Name, pardon iniquities, transgressions, and sins which I have perversely committed, and transgressed, and sinned before thee, I, and my house, and the sons of Aaron, thy holy people, as is written in the law of Moses, thy servant, saying, that in this day he will atone for you to purify you from all your sins' Before the Lord. Ye shall be pure.'" And they answered after him, "Blessed be the Name. The honor of his kingdom forever and ever."

3. He slaughtered him and caught his blood in a bowl, and he gave it to him who mixed it upon the fourth platform of the sanctuary, that it might not congeal. He took the censer, and went up to the top of the altar, and raked the live coals here and there, and gathered out from the inner embers. And went down and placed it upon the fourth platform in the court.

4. Every day he gathered out the coals with one of silver and poured them out into one of gold, but to-day he gathered them with one of gold and he entered with it. Every day he gathered them out with one of four cabs 23 and poured them into one of three cabs. But to-day he gathered them out with one of three cabs, and with it he entered. Rabbi Joseph said, "every day he gathered out with one containing a seah,24 and poured it into one of three cabs. But to-day he gathered out with one of three cabs, and with it he entered. Every day it was heavy, but to-day it was light. Every day its handle was short, but to-day long. Every day it was green gold; to-day red." The words of Rabbi Menachem: "Every day he offered half a pound in the morning, and half a pound in the evening, but to-day he added his handful. Every day it was fine; but to-day the finest of the fine."

5. Every day the priests went up the ascent to the altar in the east and descended in the west. But to-day the high priest went up in the middle and descended in the middle. R. Judah said, "The high priest ever went up in the middle and descended in the middle." Every day the high priest 23 A cab contained nearly three pints. 24 A seah contained one peck and one pint.

sanctified his hands and his feet from the laver; but to-day from the golden basin. R. Judah said, "The high priest ever sanctified his hands and his feet from the golden basin." 6. "Every day there were there four rows 25 of hearths; but to-day five." The words of R. Meier. Rabbi Joseph said, "every day three; but to-day four." Rabbi Judah said, "every day two; but to-day three."

CHAPTER V

1. They brought out for him the cup and the censer, and filled his hand full of incense, and put it into the cup, the large according to his largeness, 26 and the smaller according to his smallness, and so was its measure. He took the censer in his right hand, and the spoon in his left. He proceeded in the sanctuary until he came between the two vails dividing between the holy and the holy of holies, and intermediate was a cubit. R. Joseph said, "there was one vail only," as he said, "the vail is the division for you between the Holy and the Holy of Holies." (Exod. xxvi. 33.) Outside it was looped up southward, inside northward. He proceeded between them till he reached the north. When he reached the north his face was turned southward. He proceeded leftward near the vail till he came to the ark. When he came to the ark, he put the censer between its two staves, he heaped the incense on the live coals, and the whole house was entirely filled with smoke. He went out, and returned by the way of his entrance, and he offered a short prayer in the outer house, and he did not prolong his prayer, lest he should excite terror 27 in Israel.

2. When the ark was removed, a stone was there from the days of the first prophets, and it was called "Foundation." 28 It was three digits high above the earth, and upon it he put the censer.

25 On the altar.

26 The size of the priest's hands was proportionate to his stature. 27 That he had been struck dead.

28 Supposed by some to be the Sukhrah in the present Mosque of

3. He took the blood from the mixer.29 With it he entered to the place where he entered, and stood in the place where he stood. He sprinkled of it once on high, and seven times below, and he did not purpose to sprinkle neither on high nor below, but unintentionally, and so he counted, one, one and one, one and two, one and three, one and four, one and five, one and six, one and seven.” He went out and placed it on the golden pedestal, which was in the sanctuary.

66

4. They brought to him the goat, he slaughtered it and caught its blood in a bowl. He entered to the place where he entered, and stood in the place where he stood, and sprinkled of it once on high and seven times below, and he did not purpose to sprinkle neither on high nor below, but unintentionally; 30 and so he counted, "one, one and one, onc and two," etc. He went out, and placed it on the second pedestal, which was in the sanctuary. R. Judah said "there was but one pedestal only." He took the blood of the bullock and laid down the blood of the goat, and sprinkled of it on the vail opposite the ark, on the outside, once on high, seven times below, and he did not purpose, etc., and so he counted. He took the blood of the goat and laid down the blood of the bullock, and sprinkled of it on the vail opposite the ark, on the outside, once on high and seven times below, He poured the blood of the bullock into the blood of the goat, and infused the full into the empty.

