The Levites’ Song in the Jerusalem Temple: Its Biblical Basis and Ritual Status (Arakhin 11a-b)
Ten Scriptural Derivations for the Requirement of Levitical Song in the Jerusalem Temple
This sugya examines the status, scriptural basis, and ritual setting of the Levites’ song in the Jerusalem Temple sacrificial service.1 It begins with a dispute over whether the song is merely required or constitutes an indispensable component of the communal offering. It then presents an extended series of biblical derivations establishing that Levitical song is mandated by the Torah and is specifically connected to the altar service, communal sacrifices, and wine libations.
The sugya opens with a dispute between R’ Meir and the Rabbis. According to R’ Meir, the Levites’ song is indispensable to the communal offering: if the song was omitted, the offering is invalid. The Rabbis agree that the song is required but maintain that its omission does not invalidate the sacrifice. R’ Meir derives his position from Numbers 8:19, which places the Levites’ service alongside the atonement effected by the sacrificial blood. Just as the sprinkling of the blood is indispensable to the offering, the Levitical song is likewise indispensable.
The discussion then turns from the song’s effect on the sacrifice to the basic source of its Torah obligation. The passage presents a catalogue of prooftexts, each identifying song as a distinct form of divine service.2 Shmuel (#1) interprets the Levite’s obligation to “serve with the name of YHWH” as vocal praise in which God’s name is invoked. Rav Mattana (#2) derives song from the description of serving God “with joy and goodness of heart,” since song is the form of service associated with joy. He further uses the shared term “goodness” to derive that the bringing of first fruits also requires song.
Other interpretations focus on the relationship between song and the sacrificial service. R’ Yohanan (#4) reads the phrase “the work of service” as describing a service performed in conjunction with another service: the Levites sing while the priests perform the sacrifice. R’ Yonatan (#10) similarly compares the Levites’ duties to the priests’ altar service, indicating that the Levites perform their own form of altar-related service through song. Rav Ashi (#9) connects singers with trumpeters; just as trumpets accompany communal offerings, so too does Levitical song.
Several derivations identify song through linguistic associations with voice, lifting, and melody. Hizkiyya (#3) rereads a term describing Chenaniah’s musical leadership as “he shall sing.” R’ Yitzhak (#5) cites the command to “take up the melody,” while Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak (#6) cites the lifting of the voice in joyful praise. A baraita (#7) interprets the verb ordinarily meaning “they shall carry” as an allusion to raising the voice in song. Hananya (#8) derives the obligation from God’s response to Moses “with a voice,” understood as a command concerning vocal service.
The sugya also defines the ritual occasion of the song. R’ Shmuel bar Nahmani, citing R’ Yonatan, teaches that Temple song is recited only over wine. Judges describes wine as gladdening both God and people. Wine gladdens people through consumption, while it “gladdens God” through the song recited when the wine libation is poured.
The Levites’ song is thus presented as an integral accompaniment to the communal offering, particularly its wine libation, and as a formal Temple service grounded in a wide range of biblical texts.
