Commento su Levitico 16:23

ובא אהרן אל אהל מועד AND AARON SHALL COME INTO THE APPOINTED TENT — Our Rabbis said (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 6 2; Yoma 32a), that this is not the proper place for this verse (it should be read after v. 25) and they gave a reason for this assertion in Treatise Yoma 32a. They said: The whole section is written in the order in which the rites actually took place with the exception of this "coming" into the appointed tent which was really done after he (the High-Priest) had offered his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people (v. 24) and also after the burning of the fat-parts of the bullock and the goat, which rites were performed outside the Sanctuary (i. e. in the fore-court) he being then attired in the golden garments. This having been done he immersed himself, sanctified himself (i. e. washed his hands and feet), took them (the golden garments) off, and put on the linen garments and only then, ובא אהרן אל אהל מועד DID HE COME INTO THE APPOINTED TENT in order to bring out the spoon and the censer in which he had burnt the incense in the "Innermost" (the Holy of Holies).

AND AARON SHALL COME INTO THE TENT OF MEETING. “Our Rabbis have said that this is not the proper place of this verse [which ought rather to follow Verse 25], and they explained the reason for their saying so in Tractate Yoma,¹¹⁰Ibid., 32 a. stating: The whole section is written according to the procedure [which was actually followed in the Service on the Day of Atonement], except for this ‘coming’ [of the High Priest into the Holy of Holies] which was actually done after he offered his burnt-offering and the burnt-offering of the people [stated in Verse 24], and after the burning of the fats of the bullock [of Aaron] and the goat [of the sin-offering of the people], which rites were performed outside the Sanctuary [proper, as stated in Verse 25, i.e., in the Sanctuary Court, and therefore done by the High Priest dressed] in golden garments. [It was only after he had done these things that] he immersed himself [in a ritual pool] and washed his hands and feet and took them [the golden garments] off,¹¹¹So I have found in all editions of Rashi, including the first Reggio (1475) edition. But obviously the procedure was that he first removed the garments, and then immersed himself. The washing of hands and feet according to the Sages also took place before the removal of the garments (Yoma 31 b). and put on the linen garments, and then he came into the Tent of Meeting [as mentioned in our verse] to take out [from the Holy of Holies] the spoon and the censer in which he had burnt the incense in the innermost part of the Sanctuary. And then he shall put off the linen garments after he had taken them [the spoon and the censer] out, and attires himself in his golden clothes for the Daily burnt-offering brought in the afternoon.”¹¹²Numbers 28:4. All this is Rashi’s language.
Now this is truly a case where the verse calls aloud for elucidation. For it is not at all conceivable that [the verse] should command that Aaron come into the Tent of Meeting for no purpose whatsoever other than that of taking off his garments¹¹³The verse as stated reads: And Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting, and shall put off the linen garments … and shall leave them there. Under no circumstances, as Ramban points out, can this be taken literally. It must then mean etc. and being naked in G-d’s temple, and that he should leave the garments there to decay! Rather, we must perforce interpret the verse thus: And Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting to do some act of the Service which Scripture found it unnecessary to mention, that is, the removal of the spoon and the censer [which he had left in the Holy of Holies when he had burnt the incense there]. The explanation of the [order of the] verses is thus as follows. Having mentioned at first, And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Eternal, that the cloud of the incense may cover the ark-cover that is upon the testimony, that he die not,¹¹⁴Verse 13. meaning to say that he is to place the incense upon the fire until the cloud of the incense goes up, and then he is to go out immediately, leaving there the spoon [in which he had carried the incense] and the censer [which contained the coals of fire, and upon which the incense was now burning], and which he would in any case have to remove later on from there, Scripture therefore says, and Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting in order to enter within