Pt2 Anecdotes in Pesachim and Yoma: A Selected Anthology
This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.
Part 2
Yoma 19b - Sadducean High Priest offers incense per Sadducee reading
תנו רבנן:
מעשה בצדוקי אחד
שהתקין מבחוץ
והכניס.
ביציאתו —
היה שמח שמחה גדולה.
A baraita states in the Tosefta:
There was an incident involving a certain Sadducee who was appointed as High Priest,
who prepared the incense outside
and then brought it into the Holy of Holies.1
Upon his emergence —
he was overjoyed that he had succeeded.
פגע בו אביו,
אמר לו:
בני!
אף על פי שצדוקין אנו,
מתיראין אנו מן הפרושים.
The father of that Sadducee met him and said to him:
My son!
although we are Sadducees and you performed the service in accordance with our opinion,
we fear the Pharisees and do not actually implement that procedure in practice.
אמר לו:
כל ימי הייתי מצטער על המקרא הזה:
״כי בענן אראה על הכפורת״,
אמרתי:
מתי יבוא לידי
ואקיימנו?
עכשיו שבא לידי —
לא אקיימנו?!
The son said to his father:
All my days I have been troubled over this verse:
“For I will appear in the cloud above the Ark cover” (Leviticus 16:2).
The Sadducees interpreted this verse to mean that God will appear above the Ark cover, i.e., will enter the Holy of Holies, only after the incense cloud is already there.
I said:
When will the opportunity become available to me,
and I will fulfill it according to the Sadducee interpretation?
Now that the opportunity has become available to me,
will I not fulfill it?!
אמרו:
לא היו ימים מועטין עד שמת
והוטל באשפה,
והיו תולעין יוצאין מחוטמו.
The Sages said:
Not even a few days passed until he died
and was laid out in the garbage (אשפה) dump,
and worms2 were coming out of his nose in punishment for his actions.
ויש אומרים:
ביציאתו ניגף,
דתני רבי חייא:
כמין קול נשמע בעזרה
שבא מלאך וחבטו על פניו.
ונכנסו אחיו הכהנים
ומצאו ככף רגל עגל בין כתפיו,
שנאמר:
״ורגליהם רגל ישרה
וכף רגליהם ככף רגל עגל״.
And some say that
he was struck (ניגף) as soon as he emerged from the Holy of Holies,
as R’ Ḥiyya taught:
A type of sound was heard in the Temple courtyard,
as an angel came and struck him (חבטו) in the face.
And his fellow priests came in to remove him from there
and they found the likeness of a footprint (כף רגל) of a calf between his shoulders.
That is the mark left by an angel striking, as it is stated with regard to angels:
“And their feet were straight feet,
and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot” (Ezekiel 1:7).
Yoma 22a (Mishnah 2:2) - priests’ Injury during altar race
Yoma 22a.3 (= Mishnah_Yoma.2.2)
מעשה שהיו שניהם שוין, ורצין ועולין בכבש,
ודחף אחד מהן את חבירו
ונפל ונשברה רגלו.
וכיון שראו בית דין שבאין לידי סכנה --
התקינו שלא יהו תורמין את המזבח אלא בפייס.
an incident occurred where both of them were equal as they were running and ascending on the altar ramp (כבש),
and one of them shoved another
and he fell and his leg was broken.
And once the court saw that people were coming to potential danger --
they instituted that priests would remove (תורמין) ashes from the altar only by means of a lottery (פייס).
Yoma 23a - Rabbi Tzadok - Priest murdered over altar race
מעשה שהיו שניהן שוין ורצין ועולין בכבש.
תנו רבנן:
מעשה בשני כהנים שהיו שניהן שוין, ורצין ועולין בכבש,
קדם אחד מהן לתוך ארבע אמות של חבירו,
נטל סכין ותקע לו בלבו.
§ It was taught in the Mishnah: An incident occurred where both of the priests were equal as they were running and ascending on the ramp, and one of them shoved the other and he fell and his leg was broken.
A baraita states in the Tosefta:
An incident occurred where there were two priests who were equal as they were running and ascending the ramp.
One of them reached the four cubits before his colleague,
who then, out of anger, took a knife and stabbed (תקע) him in the heart.
עמד רבי צדוק על מעלות האולם,
ואמר:
אחינו בית ישראל שמעו!
The Tosefta continues: R’ Tzadok then stood up on the steps of the Entrance Hall (אולם) of the Sanctuary
and said:
Hear this, my brothers of the house of Israel!
הרי הוא אומר:
״כי ימצא חלל באדמה ...
ויצאו זקניך ושופטיך״.
אנו, על מי להביא עגלה ערופה?
על העיר?
או על העזרות?
געו כל העם בבכיה.
The verse states:
“If one be found slain in the land... and it be not known who had smitten him;
then your Elders and your judges shall come forth and they shall measure…and it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man…shall take a heifer” (Deuteronomy 21:1–3). And the Elders of that city took that heifer and broke its neck in a ritual of atonement.