Outline
Intro
The Passage
R’ Meir - The Levites’ song is indispensable to the communal offering (i.e., without it, the offering is invalid)
Rabbis - The Levites’ song is not indispensable to the offering
Prooftext for R’ Meir’s opinion - just as the blood sprinkling is indispensable, the Levites’ song is likewise indispensable - Numbers 8:19
Prooftexts that the Torah requires song in the Temple
#1 - Rav Yehuda citing Shmuel - a Levite’s “service with the name of YHWH” refers to song - Deuteronomy 18:7
#2 - Rav Mattana - divine service is described as performed with joy and goodness of heart, which refers specifically to song - Deuteronomy 28:47
Rav Mattana - The bringing of first fruits requires song, derived through a verbal analogy between “goodness” in the laws of first fruits and “goodness” in the verse concerning joyful service - Deuteronomy 26:11, 28:47
R’ Shmuel bar Nahmani citing R’ Yonatan - Temple song is recited only over wine, since wine is said to gladden both people and God; it gladdens God through the song recited over its libation - Judges 9:13
#3 - Hizkiyya - The Torah requirement of Levitical song is derived by reading “yasor” (“master”) as “yashir” (“he shall sing”) - I Chronicles 15:22
#4 - Balvatei citing R’ Yohanan - Song is the “work of service,” meaning a service performed in conjunction with another service, namely the sacrificial service - Numbers 4:47
#5 - R’ Yitzhak - The requirement of Temple song is derived from the command to take up melody with musical instruments - Psalms 81:2–3
#6 - Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak - The requirement of Temple song is derived from the verse describing people lifting their voices and singing for joy before YHWH - Isaiah 24:14
#7 - Baraita - The word “yisa’u,” ostensibly meaning that the Kohathites carried sacred objects, also alludes to song - Numbers 7:9
... as shown by other verses using the same root for lifting melody or voice - Psalms 81:3; Isaiah 24:14
#8 - Hananya, R’ Yehoshua’s nephew - God’s answering Moses “with a voice” teaches that Levites were commanded concerning vocal service, namely song - Exodus 19:19
#9 - Rav Ashi - The requirement of Levitical song is derived from the verse equating the united sound of trumpeters and singers (just as trumpets accompany communal offerings, so does song) - II Chronicles 5:13
#10 - R’ Yonatan - The Torah compares Levites to priests: just as priests perform altar service, Levites perform a service connected to the altar (namely: song) - Numbers 18:3
The Passage
R’ Meir - The Levites’ song is indispensable to the communal offering (i.e., without it, the offering is invalid)
תנו רבנן:
השיר --
מעכב את הקרבן,
דברי רבי מאיר;
§ A baraita states:
The song that the Levites sing while a communal offering is being sacrificed --
is an indispensable3 component of the offering,
which means that if the Levites did not sing, the offering is invalid.
This is the statement of R’ Meir.
Rabbis - The Levites’ song is not indispensable to the offering
וחכמים אומרים:
אינו מעכב.
And the Rabbis say:
It is not indispensable.
Prooftext for R’ Meir’s opinion - just as the blood sprinkling is indispensable, the Levites’ song is likewise indispensable - Numbers 8:19
מאי טעמא דרבי מאיר?
דאמר קרא:
״ואתנה את הלוים
נתנים לאהרן ולבניו מתוך בני ישראל...
ולכפר על בני ישראל״,
The Talmud asks: What is the reasoning of R’ Meir, i.e., from where does he derive his opinion?
The Talmud answers: It is as the verse states:
“And I have given the Levites,
they are given to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel,
to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting,
and to make atonement (לכפר) for the children of Israel” (Numbers 8:19).
The verse compares the atonement for the Jewish people, which is caused by the sprinkling of the blood of offerings on the altar,4 to the service of the Levites, which is their singing.
מה כפרה
מעכבת,
אף שירה
מעכבת.
[...]
This teaches that
just as the atonement (כפרה) caused by the sprinkling of the blood
is an indispensable component of the offering,
so too the song of the Levites
is indispensable.
[...]
Prooftexts that the Torah requires song in the Temple
#1 - Rav Yehuda citing Shmuel - a Levite’s “service with the name of YHWH” refers to song - Deuteronomy 18:7
אמר רב יהודה, אמר שמואל:
מנין לעיקר שירה מן התורה?
שנאמר:
״ושרת בשם ה׳ אלהיו״,
איזהו שירות שבשם?
הוי אומר: זה שירה.
[...]
Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said:
From where is it derived that the basic (עיקר) requirement to accompany communal offerings with song applies by Torah law?5
As it is stated with regard to a Levite who serves in the Temple: “Then he shall serve with the name of YHWH his God” (Deuteronomy 18:7).
What is this service that is performed with the name of God?
You must say that this is the song,
in which the Levites mention and praise the name of God.
[...]
#2 - Rav Mattana - divine service is described as performed with joy and goodness of heart, which refers specifically to song - Deuteronomy 28:47
רב מתנה אמר מהכא:
״תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה׳ אלהיך בשמחה ובטוב לבב״,
איזו היא עבודה שבשמחה ובטוב לבב?
