Yoma 62 - The two goats

The two goats used for the Yom Kippur service should be alike in appearance, height, and value, and they should be bought together. If any of these conditions are not fulfilled, they are still valid for service.

If one of them died, then if it died before the High Priest drew the lots, they simply buy another one. However, if it dies after the lot was drawn, they bring a completely new pair and draw new lots. Now, since the first one was already consecrated, the High Priest stipulates as follows. If the one designated for God died, he says that the new goat designated for God will take its place, but the second one in the newly brought pair will not be needed, so it will go to graze until it dies of old age. Conversely, if the one designated for Azazel died, then the new one on which the lot for Azazel falls will be in his place, and the other one will go to graze.

Rabbi Yehudah adds that if the blood of the goat “for God” was spilled, then the one for Azazel cannot be used. And if the one for Azazel dies, then the blood of the one “for God” should be spilled away. We understand the first rule: if the blood is spilled, the mitzvah is not finished and therefore not done at all, so the service cannot proceed. But if one for Azazel dies - well, it was going to be sent to death anyway!? Rabbi Yehudah’s view is based on a verse, “It should stand alive in front of God to atone,” which means that it should be alive until the service of the other is complete.

Art: Two Goats by Jacques Laurent Agasse

Yoma 58 - The ox and the goat

Having brought incense into the Holy of Holies, the High Priest (whose each action atones for some specific mistakes of the Jewish people) directs his steps to the golden Altar inside the Sanctuary to atone for the defect in this Altar’s service throughout the year. He takes the blood of the ox and the goat and applies it to the four corners (slight protrusions, also called “horns” of the Altar.) Rabbi Yoshiyah says that he mixes the two types of blood in a vessel - based on the words “One application in a year.” However, Rabbi Yonatan says that the “and” in the “ox and goat” teaches two separate applications. Each one then needs to find an explanation for the Torah words used in his opponent's derivation.

How does the High Priest apply this blood? Some say that he starts with that corner which he comes to first, following the rule that one cannot pass on a mitzvah if it came his way, and then walks around, while others say that he stands in one place and reaches to all the four corners with his hand. What is the reason for the argument here? It may be that they argue whether “he walks” means on foot or simply by hand. Others say that the argument is whether we derive the laws of the Inner Altar from those of the Outer Altar or if the laws of the Inner Altar are deduced on their own.

Art: Oxen In Repose by John Singer Sargent

Yoma 57 - Even when not perfect

The goat's blood is subject to the same number and manner of sprinklings against the Ark as the blood of the bull. The verse continues, “And he shall do this in the Tent of Meeting that dwells among them in the midst of their impurities.” This teaches that God’s presence dwells among the Jews even when they are impure and imperfect.

A certain Sadducee said to Rabbi Chanina, “Now that you have been exiled, you are certainly impure,” meaning that Divine Presence is not found among you, as the verse in Jeremiah says, “And her impurity is on her hem.” Rabbi Chanina proved him wrong by quoting the verse above.

We mentioned before that the blood never lands on the Ark itself. However, Rabbi Elazar disagrees. Once, he and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai traveled to Rome to annul some evil decrees. They met a demon Ben Tamalyon who offered to help them. This demon then possessed Caesar’s daughter, and she became insane. When the two Sages healed her, Caesar offered them anything from his treasury. They were only interested in annulling the decrees, which they did. It was then that Rabbi Elazar saw Temple articles and among them the Curtain. He now says that he saw it, and it had multiple spots of blood. But there are other ways to explain this difference.

Seated Demon by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel

Yoma 56 - Reminder notes

Earlier the teacher told us that the High Priest “takes the blood of the goat, puts down the blood of the bull.” This is because there was only one golden stand there. Otherwise, he would put the bull's blood on one golden stand first and then use the second one for the blood of the goat - and this is the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah. The Sages say that there were two golden stands.

But why does Rabbi Yehudah insist that there was only one stand? Let them make two, and put reminder notes on them, “Bull” and “Goat!” - That is because according to Rabbi Yehudah, people ignore reminder notes, so it would not help. - That could not be, because Rabbi Yehudah agrees that there were thirteen collection chests in the Temple, each marked with its appropriate name, like “New shekalim,” “bird offerings,” etc. He only disagrees about one chest, “Obligatory offerings,” about which he says it did not exist, and instead, this money was collected manually. But why not? Even if that money is accidentally mixed in, let us take out 4 coins and say, “These coins are retroactively designated as the original mixed in coins.” To that, I will answer that Rabbi Yehudah does not agree to the retroactive designation, also called “bereirah.”