But what of us, in our situation?3 Upon whom is the obligation to bring the heifer whose neck is broken (עגלה ערופה)?
Does the obligation fall on the city, Jerusalem, so that its Sages must bring the calf?
or does the obligation fall upon the Temple courtyards, so that the priests must bring it?
At that point the entire assembly of people burst into tears.
בא אביו של תינוק ומצאו כשהוא מפרפר.
אמר:
הרי הוא כפרתכם,
ועדיין בני מפרפר,
ולא נטמאה סכין.
The father of the boy (תינוק), i.e., the young priest who was stabbed, came and found that he was still convulsing (מפרפר).
He said:
May my son’s death be an atonement for you.
But my son is still convulsing and has not yet died,
and as such, the knife, which is in his body, has not become ritually impure through contact with a corpse.
If you remove it promptly, it will still be pure for future use.
ללמדך שקשה עליהם טהרת כלים יותר משפיכות דמים.
וכן הוא אומר:
״וגם דם נקי שפך מנשה [הרבה מאד]
עד אשר מלא [את] ירושלים פה לפה״.
The Tosefta comments: This incident comes to teach you that the ritual purity of utensils was of more concern to them than the shedding of blood. Even the boy’s father voiced more concern over the purity of the knife than over the death of his child.
And similarly, it says:
“Furthermore, Manasseh spilled innocent blood very much,
till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another” (II Kings 21:16),
which shows that in his day as well people paid little attention to murder.
Yoma 53b - A High Priest’s prolonged prayer causes alarm
תנו רבנן:
מעשה בכהן גדול אחד שהאריך בתפלתו,
ונמנו אחיו הכהנים ליכנס אחריו.
התחילו הם נכנסין
והוא יוצא.
§ The Mishnah stated that the High Priest would not extend his prayer.
A baraita states in the Tosefta:
There was an incident involving a certain High Priest who extended his prayer,
and his fellow priests took a vote, counted (נמנו), and decided to go in after him out of concern that he had died or fainted and required assistance.
They began to enter
and at that moment he emerged.
אמרו לו: מפני מה הארכת בתפלתך?
אמר להם:
קשה בעיניכם שהתפללתי
עליכם
ועל בית המקדש שלא יחרב?!
אמרו לו:
אל תהי רגיל לעשות כן,
שהרי שנינו:
לא היה מאריך בתפלתו
כדי שלא להבעית את ישראל.
They said to him: Why did you extend your prayer?
He said to them:
Why not?! Does it trouble you that I prayed
for you
and for the Temple not to be destroyed?!
They said to him:
Do not make a habit4 of doing so,
as we learned:
He would not extend his prayer,
so as not to alarm (להבעית) the Jewish people, who might fear he had died.
Yoma 54a (= Mishnah Shekalim 6:2) - A priest discovers Ark’s hidden location, dies
אמר רב נחמן:
תנא,
וחכמים אומרים:
ארון בלשכת דיר העצים היה גנוז.
Rav Naḥman said that
a Sage taught in the Tosefta:
And the Rabbis say that
the Ark of the Covenant was buried (גנוז) in the Chamber of the Woodshed ( דיר העצים).
אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק:
אף אנן נמי תנינא:
מעשה בכהן אחד שהיה מתעסק,
וראה רצפה משונה מחברותיה,
ובא והודיע את חבירו,
ולא הספיק לגמור את הדבר עד שיצתה נשמתו.
וידעו ביחוד ששם ארון גנוז.
Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:
We, too, have learned in a Mishnah (Shekalim.6.2):
There was an incident involving a certain priest who was occupied5 with various matters,
and he saw a floor (רצפה) tile in the woodshed that was different from the others. One of the marble floor tiles was higher than the rest, suggesting it had been lifted out and replaced.
He came and informed his friend of the uneven tile,
but was unable to finish his report and provide the exact location of the tile before his soul departed from his body.
And consequently they knew definitively (ביחוד) that the Ark was buried there, but its location was meant to be kept secret.
Yoma 66a (Mishnah 6:3-4) - Arsela (an Israelite) leads scapegoat
Yoma 66a.10 (= Mishnah_Yoma.6.3-4)
מסרו למי שהיה מוליכו.
הכל כשרין להוליכו,
אלא שעשו הכהנים גדולים קבע,
ולא היו מניחין את ישראל להוליכו.
After the confession over the scapegoat, the priest passed the goat to the one who was to lead it to the wilderness.
According to the halakha, everyone is eligible to lead it,
but the High Priests established a fixed custom
and did not allow an Israelite to lead it.
אמר רבי יוסי:
מעשה והוליכו ערסלא,
וישראל היה.
וכבש עשו לו מפני הבבליים,
שהיו מתלשים בשערו
ואומרים לו: טול וצא, טול וצא.
