BSD
Shkolim 16b (3) – 17a
30 Kislev, 5785. 12/31/2024

1 – We concluded הלכה א of the 6th chapter.

A brief summary:

● We reviewed how the משנה and גמרא digressed from the 13 שופרות or Pushkes that were in the בית המקדש (topic of מסכת שקלים) to the 13 tables in the מקדש (as we will learn in הלכה ג) to the 13 locations were people would perform a השתחווה.

● Speaking of bowing down 13 times the משנה mentioned the בית רבן גמליאל that would bow down a 14th time when passing the לשכת העצים due their tradition that the ארון was buried there.

● Speaking of the ארון the גמרא digresses to the current location of the ארון (under the קודש הקדשים, under the לשכת העצים or in בבל). It then moved on to ‘how many ארונות there were’. (1 or 2).

● From there it moved on to the topic of why and who hid the ארון. (King יאשיהו who feared it would be captured by the Babylonians), He also hid the שמן המשחה.

● Speaking of the שמן המשחה the גמרא discusses how this anointing oil was produced. (Spices cooked in oil or first cooked in water then soaked with oil).

● From there it digressed to the anointing the כהנים and מלכים with this oil. (Who was anointed. Only מלכי בית דוד when the appointment of the king was contested. מלכי ישראל were always [and מלכי בית דוד after it was hidden] anointed with שמן אפרסמון.

● It moved along to the measurements of the ארון (Is an אמה 5 or 6 טפחים?)

● From there to the big topic of what exactly was placed inside the ארון. (Second לוחות only or also the broken pieces of the first set as well).

● Discussed the shape of the לוחות. Our ירושלמי (rectangular לוחות) vs the בבלי (square לוחות).

● It then moved on to the construction of the ארון. (Three boxes or just one wooden one plated with gold). Discussed the need for the height of the ארון to be taller than the actual height of the לוחות. (Radvaz)

● Speaking of the לוחות it digressed to discussing how the עשרת הדברות were written on the two tablets. (10, 20 or 40 times). The topic of the letters engraved ‘thru and thru’. (Forward or in reverse).

● Finally, to the ספר תורה that was inside the קודש הקדשים . (inside the ארון or outside on a box or shelf).

● Discussed if this ספר תורה was ever removed from the ארון or קודש הקדשים .  (Rashi vs Tosfos).

There were many more topics…the above summary is just an overview of the major points of discussion.

2- We began הלכה ב where the משנה discusses the 13 locations of the 13 השתחוייות. The משנה stated that these 13 locations correspond to the 13 שערים that the בית המקדש had.
The גמרא however, says that there are some who say the בית המקדש only had 7 gates.

So where are these 13 locations?

We mentioned that the story of חנוכה is mentioned very rarely on the משנה. In the past, in the name of the חתם סופר, we spoke about רבינו הקדוש the compiler of the משניות who was displeased with the חשמונאים (not being descendants from שבט יהודה) declaring themselves kings. He therefore didn’t create a מסכת חנוכה.

In the גמרא too, besides in מסכת שבת, the חשמונאים are not mentioned many times.

בהשגחה פרטית , learning this on חנוכה, our גמרא states:
עַל דָּעְתּוֹן דְּרָבָּנִן אֵיכָן הָיוּ הַהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיּוֹת הַלָלוּ. כַּהִיא דְתַנִּינָן תַּמָּן. וּשְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה פְרָצוֹת הָיוּ בוֹ שֶׁפְּרָצוּם מַלְכֵי יָווָן. חָזְרוּ וּגְדָרוּם בני חשמונאי וְגָזְרוּ כְּנֶגְדָּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה הִשְׁתַּחֲוָיוֹת.
In the Rabbis’ opinion, that only 7 gates existed, where were the thirteen prostrations?

As we have stated there: “There were thirteen breaches, where the Greek kings breached it; the חשמונאים came back and closed them and established correspondingly thirteen prostrations.”

See also מדות ב, ג. See a reconciliation of the two opinions (7 or 13 gates) in Tosfos Kesubos 106a – שבעה כנגד ז׳ שערים

3- These 13 breaches or breaks were not in the walls of the בית המקדש itself.

Surrounding the walls of the בית המקדש there was a 2′-4’ high stone or wood wall that designated the area beyond which no טמא מת or a אינו יהודי would be be allowed to enter.

Warning signs in Greek and Latin were posted on this wall advising as such.

Interestingly, 2 such signs survived until today.

“No foreigner may enter within the balustrade around the sanctuary and the enclosure. Whoever is caught, on himself shall he put blame for the death which will ensue.”

See here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Warning_inscription

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-temple-mount-warning-stone-is-closest-thing-we-have-to-the-temple/#:~:text=Written%20in%20Greek%20(no%20Latin,the%20death%20which%20will%20ensue.%E2%80%9D

https://avande1.sites.luc.edu/jerusalem/sources/temple-warning.htm

In Hebrew: Here. Here.

It was in this parapet wall that the Greeks blasted 13 openings to show their displeasure as to their exclusion. When the חשמונאים defeated the Greeks and repaired the break they commemorated this event by establishing 13 points in the בית המקדש where one would prostate himself.

To be continued.

4- The story of the roaming מגיד that had only one דרשה on פרשת קורח…..Tabak Pushkah…