Tamid 32

מן השמים לארץ רחוק או ממזרח למערב אמרו לו ממזרח למערב תדע שהרי חמה במזרח הכל מסתכלין בה חמה במערב הכל מסתכלין בה חמה באמצע רקיע אין הכל מסתכלין בה

Is the distance from the heavens to the earth further, or is the distance from east to west further? They said to him: From east to west is a greater distance. Know that this is so, as when the sun is in the east, everyone looks at it without hurting their eyes, and when the sun is in the west, everyone looks at it without hurting their eyes. By contrast, when the sun is in the middle of the sky, no one looks at it, as it would hurt their eyes. This shows that the sun’s place in the middle of the sky is not as far from the earth as its remote positions in the extreme east and west.

וחכמים אומרים זה וזה כאחד שוין שנאמר כגבה שמים על הארץ [וגו׳] כרחק מזרח ממערב ואי חד מינייהו נפיש נכתוב תרווייהו כי ההוא דנפיש ואלא חמה באמצע רקיע מאי טעמא אין הכל מסתכלין בה משום דקאי להדיא ולא כסי ליה מידי

But the Sages say: This distance and that distance are equal, as it is stated: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His kindness toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalms 103:11–12). The verses compare the extent of God’s kindness and His removal of transgressions to vast expanses. And if one of the distances is greater than the other, let the verse write that both of God’s enumerated attributes are like the measure that is greater. But if so, with regard to the sun in the middle of the sky, what is the reason that no one looks at it? It is because it stands exposed and nothing covers it, whereas it is partially screened when it is in the east or the west.

אמר להן שמים נבראו תחלה או הארץ אמרו שמים נבראו תחלה שנאמר בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ

Alexander continued to ask questions of the Elders of the Negev. He said to them: Were the heavens created first or was the earth created first? They said: The heavens were created first, as it is stated: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

אמר להן אור נברא תחלה או חשך אמרו לו מילתא דא אין לה פתר ונימרו ליה חשך נברא תחלה דכתיב והארץ היתה תהו ובהו וחשך והדר ויאמר אלהים יהי אור ויהי אור

He said to them: Was the light created first, or was the darkness created first? They said to him: This matter has no solution, as the verses do not indicate an answer. The Gemara asks: But let them say to him that the darkness was created first, as it is written: “Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2), and only then does it state: “And God said: Let there be light. And there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Why did they not say that the darkness was created first?

סברי דילמא אתי לשיולי מה למעלה ומה למטה מה לפנים ומה לאחור

The Gemara answers that the Elders maintained: We must not answer this question, lest he come to ask questions about Creation that may not be discussed, i.e., what is above the firmament and what is below the earth, what was before Creation, and what will be after the end of the world (see Ḥagiga 11b).

אי הכי שמים נמי לא נימרו ליה מעיקרא סבור אקראי בעלמא הוא דקא שייל כיון דחזו דקהדר שאיל סברי לא נימא ליה דילמא אתי לשיולי מה למעלה מה למטה מה לפנים ומה לאחור

The Gemara asks: If so, if the Elders were concerned about such proscribed questions, then with regard to the creation of heaven as well, they should not have said anything to him. Why did they answer the question about heaven, but not the one about darkness? The Gemara answers that initially they assumed: It is merely incidental that he is asking about the creation of the universe, and therefore there is no need for caution. But once they saw that he again asked about the same general matter, they maintained: Let us not tell him an answer, lest he come to ask: What is above the firmament and what is below the earth, what was before Creation, and what will be after the end of the world?

אמר להם אידין מתקרי חכים אמרו ליה איזהו חכם הרואה את הנולד אמר להם אידין מתקרי גבור אמרו לו איזהו גבור הכובש את יצרו אמר להן אידין מתקרי עשיר אמרו ליה איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו

Alexander said to the Elders: Who is truly worthy of being called wise? They said to him, citing a tradition (see Avot 2:9): Who is the wise person? The one who sees and anticipates the consequences of his behavior. He said to them: Who is truly worthy of being called mighty? They said to him, again citing a tradition (see Avot 4:1): Who is the mighty person? The one who masters his desire. He said to them: Who is worthy of being called wealthy? They said to him: Who is the wealthy person? The one who is pleased with his own portion (see Avot 4:1).

