינו ליה מיחלות.
We are the Lord’s and our eyes are turned to the Lord etc.
But can it be so? Did not R. Zera say, One who says Shema, Shema is as though he said Modim, Modim [and he is silenced]?
Rather this is what they used to say, "They worshipped toward the east" but as for us we give thanks to the Lord, and to the Lord do our eyes hope."
According to the mishnah, the priests leaving the Temple after the Simchat Bet Hashoeavh would say "We are the Lord’s and our eyes are turned to the Lord." The problem with this statement is that it comes close to sounding like a belief in two powers, which seems to be the arch-heresy according to the rabbis. Someone who says the word "Shema" or "Modim" (part of the Amidah prayer) is to be silenced because it looks like he is praying to two Gods.
Therefore, the Talmud offers a slight adjustment of this statement. By adding the word "our eyes" into the second half of the statement, they avoided creating the impression of worshipping two Gods.