Some Orthodox prayer books quote today’s daf TB Yoma 33 “Abaye arranged the sequence of the daily services in the Temple based on tradition and in accordance with the opinion of Abba Shaul” (Sefaria.org translation) before the recitation of Torah passages of the daily sacrificial rite. Abaye explicitly tells the order of daily ritual a priest followed. For example, “And removal of ashes from five lamps precedes the slaughter and the receiving and sprinkling of the blood of the daily morning offering. The sprinkling of the blood of the daily offering precedes the removal of ashes from the two remaining lamps of the candelabrum. And the removal of ashes from two lamps precedes the burning of the incense.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Rabbi Elie Munk in his book The World of Prayer: Commentary and Translation of the Siddur explains why korbanot, sacrifices, are recited.
“The daily recital of the chapter on the sacrifices has its origin in a midrash (see also Tur, Orech Chayim 48). God, it says there, assures Avraham that sacrifices offered by Israel will always secure atonement for the transgressions they might commit. Then Avraham answered: ‘This could be so, so long as the Temple stands. But what will happen to the people once it is destroyed?’ Thereupon God said to him, ‘My son, I have already prepared for them the chapters on the sacrificial offerings. Whenever they read these words, I shall regard them as having actually offered the sacrifice mentioned, and I shall forgive them all the transgressions.’[1]
“The Talmud and the Midrash often teach us that preoccupation with the laws and the practices of sacrifices will affect atonement even without the actual performance of the act. As Bachya (on Leviticus 7:33) points out, the daily repetition and study of the laws of sacrifice will bring out the ideas behind them. This will intensify one’s sense of duty and sharpen one’s conscience.”(page 62)
Because the liberal movements don’t believe that the ancient sacrificial cult should be reinstituted, their prayer books do not include these chapters. Even though I don’t pray for the restitution of the sacrificial cult, I do believe we can learn important lessons from them. Today’s daf provides an example.
“Abaye continued: And removal of ashes from the inner altar precedes the removal of ashes from five of the seven lamps of the candelabrum. What is the reason for this? Abaye said: I learned this through tradition; however, I do not know the rationale behind it. And Rava said: The reason is in accordance with the statement of Reish Lakish, as Reish Lakish said: One may not forego performance of any of the mitzvot in order to perform another mitzvah (אֵין מַעֲבִירִין עַל הַמִּצְוֹת). And when he enters the Sanctuary it is the altar that he encounters first, before reaching the candelabrum; therefore, he performs the service of the altar before removing the ashes from the lamps, as it was taught in a baraita: The table stood in the north of the Sanctuary, removed two and a half cubits from the wall. And the candelabrum stood in the south of the Sanctuary, removed two and a half cubits from the wall. The altar was centered and standing in the middle of the Sanctuary, removed a bit outward. Therefore, one encounters the altar first. The Gemara questions the essence of the matter: And let us stand the altar alongside the table and the candelabrum; why was it removed outward? The Gemara answers: It is because it is written: “And the candelabrum opposite the table” (Exodus 26:35); we require that they are visible to each other. Were the altar aligned with the table and the candelabrum, it would interpose between them.” (Sefaria.org translation)
It’s important to do first things first before we go on to the second thing. The Gemara gives an example. “Rava said: Conclude from the statement of Reish Lakish that one may not forego performance of any of the mitzvot, that it is prohibited to forego donning the phylacteries (tefillin-gg))of the arm in order to don the phylacteries of the head, as when donning phylacteries, one encounters the arm first. How does he conduct himself? He proceeds from the phylacteries of the arm to the phylacteries of the head.” (Sefaria.org translation) When I put away my tefillin I make sure my shel rosh, tefillin of the head, goes first into my bag and the shel yad, the tefillin of the arm, goes on top of it. When I reach to put on my tefillin the next morning, the first one I take out will be the shel yad in order to fulfill Reis Lakish’s principle “One may not forego performance of any of the mitzvot in order to perform another mitzvah (אֵין מַעֲבִירִין עַל הַמִּצְוֹת).”
On Shabbat we make the blessing motzi over two hallot. There is a custom to put one hallah on top of the other one when saying the blessing. Which hallah should you cut first, the top or the bottom? The Bach applies this principle when making the motzi over the two Shabbat hallot. Since one encounters the top hallah first, that’s the one you should cut first.[2]
[2] The Shulkhan Arukh(Orekh Hayyim167) and other Rishonim e.g. the Tur recognize that there is a tradition, a kabblah, that one slices the bottom hallah. One rishon suggests that the bottom hallah should extend out further and closer to the one making the blessing. That way one observes both cutting the bottom hallah as well as the principle “One may not forego performance of any of the mitzvot in order to perform another mitzvah (אֵין מַעֲבִירִין עַל הַמִּצְוֹת). (Sefria.org translation.)
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