R’ Yosei said:
That was not always the case. There was an incident where a person named Arsela led the goat to the wilderness,
and he was an Israelite.
And they made a ramp for the goat due to the Babylonian Jews who were in Jerusalem,
who would pluck (מתלשים) at the goat’s hair
and would say to the goat: Take our sins and go! take our sins and go! and do not leave them with us.
Yoma 71b - People honor Shemaya and Avtalyon over High Priest
ויום טוב היה עושה לאוהביו.
תנו רבנן:
מעשה בכהן גדול אחד שיצא מבית המקדש
והוו אזלי כולי עלמא בתריה.
כיון דחזיונהו לשמעיה ואבטליון,
שבקוהו לדידיה
ואזלי בתר שמעיה ואבטליון.
§ It was taught in the Mishnah: The people escort the High Priest to his house.
And he would make a feast (יום טוב) for his loved ones.
A baraita states:
There was an incident involving one High Priest who exited the Holy Temple
and everyone followed him.
When they saw Shemaya and Avtalyon, the heads of the Sanhedrin, walking along,
in deference to them they left the High Priest by himself
and walked after Shemaya and Avtalyon.
לסוף אתו שמעיה ואבטליון לאיפטורי מיניה דכהן גדול.
אמר להן: ייתון בני עממין לשלם.
אמרו ליה:
ייתון בני עממין לשלם
דעבדין עובדא דאהרן,
ולא ייתי בר אהרן לשלם
דלא עביד עובדא דאהרן.
Eventually, Shemaya and Avtalyon came to take leave (לאיפטורי) of the High Priest before returning to their homes.
Envious of the attention they received, he angrily said to them: Let the descendants of the non-Jewish nations6 come in peace. Shemaya and Avtalyon descended from converts, and he scornfully drew attention to that fact.
They said to him:
Let the descendants of the non-Jewish nations come in peace,
who perform the acts of Aaron,
who loved and pursued peace;
and let not a descendant of Aaron come in peace,
who does not perform the acts of Aaron
and who speaks condescendingly to descendants of converts.
See the next paragraph for the biblical basis for this, and ed. Steinsaltz explanation there.
תולעין - i.e. maggots. See my previous note on maggots as the standard Talmudic metonym for death and decomposition.
Note that this question, and the ones that follow, are intended rhetorically.
אל תהי רגיל - literally: “don’t have it be regular”, i.e. don’t make this a regular thing that you do.
מתעסק - i.e. distracted.
עממין.
This Aramaic word for “nations” is a common term to reference specifically non-Jewish nations, directly analogous to the Hebrew word goy, which likely literally means “nation”.
On this word, see Jastrow (modernized):
עֲמָם
= עַם, people.
Plural: עֲמָמִים, עֲמָמִין gentiles, especially the seven nations of Canaan.
see אֱמוֹרִי; Tosefta Shabbat 7 (Tosefta Shabbat 8:23. Tosefta Shabbat 8:25 -ואין לך בכל הע׳ מתון וכ׳ - “of all the (seven) nations none is so patient as the Emorite”
Yerushalmi Sheviit 7, 36b bottom of page - אבותיך ירשו ארץ של שבעה ע׳ וכ׳ “your ancestors inherited a land of seven nations, and you shall conquer a land of ten nations”
Jerusalem Talmud Sotah 1:8:4 top בשבעה … לאסור שבעה ע׳ - “in seven passages it is said, ‘thou shalt not make marriages with them’, … to prohibit the seven Canaanite nations”
and frequently.
עֲמַם II
, especially (= גּוֹי) gentile.
Eichah Rabbah 1:1 רבתי (חד מאת׳ 7) גמלא ע׳ - “the camel driver is a non-Jew”
Plural: עַמְּמַיָּא, עַמְּמִין, עַמְּמֵי.
Onkelos Deuteronomy 32:8 (Yerushalmi II אומיא). Ibid. XIV, 2 (ed. Berliner עַמְ׳, without Dagesh).
Aramaic Targum to Psalms 69:9 עממין (ed. Lag. a. oth. עַמִּין).
and frequently.
Yoma 71b:3 (alluding to Shemaya and Abtalion who were said to be descendants of Sennacherib) - ייתון בני ע׳ לשלם - “may the sons of non-Jews go in peace”
and elsewhere.
And ibid.:
עֲמָמִי
(the preceding word) gentile.
Rosh Hashanah 20a:11 - אפשר בע׳ - “it may be done through a gentile”
Shabbat 139b:2 - יתעסקו בו עממין - “let non-Jews attend to his burial”
Shabbat 139b:1 (Aramaic) - יתעסקון ביה עממין.
I quote that last example in a recent installment in this macro-series, see my “Pt1 Anecdotes in Shabbat and Eruvin: A Selected Anthology“, section “R’ Yoḥanan; town of Maon - A death occurred on a Festival adjacent to Shabbat - Shabbat 139a“.