Siman - Yoma Daf 51
- Why the pesach is called a korban yachid and the chagigah a korban tzibur
On Daf 50a, a Mishnah was brought were Rebbe Meir listed the pesach as a korban yachid that is docheh Shabbos and tumah, and a related Baraisa quoted Rebbe Yaakov, as listing the chagigah among korbanos tzibur that are not docheh Shabbos or tumah. On our Daf, Rav Huna brei D’Rav Yehoshua asked what the difference is between them. If the chagigah is called a korban tzibur משום דאתי בכנופיא – because it is brought as part of an assembly, by all the Jews who have gathered in Yerushalayim for the chag, פסח נמי אתי בכנופיא – the pesach is also brought as an assembly? Rava answered איכא פסח שני דלא אתי בכנופיא – There is the pesach Sheini which is not brought as an assembly. It is only brought by the minority that were tamei when the pesach rishon was brought. Since the category of pesach includes the pesach sheini, the Tanna calls the pesach a korban yachid. When Rava was asked, that according to this, the pesach sheini should be docheh Shabbos and tumah like the pesach rishon, he answered that in fact the Tanna here does hold that the pesach sheini is docheh Shabbos and tumah.
- Machlokes whether there was one paroches or two of them
The next Mishnah discusses the path taken by the Kohen Gadol as he carried the ketores into the Kodesh Hakedoshim. היה מהלך בהיכל עד שמגיע לבין הפרוכת המבדילות בין הקדש ובין קדש הקדשים וביניהן אמה – The Kohen Gadol would walk through the Heichal until he reached the space between the two curtains which separated the Kodesh from the Kodesh Hakedoshim, and the space between them was an amah. Rebbe Yose says that there was only one curtain there, for it is stated, והבדילה הפרכת לכם בין הקדש ובין קדש הקדשים – And the paroches shall divide for you between the Kodesh and the Kodesh Hakedoshim. Given Rebbe Yose brought a source for his position, the Gemara clarifies that according to the Rabbanon, his passuk applies only to the Mishkan. However, during Bayis Rishon there was an אמה טרקסין - an amah-thick dividing wall, and the Rabbis who built Bayis Sheini were in doubt as to the degree of kedushah of this wall, whether it had the kedushah of the Kodesh Hakedoshim or the Kodesh. They therefore made two curtains to enclose the space, one where the outer edge of the wall had originally been, and one where the inner edge had been.
- The Kohen Gadol’s path through the Heichal to the Kodesh Hakedoshim
The Gemara brings a three-way machlokes regarding the path the Kohen Gadol took through the Heichal to the Kodesh Hakedoshim. Rebbe Yehudah, who holds that there were two curtains with the opening near the southern wall, says that the Kohen Gadol walked towards the Kodesh Hakedoshim between the mizbayach and the menorah. Rebbe Meir and Rebbe Yose, both hold that there was one curtain, with the opening near the northern wall. Rebbe Meir holds that the Kohen Gadol walked between the mizbayach and shulchan. He did not walk between the shulchan and the wall, either because it was blocked by the ten shulchanos placed there north to south by Shlomo Hamelech, or according to the one who holds they were placed east to west, משום שכינה לאו אורח ארעא למיעל להדיא – Because of the Shechinah residing in the Kodesh Hakedoshim, it would not have been respectful to walk directly towards its entrance. According to Rebbe Yose, who holds that the Kohen Gadol did walk directly along the northern wall, חביבין ישראל שלא הצריכן הכתוב לשליח – The Jews are beloved by Hashem, since the Torah did not require them to send a שליח before Him with their requests. Each Jew may pray to Hashem on his own behalf. The representative of such a people is himself beloved and may proceed directly to the Kodesh Hakedoshim.
