Audio by Shimi Berger

Mishnah Tamid 1:3: He [the supervising priest] took the key and opened the small door [located in the Chamber of Fire] and entered from the Chamber of Fire to the Courtyard. And they [the other priests] entered after him with two torches of fire were in their hands. They would split into two groups. [One group] walked under the portico [surrounding the Courtyard] towards the east and [the other group] walked under the portico towards the west. They would check [the temple vessels] and walk until they reached the place where the Chavitim [loaves of bread brought as meal offering] are made. They [the two groups] met each other and would say, "It is fine, all is fine," [the vessels are in order]. They would appoint [from their group] makers of the Chavitim to make the Chavitim.

נטל את המפתח. ופתח את הפשפש. ונכנס מבית המוקד לעזרה. ונכנסו אחריו. ושתי אבוקות של אור בידם. ונחלקו לשתי כתות. אלו הולכים באכסדרא דרך המזרח. ואלו הולכים באכסדרא דרך המערב. היו בודקין והולכין. עד שמגיעין למקום בית עושי חביתים. הגיעו אלו ואלו אמרו שלום הכל שלום. העמידו עושי חביתים לעשות חביתים:

Mishnah Tamid 1:4: The one who won the right to remove the ashes from the altar, would remove [the ashes] and they [the other priests] say to him, "Be careful to not touch the utensil [the shovel] until you have sanctified your hands and feet from the laver." And [they would continue saying],"Look, the shovel is placed in the corner between the ramp [of the altar] and the altar, on the west of the ramp." No one would enter [the area between the altar and the antechamber] with him, and he didn't have a candle in his hand, rather he would walk by the light of the altar's pyre. They [the other priests] would not see him and would not hear him until they heard the sound of the wood that Ben Kitin made [into] a wheel for the laver [being turned], and they would say, "The time has come to sanctify your hands and feet from the laver." He would take the silver shovel and go up to the top of the altar and stir the coals from side to side, and then scoop from the inner consumed [coals]. He then went back down. When he reached the floor, he would turn his face to the north [and] walk along the eastern side of the ramp for about ten amot [cubits]. He piled the coals on the floor three tefachim [hand-breadths] from the ramp, the [same] place where they would put the crop of the bird [ of a burnt offering ] and the ashes from the [golden] inner altar and the ashes of the menora.

מי שזכה לתרום את המזבח. הוא יתרום את המזבח. והם אומרים לו. הזהר שמא תגע בכלי. עד שתקדש ידיך ורגליך מן הכיור. והרי המחתה נתונה במקצוע בין הכבש למזבח. במערבו של כבש. אין אדם נכנס עמו. ולא נר בידו. אלא מהלך לאור המערכה. לא היו רואין אותו. ולא שומעין את קולו. עד ששומעין קול העץ. שעשה בן קטין מוכני לכיור. והן אומרים הגיע עת. קידש ידיו ורגליו מן הכיור. נטל מחתת הכסף. ועלה לראש המזבח. ופנה את הגחלים הילך והילך. חתה מן המאוכלות הפנימיות וירד. הגיע לרצפה. הפך פניו לצפון. הלך למזרחו של כבש כעשר אמות. צבר את הגחלים על גבי הרצפה. רחוק מן הכבש שלשה טפחים מקום שנותנין מוראות העוף ודישון מזבח הפנימי והמנורה:

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