the Veil [and to bring out] the things he had left there. Now the Scriptural section here did not mention all that the priest did at the beginning when [attired] in the golden garments, such as the [offering of the] Daily burnt-offering of the morning,¹¹²Numbers 28:4. but rather it began with the [special] Service performed on the Day of Atonement, which was done in the white [linen] garments, and it arranged the following procedure [of things to be done in these garments]: burning of incense within the Holy of Holies, the [rites of the] bullock [of Aaron] and of the goat [whose blood was sprinkled] within [the Holy of Holies], and the matter of the goat that was sent away to Azazel. All these rites were done in one order, and there was nothing left to be performed in these [white linen] garments except for the bringing out of the spoon and the censer [from the Holy of Holies]. Now it is always the custom of Scripture to finish a subject which it began, although there may be some matters which took place after that which it mentions later [as here, where the removal of the spoon and censer took place after the events of Verses 24-28, but is referred to before, in Verse 23, to finish the subject of the events done in the white garments]. Therefore Scripture states, and Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting in these [white linen] garments, to complete his Service, namely, the bringing out of the spoon and the censer which he has to remove from there, and after he came out from there he shall put off his garments which he put on in the morning at the time when he went into the holy place, and he shall leave them there where he took them off, thus teaching us that he is not to use them again on a subsequent Day of Atonement. Therefore Scripture completed in one sequence everything that was to be done during the whole day in the white garments. [Thus Scripture mentions the removal of the spoon and censer here in Verse 23, although it actually took place only later after the events mentioned in Verses 24-28, in order to complete in one sequence all the events done in the white garments]. Then it went back and said, and he shall bathe his flesh in water … and put on his other vestments,¹¹⁵Verse 24. i.e., those garments which are known to him from his ministry during the whole year, thus teaching that [whenever he changes on that day] from one set of garments to another, he had to immerse himself [in a ritual pool]. Then Scripture states, and ‘he shall come forth,’ and offer his burnt-offering,¹¹⁵Verse 24. for everything that had been done hitherto in the white garments is considered “the Service within [the Sanctuary],” while his ram¹¹⁶Above, Verse 3. and the ram of the people¹¹⁷Ibid., Verse 5. [which are the burnt-offerings] that He mentions [here in Verse 24: and he shall come forth, and offer his burnt-offering of the people], were done on the outer altar. Thus the section mentioned the High Priest’s first attirement in the white garments, and required him to immerse himself [first in a ritual pool],¹¹⁸Ibid., Verse 4: and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on. and then it mentioned the final removal of these garments [after taking out the spoon and censer from the Holy of Holies], and required him to immerse himself [before he puts on the golden garments for the performance of the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon]. Thus we learn that he had to immerse himself [in a ritual pool] whenever there was a change of the garments.
Now in the opinion of Rashi this immersion of the High Priest for the bringing out of the spoon and the censer, took place after he had offered his ram and the ram of the people; [that is to say], between the Additional Offerings¹¹⁹These are specified in Numbers 29:8, among the Additional Offerings for all the festivals. and the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon. This is also the opinion of all the Gaonim,¹²⁰See in Seder Ki Thisa, Vol. II, p. 521, Note 74. and it would likewise so appear from the plain meaning of a Beraitha¹²¹See in Seder Bo, Vol. II, p. 133, Note 209. taught in the Torath Kohanim.¹²²Torath Kohanim, Acharei 6:5. See in my Hebrew commentary p. 92. But we have found in the Yerushalmi:¹²³Yerushalmi Yoma VII, 2. On the name “Yerushalmi,” see above in Seder Metzora Note 44. “Rabbi Yochanan said, ‘All Sages agree that the taking out of the spoon and the censer [from the Holy of Holies] was done after [the slaughtering of] the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon.’” And so did Rabbi Moshe [ben Maimon] write.