אמר להן מה יעביד איניש ויחיה אמרו ליה ימית עצמו מה יעביד איניש וימות יחיה את עצמו אמר להן מה יעביד איניש ויתקבל על ברייתא אמרו יסני מלכו ושלטן אמר להו דידי טבא מדידכו ירחם מלכו ושלטן ויעבד טיבו עם בני אינשא

He said to them: What must a man do and thereby ensure that he will live? They said to him: Such a man must figuratively kill himself, by living moderately. Alexander further inquired: What must a man do and ensure that he will die? They said to him: Such a man must keep himself alive, i.e., lead an extravagant and indulgent life. He said to them: What must a man do and ensure that he will be accepted by people? They said to Alexander: He must hate the king and the authorities and avoid becoming too close to those in power. Alexander rejected their answer and said to them: My advice for gaining people’s favor is better than yours. One who wants to be accepted must love the king and the authorities, but he must use his connections to perform beneficial acts for people.

אמר להן בימא יאי למידר או ביבשתא יאי למידר אמרו ליה ביבשתא יאי למידר דהא כל נחותי ימא לא מיתבא דעתיהון עד דסלקין ליבשתא

He said to them: Is it better for a person to live at sea, or is it better to live on dry land? They said to him: It is better to live on dry land, as all seafarers, their minds are constantly unsettled until they reach the dry land.

אמר להן אידין מנכון חכים יתיר אמרו לו כולנא כחדא שוויין דהא כל מילתא דאמרת לנא בחד פתרנא לך אמר להן מה דין אתריסתון לקבלי אמרו ליה סטנא נצח

He said to them: Who among you is wiser than the others? They said to him: We are all equal in wisdom, as every matter that you say to us, we solve for you unanimously. He said to them: What is the substance of this stance, by which you, the Jewish people, oppose me? Since you are my subjects, and my people constitute the majority, you should concede that our lifestyle is superior. They said to him: Your dominance is inconsequential, as sometimes even the Satan is victorious, by convincing people to act in a manner that is clearly incorrect.

אמר להן הא אנא מקטילנא יתכון בגזירת מלכין אמרו ליה שלטן ביד מלכא ולא יאי למלכא כזב מיד אלביש יתהון לבושין דארגוון ושדי מניכא דדהבא על צואריהון

He said to them: Consequently, due to your insolence, I am executing you by the edict of kings. They said to him: Certainly, the authority is in the hand of the king to execute as you wish; but falsehood is unbecoming for the king, and you have pledged not to harm us. Immediately, Alexander dressed them in garments of purple and placed golden chains [menaykha] upon their necks.

אמר להן בעינא דאיזל למדינת אפריקי אמרו ליה לא מצית אזלת דפסקי הרי חשך אמר להן לא סגיא דלא אזלינא אמטו הכי משיילנא לכו אלא מאי אעביד

When Alexander was preparing to part from the Elders of the Negev, he said to them: I want to go to wage war against the country of Africa [Afriki]; what do you recommend? They said to him: You will be unable to go there, as the Mountains of Darkness block the passes. He said to them: It is not possible for me not to go; and it is due to this reason that I ask you to advise me. Rather than refraining from my campaign, what might I do to cross the Mountains of Darkness?

אמרו ליה אייתי חמרי לובאי דפרשי בהברא ואייתי קיבורי דמתני וקטר בהאי גיסא דכי אתית (באורחא) נקטת בגוייהו ואתית לאתרך

They said to him: Bring Libyan donkeys that walk even in the darkness [behavra], and these animals will guide you through those passes. And bring coils of rope, and tie one end of rope on this near side of the mountains, as you are about to enter there, so that when you come to return by the same path, you may take hold of the ropes left from your initial march, and, following them, you will come back to your place.