הוי אומר:
זה שירה.
[...]
Rav Mattana said that the source for the requirement to accompany the Temple offerings with song is derived from here:
“Because you did not serve YHWH your God with joyfulness, and with goodness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47).
What is this service of God that is performed with joyfulness and with goodness of heart?
You must say that this is song.
[...]
Rav Mattana - The bringing of first fruits requires song, derived through a verbal analogy between “goodness” in the laws of first fruits and “goodness” in the verse concerning joyful service - Deuteronomy 26:11, 28:47
אמר רב מתנה:
מנין לביכורים שטעונין שירה?
אתיא
״טוב״
״טוב״
מהכא.
[...]
The Talmud discusses a related matter.
Rav Mattana says:
From where is it derived that bringing the first fruits to the Temple requires the accompaniment of song?
The Talmud answers: It is derived from here, i.e., from the requirement to accompany communal offerings with song, by means of a verbal analogy of
the word goodness6 in the verse “And with goodness of heart”
and the word goodness in the verse “You shall rejoice in all the goodness.”
[...]
R’ Shmuel bar Nahmani citing R’ Yonatan - Temple song is recited only over wine, since wine is said to gladden both people and God; it gladdens God through the song recited over its libation - Judges 9:13
אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני, אמר רבי יונתן:
מנין שאין אומרים שירה אלא על היין?
שנאמר:
״ותאמר להם הגפן:
החדלתי את תירושי
המשמח אלהים ואנשים״,
R’ Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that R’ Yonatan said:
From where is it derived that songs of praise in the Temple are recited only over the wine libation accompanying the sacrifice?
As it is stated:
“And the vine replied:
Should I leave my wine,
which gladdens God and man,
and go and wave above the trees” (Judges 9:13).
אם אנשים משמח,
אלהים במה משמח?
מכאן שאין אומרים שירה אלא על היין.
[...]
If it is clear that wine gladdens people,
in what way does it gladden God?!
Rather, derive from here that songs of praise in the Temple are recited only over the wine of libation, and it is this song that gladdens God.
[...]
#3 - Hizkiyya - The Torah requirement of Levitical song is derived by reading “yasor” (“master”) as “yashir” (“he shall sing”) - I Chronicles 15:22
חזקיה אמר מהכא:
״וכנניהו שר הלוים
ישור במשא
כי מבין הוא״,
אל תיקרי ״ישור״
אלא ״ישיר״.
The Talmud presents another source for the requirement that the song of the Levites must accompany the sacrificial service in the Temple.
Ḥizkiyya says that this obligation is derived from here:
“And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites…
he was master of lifting,
because he was skillful” (I Chronicles 15:22).
Do not read it as “he was master [yasor] of lifting,”
but as: “He shall sing [yashir]” with the lifting of his voice.7
#4 - Balvatei citing R’ Yohanan - Song is the “work of service,” meaning a service performed in conjunction with another service, namely the sacrificial service - Numbers 4:47
בלווטי, אמר רבי יוחנן, מהכא:
״לעבוד עבודת עבודה״,
איזהו עבודה שצריכה עבודה?
הוי אומר: זו שירה.
The Sage named Balvatei said that R’ Yoḥanan said that the requirement for the Levites to accompany the Temple offerings with song is derived from here:
The verse states with regard to the Levites: “Every one that entered in to do the work of service” (Numbers 4:47).
What is work that must be performed in conjunction with another service?
You must say that this is song.
#5 - R’ Yitzhak - The requirement of Temple song is derived from the command to take up melody with musical instruments - Psalms 81:2–3
רבי יצחק אמר מהכא:
״שאו זמרה
ותנו תף
כנור נעים עם נבל״.
R’ Yitzḥak says that the requirement to accompany the Temple offerings with song is derived from here:
“Sing aloud to God…
Take up the melody,
and sound the timbrel,
the sweet harp with the lyre” (Psalms 81:2–3).
#6 - Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak - The requirement of Temple song is derived from the verse describing people lifting their voices and singing for joy before YHWH - Isaiah 24:14
רב נחמן בר יצחק אמר מהכא:
״הם ישאו קולם
ירנו
בגאון ה׳ צהלו מים״.
Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said that the obligation is derived from here:
“They lift up their voice,
they sing for joy;
for the majesty of YHWH they shout from the sea” (Isaiah 24:14).
#7 - Baraita - The word “yisa’u,” ostensibly meaning that the Kohathites carried sacred objects, also alludes to song - Numbers 7:9
ותנא מייתי לה מהכא:
״ולבני קהת לא נתן
כי עבודת הקדש עליהם
בכתף ישאו״,
And a tanna cites a derivation for the requirement for the Levites to accompany the Temple offerings with song from here:
“But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none,
because the service of the holy things belonged to them:
They bore them [yisa’u] upon their shoulders” (Numbers 7:9).
ממשמע שנאמר ״בכתף״,
איני יודע ש״ישאו״?
מה תלמוד לומר ״ישאו״?
אין ״ישאו״ אלא לשון שירה,
By inference from that which is stated, “upon their shoulders,”
don’t I know that they bore them?
Why must the verse state “yisa’u”?
The term “yisa’u” is not stated here in its meaning of “they bore them,”
but rather as an expression of song.
... as shown by other verses using the same root for lifting melody or voice - Psalms 81:3; Isaiah 24:14
וכן הוא אומר:
״שאו זמרה, ותנו תף״,
ואומר:
״ישאו קולם, ירונו וגו׳״.
And similarly, the verse states:
“Take up [se’u] the melody, and sound the timbrel,”
and another verse states:
“They lift up [yisu] their voice, they sing for joy.”
#8 - Hananya, R’ Yehoshua’s nephew - God’s answering Moses “with a voice” teaches that Levites were commanded concerning vocal service (i.e., song) - Exodus 19:19
חנניא בן אחי רבי יהושע אמר, מהכא:
״משה ידבר
והאלהים יעננו בקול״,
על עסקי קול.
Ḥananya, son of R’ Yehoshua’s brother, says that the requirement for the Levites to sing in the Temple is derived from here:
“Moses spoke,
and God answered him with a voice” (Exodus 19:19).
This indicates that God responded to Moses, who was a Levite, by commanding him about matters pertaining to the voice,
i.e., that the Levites must accompany the sacrifices with song.
#9 - Rav Ashi - The requirement of Levitical song is derived from the verse equating the united sound of trumpeters and singers (just as trumpets accompany communal offerings, so does song) - II Chronicles 5:13
רב אשי אמר, מהכא:
״ויהי כאחד למחצצרים ולמשררים
להשמיע קול אחד״.
Rav Ashi says that the obligation for the Levites to sing in the Temple is derived from here:
“It came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one,
to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking YHWH” (II Chronicles 5:13).8
#10 - R’ Yonatan - The Torah compares Levites to priests: just as priests perform altar service, Levites perform a service connected to the altar (namely: song) - Numbers 18:3
רבי יונתן אמר מהכא:
״ולא ימותו
גם הם גם אתם״
מה אתם
בעבודת מזבח,
אף הם
בעבודת מזבח.
R’ Yonatan says that the requirement for the Levites to sing in the Temple is derived from here:
The Torah commands the priests with regard to the Levites: “They shall not come near the altar, that they die not,
neither they nor you” (Numbers 18:3).
The verse equates the Levites with the priests, indicating that
just as you, the priests,
are obligated to perform the service on the altar,
so too they, the Levites,
are obligated to perform a service pertaining to the altar, i.e., the song that accompanies the offerings.
For a general discussion, see Hebrew Wikipedia, “שירת הלויים”.
The numbering in the following is mine. In the sugya, each prooftext after the first one is stated with the following formula:
Rabbi [X] said from here (מהכא):
מעכב.
This is a common Talmudic technical term; for its meaning, see Jastrow (modernized), entry “עָכַב”, section “Pi’el - עִיכֵּב “, sense #1:
to detain, prevent.
Mekhilta Beshallah, section 1 - ואל תְּעַכֵּב את גאולתנו and delay not our redemption.