¹²⁴Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Avodath Yom Hakippurim 2:2. So also is the procedure taught in our Mishnah [following the High Priest’s removal of the spoon and the censer]:¹²⁵Yoma 70 a. “He washed his hands and feet, took off [his white garments], went down and immersed himself, and they brought him the golden garments … and he went into [the Sanctuary] to burn the [daily] incense of the afternoon.”¹²⁶Thus the text indicates that the slaughtering of the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon had already taken place, for if not, the Mishnah would have stated: “and they brought him the golden garments … and he went out and offered the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon, and then he went into the Sanctuary to burn the incense etc.” Rather, the order was as follows: The [special] Service of the Day of Atonement was performed in the white garments;¹²⁷Since this special Service followed that of the ordinary Daily burnt-offering of the morning, which was performed in the golden garments, and was also preceded by the priest immersing himself in a ritual pool, it followed that his attiring himself in the white garments to perform the special Service for the Day of Atonement was after his second immersion. This is important to note in order to understand the text which follows. his [the High Priest’s] ram and the ram of the people, the Additional Offerings,¹¹⁹These are specified in Numbers 29:8, among the Additional Offerings for all the festivals. the [burning of the] fats of the sin-offering,¹²⁸Verse 25. and [the slaughtering of] the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon were all done in the golden garments following the [High Priest’s] third immersion; the taking out of the spoon and censer [from the Holy of Holies] was done in the white garments following the fourth immersion, while the [daily] burning of the incense of [the afternoon], the [daily] offering of the High Priest’s cakes,¹²⁹Above, 6:13-15. the libations and [the kindling of] the lamps [in the candelabrum], were done in the golden garments following the fifth immersion.¹³⁰Such was the law taught to Moses on Sinai, that “on this day [i.e., the Day of Atonement] the High Priest immerses himself five times and washes his hands and feet ten times” as he changes from one set of garments to another in the performance of the various rites of the day (Yoma 32 a, Rashi). Rashi’s statement here on the verse before us that “this is not its proper place” is thus to be understood as follows: Since Scripture wanted to complete in one section everything that was to be done in the white garments during the whole day, as is its custom everywhere to finish a subject that it began, although there may be some minor matters which are mentioned afterwards but really took place before the conclusion of that subject, it therefore purposely stated it here, although the actual performance thereof took place at a later point in the Service of the Day of Atonement, as is explained in the text. The reason for this [delaying of the removal of the spoon and censer until after the slaughtering of the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon] is because it [the removal of the spoon and censer] is not in itself a rite of Service, therefore they delayed it until all the acts of the day were done, as long as the five [required] immersions¹³⁰Such was the law taught to Moses on Sinai, that “on this day [i.e., the Day of Atonement] the High Priest immerses himself five times and washes his hands and feet ten times” as he changes from one set of garments to another in the performance of the various rites of the day (Yoma 32 a, Rashi). Rashi’s statement here on the verse before us that “this is not its proper place” is thus to be understood as follows: Since Scripture wanted to complete in one section everything that was to be done in the white garments during the whole day, as is its custom everywhere to finish a subject that it began, although there may be some minor matters which are mentioned afterwards but really took place before the conclusion of that subject, it therefore purposely stated it here, although the actual performance thereof took place at a later point in the Service of the Day of Atonement, as is explained in the text. were fulfilled. Therefore they interrupted the regular order of rites in the Daily burnt-offering of the afternoon, and [the High Priest] took out the spoon and censer [from the Holy of Holies] between the slaughtering of the burnt-offering and the burning of the incense.

