Tamid 3:2
When did the morning sacrifice begin?
讗诪专 诇讛诐 讛诪诪谞讛, 爪讗讜 讜专讗讜 讗诐 讛讙讬注 讝诪谉 讛砖讞讬讟讛. 讗诐 讛讙讬注, 讛专讜讗讛 讗讜诪专 讘专拽讗讬. 诪转讬讗 讘谉 砖诪讜讗诇 讗讜诪专: 讛讗讬专 驻谞讬 讻诇 讛诪讝专讞 注讚 砖讛讜讗 讘讞讘专讜谉, 讜讛讜讗 讗讜诪专 讛讬谉.
The one appointed [to give out roles in offering the morning sacrifice] would say to them, 鈥淕o look [up on the roof to see] if the time to slaughter has arrived.鈥� If it had arrived, the one who saw [the sunrise] would say, 鈥淢orning has broken.鈥� Matya son of Shmuel says [that they would announce], 鈥淭he eastern horizon is all lit up.鈥� [The leader would ask], 鈥淯ntil Hebron?鈥� He would say, 鈥淵es.鈥�
Comments
The first rite of morning and the final rite of the afternoon in the Jerusalem Temple was the presentation of the communal burnt offering (olah tamid). This tractate of Mishnah provides great detail about the many tasks involved in the preparation of the altar, utensils, and sacrifice. Read two thousand years after the Temple altar was demolished, this Mishnah gives a sense of the intense focus and power experienced by those involved in the Temple service (avodah).
Questions
- A sense of eagerness to perform the sacrifice at the earliest permitted time pervades this mishnah. When are you eager to do a mitzvah?
- Do you think that eagerness leads to intensity or to superficiality?