Berakhot 7a ומי מְעַכֵּב, see עִיסָה;
and frequently.
Especially: to invalidate an act by an omission; to be indispensable (see עִיכּוּב).
Mishnah Zevachim 5:1 מתנה אחת מהן מְעַכֶּבֶת the omission of one of these manipulations (see מַתָּנָה) makes the whole act illegal.
Ibid. אם לא נתן לא ע׳ if he did not pour the blood into the yesod (יְסוֹד), it does not invalidate the act.
Ibid. 48a לעַכֵּב מנין from where do we prove that it is indispensable? (as opposed to למצוה).
Mishnah Menachot 4:1 התכלת אינה מעכבת את הלבן the absence of the blue thread in the show fringes does not hinder the white thread, i.e. in the absence of the one, the other may do for the ceremony.
Ibid. הסולת והשמן אינם מְעַכְּבִין … ולא היין מְעַכְּבָן the flour and oil (of the Minḥah) are no hinderance to offering the wine, nor does the wine form a hinderance to them, i.e. the order in which they are offered is immaterial.
Ibid. המתנות … אינן מְעַכְּבוֹת זו את זו the sprinklings upon the outer altar are no hinderance to one another, i.e. one of them is enough to make the ceremony legal.
Berakhot 2a:13 ביאת שמשו מְעַכַּבְתּוֹ מלאכול וכ׳ the sunset of his last day of levitical uncleanness is indispensable for allowing him to eat Terumah, but the offering of his sacrifice is not;
and very frequently.
Part. pass. מְעוּכָּב; feminine מְעוּכֶּבֶת; plural: מְעוּכָּבִים, מְעוּכָּבִין; מְעוּכָּבוֹת.
Yerushalmi Sotah 2, beginning: 17d ומכיון שהוא מע׳ מלשמוח וכ׳ since he is prevented from rejoicing with her (at the sacrifice), it is as if he prevented her from partaking of the sacrifice (by failing to provide for her offering of sanctification).
Yoma 2a והוא מעכב מלשמוח (read מְעוּכָּב).
Mekhilta see above כי בגללך אנו מע׳ for we are detained on your account;
and elsewhere.
(עָכַב) keeping back, hinderance, prevention.
Temurah 32a:30 sq. אין בה אלא ע׳ גיזברין בלבד there is nothing to prevent the offering of the sacrifice, except that we must await the appearance of the Temple treasurers (as representatives of the owners).
Especially: hinderance, a circumstance which makes a religious act invalid, indispensable condition, absolute necessity.
Jerusalem Talmud Pesachim 7:2:3 top (referring to כי אם צלי אש, Exodus 12:9) שינה עליו הכתוב לע׳ the text has an extraordinary (emphatic) expression about it to intimate that the roasting of the Passover sacrifice over fire is indispensable.
Ibid. 2, 29b bottom of page לע׳ תאמרת the rule that the unleavened bread to be eaten on the Passover night must not contain any fruit juice has been laid down as an indispensable condition, as opposed to למצוה, see מִצְוָה;
and elsewhere.
I.e. that it’s a Biblical requirement, as opposed to a later rabbinic enaction, or non-obligatory.
טוּב - tuv.
טוּב (tuv) is the abstract noun corresponding to טוֹב (tov - “good”), meaning ‘goodness,’ ‘benefit,’ ‘prosperity,’ or ‘the best part’ of something.
See Wikipedia ibid. (at the hyperlink):
Chenaniah (כְּנַנְיָה), according to Chronicles, was a Levite leader in the time of David.
The Hebrew text is unclear as to whether he was in charge of something to do with singing or with the carrying of the ark.
Steinsaltz explains:
This indicates that just as there is a requirement for trumpets to be sounded during the sacrifice of communal offerings (see Numbers 10:10), there is likewise a requirement for the Levites to sing.
On trumpets in the Temples, see Wikipedia, “Chazozra“ and “History of the trumpet“, section “Ancient Israel“; and Hebrew Wikipedia, “חצוצרות הכסף“ and “תקיעת הכהנים בחצוצרות“.