והניחם שם, for he had offered them in the presence of G’d so that they attained additional sanctity, and it is not appropriate even for the High Priest to wear them after they had performed the assigned task. (according to Yuma 12 these garments are buried forthwith or otherwise locked away.)

ובא אהרן אל אהל מועד, “Aaron shall come to the Tent of Meeting;” Rashi, quoting our sages (Yuma 32) says that the verse does not really represent the correct sequence of what happened. According to the sages the entire chapter is reported chronologically in proper sequence with the exception of this verse. Aaron did not enter the Sanctuary until after he had completed the procedures involving both the bull and the male goat offering. Afterwards he entered the Sanctuary in order to retrieve the ladle and the pan of the incense that he had left behind there earlier. Nachmanides agrees that the position of this verse in the Yom Kippur rites needs explaining. If we were to accept the verse at its face value, we would have to believe that Aaron made a special trip into the Sanctuary to do nothing else but retrieve the ladle and the censer which he had use earlier when offering the incense. For all this he would have to first change his golden vestments immerse himself in a ritual bath, etc, and don the linen vestments mandatory when entering the Sanctuary after first having stood nude in the Sanctuary. We must assume that Aaron entered the Sanctuary in order to perform service, some of the priestly functions. There was no need to mention that this service consisted of the retrieval of the ladle and the censer. The meaning of 16,13 ונתן את הקטרת על האש לפני ה' וכסה ענן הקטרת את הכפורת וגו', “he shall place the incense upon the fire before Hashem; so that the cloud of smoke of the incense will envelop the lid of the Holy Ark, etc.,” is that Aaron shall wait there until the cloud of the incense had enveloped the lid of the Holy Ark. When that had occurred, he was to leave immediately and leave behind the ladle and the censer [as they were too hot to handle at that moment. Ed.] Naturally, at some stage these two vessels had to be retrieved. This is what the Torah refers to when it writes in verse 23 “Aaron is to enter the Sanctuary, disrobe from the golden vestments and again don the linen vestments, etc.” The Torah did not mention at this stage what he had done prior to this while having worn the golden vestments, such as performing the rites of the daily tamid offering. Instead, the Torah commences describing the daily sacrifices that were offered while he was wearing the linen vestments. These rites are described sequentially. It is the custom of the Torah to relate procedures in order of their happening and to complete the report of them. In this instance, retrieval of the ladle and censer from the Holy of Holies was the last item on the agenda. Even though, as a result, there is some chronological inconsistency in the report here, the Torah rectifies this by reporting that Aaron had entered the Sanctuary again wearing the appropriate vestments in order to complete the final stage of the day’s Temple service in them.

והניחם שם, “and he shall leave them there.” He is not to use these garments again on the following Yom Kippur. Our sages (in Yuma 24) said that the source for the ruling that garments worn by the High Priest on one Day of Atonement must not be worn again on another Day of Atonement are the words והניחם שם. This expression means that they have to be hidden forthwith. They added that the combined weight of these garments totaled 18 מנה, (והניחם= יח מנה) 450 shekel. A further allusion to the fact that these garments were not to be used again is found in Jerusalem Talmud Yuma 7 by Rabbi Chiya who derives from the word ולבשם, “and to wear them,” i.e. the combination of the letters in that word, that ובלו שם that these garments are “to rot there”. This is an outright indication that these garments are not to be used again.

This is not the [proper] place. [I.e., verse 23 and 24 are written in the wrong order. The kohein gadol first burns his ram and the people’s ram as burnt-offerings (verse 24); afterwards he goes into the Sanctuary to remove the spoon and incense-pan (verse 23)]. In maseches Yoma 32a [the Gemara asks]: Why does he interrupt, [by burning the rams before removing the spoon and incense-pan]? Said Rav Chisda, we have a tradition that he immerse five times and makes ten sanctifications on that day. [He makes one immersion and two sanctifications every time he changes into the white or the golden garments]. But if the verses are in order we would only find three [immersions]. Rashi explains: “You would only find three immersions, one [when he dons golden garments] for the morning perpetual offering, and one between it and the whole service of the day including taking out the spoon and incense-pan (verse 23) [when he dons white garments], and one between the taking out of the spoon and incensepan, and his ram and the ram of the people (verse 24), and with them the additional sacrifices and the perpetual-offering of the afternoon [when he dons golden garments]. Therefore, his ram and the ram of the people have to interrupt between the service of the day and the taking out of the spoon and incense-pan [in order to require an extra immersion]. And the taking out of the spoon and incense-pan interrupts between his ram and the ram of the people, and [the additional sacrifices] and the perpetual-offering of the afternoon [in order to require yet another immersion]. Thus we [now] have five immersions [prior to donning garments]. The morning daily sacrifice in the golden garments, the service of the day in the white garments, his ram and the people’s ram on the outside altar in the golden garments, taking out the spoon and incense-pan in the white garments, and the additional sacrifices and the perpetual-offering in the golden garments.” Between each donning [of garments] he needs to immerse; therefore there are five immersions. And every immersion requires sanctification before it and after it as I explained above, so that there are ten sanctifications.

