Siman - Yoma Daf 14
- Rebbe Akiva holds mei chatas make a tahor person tamei
The next Mishnah states, כל שבעת הימים הוא זורק את הדם ומקטיר את הקטורת ומיטיב את הנרות ומקריב את הראש ואת הרגל – All seven days (that the Kohen Gadol is sequestered) he throws the blood, burns the ketores, prepares the lamps and offers the head and hind leg of the tamid offerings. This was done to make the Kohen Gadol proficient in the various aspects of the avodah which were not typically assigned to him. Rav Chisda says that Rebbe Akiva cannot be the Tanna of the Mishnah, since he said טהור שנפלה עליו הזאה טמאתו – A tahor person upon whom fell a sprinkling of water containing the parah adumah ashes, thereby becomes tamei. Since we know that the הזאה is done on the Kohen Gadol all seven days, how would he be able to perform the avodah during this time?
The Gemara explains Rebbe Akiva’s reasoning. The passuk could have stated, והזה הטהור עליו – "The tahor person shall sprinkle the purification waters upon him,” and it would be obvious that the person who is being sprinkled upon is tamei. Why did the passuk add the words, על הטמא – upon the tamei? We can infer from here על הטמא טהור ועל הטהור טמא – the tamei person becomes tahor and the tahor person becomes tamei. The Rabbanan say it is a kal v’chomer. If the tamei person becomes tahor, does it not follow that the tahor person should remain tahor?
- אמרתי אחכמה והיא רחוקה ממני
The Gemara questions how Rebbe Akiva would respond to the Rabbanon’s kal v’chomer, and answers that he would respond, that with respect to this kal v’chomer, Shlomo Hamelech stated, אמרתי אחכמה והיא רחוקה ממני – I said I would become wise; but (alas), it is (still) beyond me. We see that even though the kal v’chomer dictates that the tahor person should remain tahor, Shlomo Hamelech himself acknowledged the phenomenon that he in fact becomes tamei.
According to the Rabbanon, what Shlomo HaMelech found beyond comprehension was the fact that the one who sprinkles the waters and the one upon whom the waters are sprinkled are both tahor, whereas the one who touches the waters (for purposes other than sprinkling) becomes tamei. When the Rabbanon are challenged with the fact that that the passuk states, that the מזה - the one who sprinkles shall immerse his garments, clearly indicating that he is tamei, they answer that the word מזה is referring to one who carries the water for reasons other than sprinkling. The reason that he is referred to as the מזה, is to teach that he only becomes tamei if he is carrying the minimum shiur for הזאה.
- מקטיר את הקטרת ומטיב את הנרות
The Mishnah stated, ומקטיר את הקטרת ומטיב את הנרות – that the Kohen Gadol burned the ketores and prepared the lamps during his seven days of being sequestered, which implies that that the ketores was burned first. This contradicts a Mishnah in Tamid that details the daily lottery which determined which Kohanim were privileged to perform each part of the avodah. It lists the Kohen who was zocheh to clear the ash from the mizbayach hazahav, the Kohen who was zocheh to prepare the menorah, and the Kohen who was zocheh to burn the ketores. Here, the Mishnah implies that the ketores is burned after the preparation of the lamps. Rebbe Yochanan answered that the Tanna of the Mishnah here is Rebbe Shimon Ish HaMitzpah, whereas the Mishnah in Tamid reflected the opposing view of the Chochomim.
