1. The daily offering was slaughtered at half-past eight, 5 and offered at half-past nine. On the eve of the passover it was slaughtered at half-past seven and offered at half-past eight, whether the passover fell on a week-day or on the Sabbath. When the eve of the passover began on the eve of the Sabbath (Friday), it was slaughtered at half-past six, and offered at half-past seven, and the passover followed after it.
2. "The passover offering, which was slaughtered without intention—and the priest took its blood, and he went and sprinkled it without intention?" or "with intention, and without intention?" or "without intention and with intention?" "It is disallowed." "How can it be with intention and without intention?" "With intention partly for the passover, and with intention partly for peace-offerings." "Without intention and with intention?" "With intention partly for peace-offerings, and with intention partly for the passover-offering."
3. "If he slaughtered the passover for those who may not legally eat it,—for those who are not reckoned in one company, for the uncircumcised, and for the unclean?" "It is disallowed." "For those who may eat, and for those who may not eat it?" "For those who are reckoned in one company, and for those who are not so reckoned?" "For circumcised, and for uncircumcised?" "For unclean, and for
clean?" "It is allowed." "If he slaughtered it before noon?" "It is disallowed." Because it is said "between the evenings." 1 "If he slaughtered it before the daily offering?" "It is allowed." Except that one must keep stirring 2 its blood, till the blood of the daily offering be sprinkled. "But if it be even sprinkled (before?)" "It is lawful."
4. "He who slaughtered the passover-offering possessing leaven?" "He transgressed a negative command." 3 Rabbi Judah said, "this applies even to the daily offering (of that evening)." Rabbi Simon said, "the slaughter of the passover on the fourteenth with intention for the passover makes (a man possessing leaven) guilty; but if it be slaughtered without intention for the passover he is free." "And in all other sacrifices during the feast, whether one sacrifice with or without the proper intention?" "He is free." "When one thus offers in the feast itself with proper intention?" "He is free." "Without proper intention?" "He is guilty." "And in all the other sacrifices, when one possessing leaven offers either with or without intention?" "He is guilty, only excepting the sin-offering, which was slaughtered without intention."
5. The passover was slaughtered 4 for three bands in succession, as is said, "The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel" 5—assembly, congregation, Israel. The first band entered, the court was filled, the doors of the court were locked. The trumpeters blew with the trumpets, blew an alarm, and blew. The priests stood in rows, and in their hands were bowls of silver and bowls of gold. All the silver row was entirely silver, and all the golden row was entirely gold. They were not mingled. And the bowls were not flat-bottomed, lest they should lay them down, and the blood be coagulated.
6. When an Israelite slaughtered, and a priest caught
the blood, he gave it to his companion, and his companion to his companion, and he took the full, and returned the empty bowl. The priest nearest the altar poured it out at once in front of the foundation of the altar.
7. The first band went out, the second band entered; the second went out, the third entered. As was the proceeding of the first, so was the proceeding of the second and the third. They read the praise. 1 When they finished they repeated it, and after repeating it they read it a third time, even though they did not complete it thrice in their time. R. Judah said, "during the time of the third band they did not reach to 'I love the Lord, for He hath heard,' because the people were few."
8. As was the proceeding in ordinary days, so was the proceeding on the Sabbath, save that the priests washed out the court, 2 though not with the will of the Sages. R. Judah said, "a cup was filled with mixed-up blood, 3 and poured out at once upon the altar;" but the Sages "did not admit it."
9. "How did they hang up and skin the passover sacrifices?" "Iron hooks were fixed in the walls and pillars, and on them they hung them, and skinned them." "And every one who had not a place to hang them up and skin them?" "Thin smooth rods were there, and he rested one on his shoulder and on the shoulder of his companion, and hung it up and skinned it." Rabbi Eliezer said, "when the fourteenth began on a Sabbath, he rested his hand on the shoulder of his companion, and the hand of his companion on his shoulder, and he hung it up and skinned it."
10. He cut it open, and took out its entrails. He put them on a dish and incensed them on the altar. The first party went out, and sat down on the Mountain of the House. The second party were in the Chel, 4 and the third party remained in their place. When it grew dark they went out and roasted their Passovers.
103:5 i.e. 2.30 p.m.
104:1 Exod. xii. 6.
104:2 To prevent its coagulating.
104:3 Exod. xxiii. 18.
104:4 Josephus mentions the number of lambs slain at a particular passover to have been numbered by the high priest, and they were found to have been 256,500. Allowing not less than ten persons to the eating of each lamb, he computes those present at the feast to have been 2,700,200 persons.—Josephus’ Wars, vi. 9, 3.
104:5 Exod. xii. 6.
105:1 Psalms cxiii.-cxviii.
105:2 They washed the court indirectly by stopping a canal of water which overflowed the court; they afterwards opened it, when all flowed off again.
105:3 Taken from the intermingled blood of the many offerings.
105:4 See measurements, ii. 3.