5. And he went out to the altar which is before the Lord. This was the golden altar. He began cleansing it, and went down. "From what place did he begin?" "From the northeastern corner, the northwestern, southwestern, and southeastern, the place where he began with the sin-offering of the outer altar, at the same place he finished upon the inner altar." R. Eliezer said, "he stood in his place and cleansed, and in general he operated from below upward, excepting Omar. From its position, however, it seems more probably to have been the foundation of the altar of burnt offerings. This sacred rock is sixty feet across and five feet high.

29 A priest continued to stir the blood to prevent its coagulation. 30 Or, “as a thrasher."

that which was before him, on that he operated from above downward."

6. He sprinkled on the middle 31 of the altar seven times, and the remainder of the blood he poured out on the western foundation of the outer altar, and the blood from the outer altar he poured out on the southern foundation. This and that commingled in the channel, and flowed out to the Kidron Valley, and they were sold to the gardeners for manure, and they became guilty 32 in themselves.

7. All work of the day of atonement is described in order. If the high priest performed one before the other, he did nothing. If the blood of the goat be sprinkled before the blood of the bullock, he must return, and sprinkle from the blood of the goat after the blood of the bullock. And if he had not finished the performances within, the blood was spilled. He must bring other blood, and return to sprinkle first from within. And so in the sanctuary, and so on the golden altar, because all are an atonement in themselves. R. Eleazar and R. Simon say, "from the place where he stopped there he began."

CHAPTER VI

1. Both he-goats for the day of atonement are commanded to be alike in color, and in stature, and in price, and to be selected at the same time, and although they be not equal, yet are they lawful. "If one be selected to-day and the other to-morrow?" They are lawful." "If one of them died?" "If he died before the lot be cast, the priest shall take a pair for the second; and if after the lot be cast he die, the priest shall fetch another pair, and cast the lot over them anew." And he shall say, "if that for the Name die, this over which this lot comes will be a substitute for the Name; and if that for Azazel die, this over which this lot comes will be substitute for Azazel." And the second

32 1.e., The gardeners became liable for a trespass-offering.

shall go to pasture, until he become blemished, and he shall be sold, and his price must be put into the offertory. Since the sin-offering of the congregation dies not. R. Judah said, "thou shalt die "; 33 and again said R. Judah, "is his blood shed?” "The one to be sent forth shall die." "Has the one to be sent forth died?" "His blood shall be shed."

2. The high priest came to the side of the goat to be sent forth, and he placed his two hands 34 on him and made confession, and thus he spake: "I beseech thee, O Name, thy people, the house of Israel, have done perversely, have transgressed and sinned before thee. I beseech thee, O Name, pardon now their perverse doings, and their transgressions, and their sins, which they have perversely committed, and transgressed, and sinned before thee. Thy people the house of Israel, as it is written in the law of Moses thy servant, saying, 'For on that day shall he make an atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins; before the Lord ye shall be pure.' 35 And the priests and the people who stood in the court, on hearing the Name clearly pronounced by the mouth of the high priest, knelt and worshiped, and fell on their faces and said, 'Blessed be the Name. The honor of his kingdom forever and ever.'"

3. They delivered the goat to his conductor. All were eligible for conducting him. But the great priests made a rule, and they did not permit Israel to lead him forth. Said R. Joseph, "it occurred that Arsela of Zippori led him forth, and he was an Israelite."

4. And they made steps 36 for him by reason of the Babylonians, 37 who plucked off his hair and said to him, "take and go, take and go." The nobles of Jerusalem escorted him 33 R. Judah addresses in imagination the goat.

84 It seems, according to the Talmud, that there was no "laying on of hands" on either the morning or evening sacrifice; or on any other public sacrifice, excepting the scapegoat and the bullock, when the congregation had sinned through ignorance.

35 Lev. xvi. 30.

36 Or viaduct, or causeway.

37 Supposed to be Alexandrian Jews, so called from hatred to the Babylonians.