עבד הכי ואזל מטא לההוא מחוזא דכוליה נשי בעי למיעבד קרבא בהדייהו אמרו ליה אי קטלת לן יאמרו נשי קטל אי קטילנא לך יאמרו מלכא דקטלוהו נשי אמר להן אייתו לי נהמא אייתו ליה נהמא דדהבא אפתורא דדהבא

Alexander did this and went on his campaign. He came to a certain town whose entire population was women, and he wanted to wage battle against them. The women said to him: It is not in your interest to fight us. If you kill us, people will say: Alexander kills women; and if we kill you, people will say: Alexander is the king whom women killed in battle. Instead of fighting them, Alexander said to them: Bring me bread. They brought him bread of gold, upon a table of gold.

אמר להו מי אכלי אינשי נהמא דדהבא אמרו ליה אלא אי נהמא בעית לא הוה לך באתרך נהמא למיכל דשקלית ואתית להכא כי נפיק ואתי כתב אבבא דמחוזא אנא אלכסנדרוס מוקדון הויתי שטייא עד דאתיתי למדינת אפריקי דנשיא ויליפת עצה מן נשיא

Alexander said to the women: Do people eat bread of gold? They said to him: But if all you wanted was actual bread, didn’t you have bread to eat in your own place? It was not for bread that you took up a campaign and toiled and came here. You must have come to increase your wealth. When Alexander left and came back to his land, he wrote upon the gate of the town: I, Alexander of Macedon, was a fool until I came to the country of Africa of women, and I learned sense from women.

כי שקיל ואתי יתיב אההוא מעיינא קא אכיל נהמא הוו בידיה גולדני דמלחא בהדי דמחוורי להו נפל בהו ריחא אמר שמע מינה האי עינא מגן עדן אתי

§ With regard to Alexander, the Gemara relates: When he took himself and went on his way, he sat at a certain spring and was eating bread. He had salted fish [guldenei] in his hands, and while he cleansed them of their excessive salt, a particularly pleasant fragrance fell upon them. Alexander said to himself: I may conclude from this event that this spring comes from the Garden of Eden.

איכא דאמרי שקל מהנהו מיא טרא באפיה איכא דאמרי אידלי כוליה עד דמטא לפתחא דגן עדן רמא קלא פתחו לי בבא אמרו ליה זה השער לה׳ וגו׳ אמר להון אנא נמי מלכא אנא מיחשב חשיבנא הבו לי מידי יהבו ליה גולגלתא חדא אתייה תקליה לכוליה דהבא וכספא דידיה בהדיה לא הוה מתקליה

There are those who say: He took from those waters and washed his face. And there are those who say: He ascended along the length of the entire spring until he reached the entrance of the Garden of Eden. He raised a loud voice, calling out: Open the gate for me! The sentry of the Garden of Eden said to him: “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it” (Psalms 118:20). Since you are not righteous, you may not enter. He said to them: I too am worthy, as I am a king; I am very important. If I will not be admitted, at least give me something from inside. They gave him one eyeball. He brought it and he weighed all the gold and silver that he had against the eyeball, and yet the riches did not balance against the eyeball’s greater weight.

אמר להון לרבנן מאי האי אמרי גולגלתא דעינא דבישרא ודמא דלא קא שבע אמר להו ממאי דהכי הוא שקלי קלילי עפרא וכסייה לאלתר תקלא דכתיב שאול ואבדון לא תשבענה וגו׳

He said to the Sages: What is this? Why does this eyeball outweigh everything? They said: It is the eyeball of a mortal person of flesh and blood, which is not satisfied ever. He said to them: From where do you know that this is the reason for the unbalanced scale? The Sages answered him: Take a small amount of dirt and cover the eye. He did so, and it was immediately balanced by its proper counterweight. The eye is never satisfied while it can see, as it is written: “The netherworld and destruction are never satiated; so the eyes of man are never satiated” (Proverbs 27:20).

תנא דבי אליהו גיהנם למעלה מן הרקיע ויש אומרים לאחורי הרי חשך

The Gemara cites a statement related to its earlier account of Alexander’s journey. The school of Eliyahu taught: Gehenna is above the heavens, and some say that it is beyond the Mountains of Darkness.