And how do we know that Rabbi Yehudah does not accept the principle of retroactive designation? It may be deduced from the argument about tithing wine or from the argument about eruv. In any case, we are by now far away from the original question. The reason Rabbi Yehudah allows only one golden stand is the weakness of the High Priest, who might easily confuse the types of blood if there were two stands.

Art: Bulls And Goats In ASummer Landscape by Albertus Verhoesen

Yoma 55 - He would count, “One, one-and-one, one-and-two,” etc.

Having brought the incense to the Holy of Holies, the High Priest exits, takes the blood of the bull from the priest who was stirring it, and re-enters the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, and starts sprinkling the blood toward the Ark-cover, one time above and seven times below. The blood never really lands on the Arks itself, “up” and “down” refers to the direction of his fingers in a whipping motion.

To make sure that he maintains the correct count, he says out loud, “One, one-and-one, one-and-two… and so on.. one-and-seven.” - since any mistake in the counting would invalidate the whole procedure.

The High Priest then takes the blood of the goat, puts down the blood of the bull, re-enters the Holy of Holies, and sprinkles the blood of the goat, counting again, “One, one-and-one, etc.” Finally, he pours the bull's blood into the blood of the goat and then pours it all back to make the two types of blood thoroughly mixed.

Art: A Rocky Landscape With A Bull, Goat, Ram, And Sheepdog By Philipp Peter Roos

Yoma 54 - Where is the Ark?

After the Ark was taken away, there was a stone originally discovered by Shmuel and David in the Holy of Holies. It was called “the Foundation Stone,” it protruded three finger-breadths above the ground, and this is where the High Priest would place his shovel full of burning coals.

Why did the teacher say, “after the Ark was taken away?” Earlier, we said that it was hidden!?  - This is a different opinion, based on a phrase from Isaiah, “Behold the days are coming when all that your forefathers have accumulated will be carried away to Babylonia.” The other two opinions are that the Ark was hidden right in its place, deep in the ground, or that it was hidden in the wood chamber, as the story about a Kohen who wanted to reveal it but died tells us.

When the Ark was in existence, its two poles protruded from behind the Curtain as two breasts of a woman, and that is what King Solomon meant when he said, “A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, lodged between my breasts.” A similar symbol was represented by the Cherubim, who were in a shape of a man and a woman joined in an embrace. At the time of the Temple destruction, the enemy soldiers entered the Temple, saw this, and said, “These Jews, who possess the power of blessing and curse, should occupy themselves with such pictures!” This is what Jeremiah meant when he said, “All who once respected her, now debased her, for they saw her nakedness.”

Art: The embrace by Pio Ricci

Yoma 53 – How to burn incense

Since the Torah said, “He shall take... the finely ground incense, bring it within the Curtain and place the incense upon the fire in front of God,” we understand that he comes in with all the ingredients and then prepares the burning of the incense while already inside of Holy of Holies. This was not how everyone understood this phrase. The followers of Tsaddok said that the following words, “If he (the High Priest) comes in the cloud of smoke, then I (God) will appear to him there,” - prove that the High Priest must come in with the incense already burning. What did the Sages answer? This phrase teaches not the sequence of actions but the composition of the incense – that there must be a special herb called “one that makes the smoke rise” included in the composition of the incense.

What was the prayer of the High Priest before exiting? He said, “May it be Your will that the year be rainy and hot.” – If so, how does it help? Rather, he meant that if it is destined to be hot, it may also be rainy. He also added, “May the prayer of wayfarers (who ask to stop the rain) not be permitted to enter in front of You.”

Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was once on the road, the rain came upon him, and he said, “Master of the Universe, the whole world is happy, but Chanina is sad,” - and the rain stopped. When he reached home, he said, “Master of the Universe, shall the whole world be in distress and Chanina in comfort?” - and the rain came again. Rav Yosef noted, “What good did the prayer of the High Priest accomplish against Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa?”

Art: Rain By Camille Pissarro