ובא אהרן אל אהל מועד, “and Aaron shall come into the Tent of Meeting;” Rashi, in his commentary on the tractate Yuma folio 32, comments on these words by asking why, after having completed the service of the day in the Sanctuary the High Priest has to come to the Sanctuary once more, especially when the Torah does not even spell out what he is to do there. He answers that Aaron had to bring out the spoon and the censer that he had used during the performance of his duties there. These had been used for the sprinkling of the blood and the depositing of the incense. If you were to ask why did he have to make a return trip to the Holy of Holies for no real purpose, seeing he could have left these tools for the Day of the Atonement of the following year when the ashes in the censer would have cooled off in the meantime?Actually, this was not an unnecessary return, as it would have been discourteous in the extreme to leave behind items that had become useless and probably offensive looking and smelling in G-d’s palaceRashi adds further that this was not the place where we would have expected the Torah to refer to this, seeing that up until now the Torah had described the entire service in the Tabernacle on that day in the order in which it had taken place. [I am summarizing now. Ed.] If we follow what took place in the Tabernacle, there would have been no need for the High Priest to immerse himself five times and wash his hands and feet ten times as the Talmud had explained, i.e. once for the daily morning sacrifice, followed by the special service required on that day, and again before the offering of the daily evening service. The extra trip into the Sanctuary for retrieving the spoon and the censer necessitated the need for additional immersions in the ritual bath. This is the reason why Rashi pointed out that here was not really the proper place to mention this, had it not been for the need to explain why five such immersions were indeed necessary. The removal of these items took place after the offering of Aaron’s burnt offering, a ram, and that of the ram offered on behalf of the people (verse 24). Each service, i.e. the morning service, the Mussaph service, the evening service, and, on that day the sin offering on behalf of Aaron and his family and again on behalf of the people, according to the Talmud there, required an immersion in a ritual bath, etc.

ופשט את בגדי הבד AND HE SHALL PUT OFF THE LINEN GARMENTS — after he had brought it (the censer) out. Then he attired himself in his golden garments to offer the continual burnt offering due in the afternoon. Thus the order of the services on the Day of Atonement was as follows: The offering of the morning continual offering — in the golden garments; the service connected with the bullock and the ram the blood of both of which was sprinkled in the Interior, (v. 6—22) and the offering of the incense in the censer (in the Holy of Holies) — in the linen garments. The offering of his (the High-Priest's) ram and that of the people and one part of the additional offerings (the seven lambs mentioned in Numbers 29:8; cf. Yoma 70a) — in the golden garments. The bringing out of the spoon and the censer — in the linen garments. Finally the offering of the remaining additional offerings (the bullock and the ram mentioned in Numbers 29:8, 11) and of the continual burnt offering due in the afternoon and of the daily incense in the היכל. which was burnt on the golden altar — in the golden garments. The sequence of the Scriptural verses according to the rites as actually performed is as follows: "and he shall send the goat forth into the desert" (v. 22), then "and he shall lave his flesh with water …. and come out and burn his burnt offering etc." (v. 24) and the whole section up to "and afterwards he shall come into the camp" (end of v. 28), and only after this (v. 23) "and Aaron shall come etc."

והניחם שם, “and he shall leave them there.” He was to leave these garments at the place where he changed into his golden vestments. We are taught by this that they would not be used again even on the Day of Atonement in the following year.”

Hidden away. Explanation: So that a kohein gadol should not use them even for the next Yom Kippur, and so that a regular kohein should not use them all the days of the year. You cannot say that he should place them in the place he removed them [from himself] and not take them outside, because nowhere does it say “before Hashem,” to which “place them there” would be referring to [and saying that they must not be removed from “before Hashem”]. Therefore, “[This] teaches...”

והניחם שם AND HE SHALL PUT THEM THERE — This teaches us that they (the linen garments) must be laid by and that he must not officiate in those four garments again on any subsequent Day of Atonement (Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 6 7; Yoma 12b).