תנא רבי חייא כל העוסק בתורה בלילה שכינה כנגדו שנאמר קומי רני בלילה לראש אשמרות שפכי כמים לבך נכח פני ה׳ (וגו׳) אמר רבי אלעזר בן עזריה תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם שנאמר וכל בניך למודי ה׳ ורב שלום בניך

The chapter, as well as the talmudic portion of the tractate, concludes with words of praise for those who study Torah. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: With regard to anyone who occupies himself with Torah at night, the Divine Presence is across from him, as it is stated: “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord, lift up your hands toward Him” (Lamentations 2:19). Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is stated: “And all your children [banayikh] shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). This can be read as bonayikh, your builders, i.e., scholars build and increase peace for the entire world.

הדרן עלך לא היו כופתין

משנה א׳ אמר להם הממונה ברכו ברכה אחת והם ברכו קראו עשרת הדברות שמע והיה אם שמוע ויאמר

MISHNA: 5:1 After the priests completed laying the parts of the daily offering on the ramp, they went to the Chamber of Hewn Stone to recite Shema. The appointed priest who oversaw the lotteries in the Temple said to the priests: Recite a single blessing of the blessings that accompany Shema. And the members of the priestly watch recited a blessing, and then they recited the Ten Commandments, Shema (see Deuteronomy 6:4–9), VeHaya im Shamoa (see Deuteronomy 11:13–21), and VaYomer (see Numbers 15:37–41), the standard formula of Shema.

ברכו את העם שלש ברכות אמת ויציב ועבודה וברכת כהנים ובשבת מוסיפין ברכה אחת למשמר היוצא

Additionally, they blessed with the people three blessings. These blessings were: True and Firm, the blessing of redemption recited after Shema; and the blessing of the Temple service, which is also a blessing recited in the Amida prayer; and the Priestly Benediction, recited in the form of a prayer, without the lifting of hands that usually accompanies that blessing (Tosafot). And on Shabbat, when the new priestly watch would begin its service, the priests would add one blessing recited by the outgoing priestly watch, that love, fraternity, peace, and friendship should exist among the priests of the incoming watch.

משנה ב׳ אמר להם חדשים לקטרת בואו והפיסו זכה מי שזכה אמר להם חדשים עם ישנים בואו והפיסו מי מעלה אברים מן הכבש למזבח רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר המעלה אברים לכבש הוא מעלה אותן על גבי המזבח

MISHNA 5:2 The appointed priest said to them: Let only those priests who are new to burning the incense come and participate in the lottery for the incense. Whoever won that lottery won the privilege to burn the incense. The appointed priest said to them: Those new priests, i.e., those who had never performed the service, together with those old priests, i.e., those who had already performed it, may come and participate in the lottery to determine who takes the limbs from the bottom half of the ramp, where they had been placed earlier, up to the altar. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: The priest who takes the limbs up to the ramp is the one who takes them up from the ramp and places them upon the altar.

משנה ג׳ מסרום לחזנים היו מפשיטין אותם את בגדיהם ולא היו מניחין עליהם אלא מכנסים בלבד וחלונות היו שם וכתוב עליהם תשמיש הכלים

MISHNA 5:3 The priests who did not win a lottery were still dressed in the priestly vestments that they were required to don when entering the lottery, so that if they won they would be prepared for immediate service. The appointed priest handed over these priests to the care of the attendants [laḥazanim]. The attendants would undress these priests and remove their garments, and they would leave only their trousers on them. After the priests donned their non-sacred garments, they would remove the priestly trousers and don their non-sacred trousers. And there were four storage compartments there in the Temple for the storage of priestly vestments for each priestly watch, and on each of them was written the use of the garment stored there: Trousers, tunic, belt, and mitre.

משנה ד׳ מי שזכה בקטרת היה נוטל את הכף והכף דומה לתרקב גדול של זהב מחזקת שלשה קבין והבזך היה בתוכו

MISHNA 5:4 The priest who won the lottery to burn the incense would take the spoon used for carrying the incense. And the spoon was similar to a large gold vessel that held three kav, and the smaller vessel was placed inside the spoon.