Sukkah, Daf Nun Heh, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today’s section explains various portions of the mishnah that deal with what parts of sacrifices each of the watches receive.

 

גמרא. אמורי הרגלים? של גבוה נינהו!

אמר רב חסדא: מה שאמור ברגלים.

 

GEMARA. But are not the emurim the Most High’s?

R. Hisda said: [The meaning is], that which is said [amur] [to be offered] on the Festivals.

 

The mishnah had taught that the "emurim" were shared by all the watches. The usual meaning of "emurim" are the parts that are completely burned on the altar. So how could this belong to the watches of priests? It belongs to God!

R. Hisda therefore reinterprets the word to be pronounced "said" the mishnah refers to the special sacrifices offered on the festivals.

תנו רבנן: מנין שכל המשמרות שוות באימורי הרגלים – תלמוד לומר +דברים יח ו+ ובא בכל אות נפשו ושרת. יכול אף בשאר ימות השנה כן – תלמוד לומר מאחד שעריך לא אמרתי אלא בשעה שכל ישראל נכנסין בשער אחד.

 

Our Rabbis taught: From where do we know that all the watches share equally in the sacrifices of the Festival? Scripture says, "And he comes with all the desire of his soul . . . and he serves" (Deuteronomy 18:6). It might have been that the same applies to all the days of the year, Scripture says "From one of your gates" [meaning this:] I have said so, [says the Lord], Only when all Israel enters by one gate.

 

This baraita offers a midrash supporting the idea that during the festivals all watches share the sacrifices equally. The Torah refers to a priest who comes to Jerusalem when he so desires and serves in the Temple there. The beginning of the verse describes the priest as coming from "one of your gates." The midrash interprets these words to mean that the priest comes when all of Israel is gathered at "one of your gates" meaning in one city. This is, at least idealistically, during one of the festivals. Thus they share the sacrifices only when all of Israel is gathered together in Jerusalem.

 

ובחילוק לחם הפנים כו’.

תנו רבנן: מנין שכל המשמרות שוות בחילוק לחם הפנים תלמוד לומר +דברים יח ח+ חלק כחלק יאכלו, כחלק עבודה כך חלק אכילה? ומאי אכילה? אילימא קרבנות – מהתם נפקא: +ויקרא ז ט+ לכהן המקריב אותה לו תהיה. אלא – לחם הפנים. יכול אף בחובות הבאות שלא מחמת הרגל ברגל – תלמוד לומר +דברים יח ח+ לבד ממכריו על האבות. מה מכרו האבות זה לזה – אני בשבתי ואתה בשבתך.

 

And in the division of the showbread.

Our Rabbis taught: From where do we know that all the watches share equally in the division of the showbread? Scripture says, "They shall receive equal portions to eat," (Deuteronomy 18:8) meaning, as the division of the service [is equal for all], so is the division of the food. Now what food [could this mean]? If you will say that it means the sacrifices, do we not deduce that from a different verse, "It shall be the

priest’s that offers it?" (Leviticus 7:9). Rather this must refer to the showbread. It might have been that the same applies also to obligatory offerings that are offered on the Festival, though not on account of the Festival, Scripture says, "Except for that which is sold according to the fathers houses" (Deuteronomy 18:8). Now what is it that the fathers have sold to each other? "I shall be in charge in my week and you in your week."

 

This baraita proves that the watches share the showbread on the festivals.

The Torah states that the priests shall receive equal portion of their dues, meaning of the sacrificial food. This means that since they offer the sacrifices equally, they share the proceeds. The question is to what does this refer? We already know from Leviticus that when a priest offers a sacrifice, it is his right to eat it. So what more could we learn from the verse in Deuteronomy. The answer is that it refers to the showbread.

Now the showbread is a weekly offering. It is not connected to the festival at all. We might have thought that just as all priests share the showbread during the festival, so too they share all offerings that are offered on the festivals, even those that are not connected to the festivals. This would include voluntary offerings that people happen to bring during that week. The answer is midrashically derived from the next verse. The Torah says that all of the priests share only to that which has been sold according to their fathers’ houses. What they sold to the other is basically the system of watches, whereby one watch serves this week, receives all of the sacrifices, and in return, allows the other watches to serve in other weeks and receive all of the sacrifices then. This means that any sacrifice except for the showbread that does not come because of the festival, is taken by that week’s watch.