Three women brought their nests³¹Since Petaḥiah was in charge of these, it was his duty to instruct the officiating Cohanim in the correct way to sacrifice the birds. As obligatory offerings of a woman after prolonged menstruation as zavah, one bird is to be an elevation offering and the other a purification offering. As thanksgiving offerings both birds are elevation offerings.. One said, לְעֵינָתִי; and one said, לְיַמָּתִי, and one said, לְזִיבָתִי. About the one who said ³²Since עַיִין means both “eye” and “wellhead, spring”.לְעֵינָתִי, they wanted to say, her menstrual flow is like a well. He said, she was dangerously sick in her eye. About the one who said לְיַמָּתִי, they wanted to say, her menstrual flow is like the sea. He said, she was in danger on the sea. About the one who said לְזִיבָתִי, they wanted to say, she was really a zavah³³While in Mishnaic Hebrew זִיבָה means the state of a zavah it is asserted here that after the alef became silent it also could not carry a separate vowel. Therefore זְאֵב “wolf” became זֵאב and since the ־ֵ was pronounced as η, it sounded like זִיב. More than 70 languages, the administrator of nests had to know all local dialects.. He told them, a wolf³⁴The stone floor, which was unhealthy in winter. came to snatch her son.

“Ben Aḥiyyah for indigestion.” Since the Cohanim were walking barefoot on the floor³⁴The stone floor, which was unhealthy in winter., and were eating meat³⁵Since the priests are obligated to eat the meat of all purification and reparation offerings in the Temple on the day of the sacrifice and the following night, and in addition to the meat they have only baked goods made from flour offerings and water, for the week of their service their diet is very unbalanced and unhealthy., and drinking water, they got indigestion. He knew which wine was good for the intestines and which was noxious³⁶The translation is tentative. Brill proposes to read מְמַסְמֵס “massages”. The reading of B, “eliminates intestines” is difficult to understand. for intestines.

“Onias the digger of ditches.” He was digging ditches and caves³⁷To create miqwaot for pilgrims to the Temple. and knew which rock cools the water and which rock was dry and how far its dryness extended. Rebbi Aḥa said, but (he) [his son]³⁸Reading of B and the corrector, to be deleted. died of thirst. ³⁹The text also is in Yom Ṭov3:9 (Note 124, צ). Rebbi Ḥanina said, anybody who says that the All-Merciful is indulgent, his intestines shall dissolve themselves; for He is forbearing and then collects His due. Rebbi Aḥa said, it is written⁴⁰Ps. 50:3., His surroundings are very hairy. He is exact with them like a hair’s width. Rebbi Yose said, not because of this reason, but because what is written⁴¹Ps. 89:8., He is awesome on His surroundings, His fear on those near Him is greater than those far away.

⁴²This also is from Demay1:3 (Note 150) and similarly in Deut. rabba3. Rebbi Ḥaggai in the name of Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman: It happened that a pious person used to dig cisterns, ditches, and caves for travellers. Once, his daughter travelled to marry⁴⁴To sing at the daily sacrifices. and she was swept away by a river. All the people came to him and wanted to console him, but he refused to be consoled. Rebbi Phineas ben Yair came to him and wanted to console him, but he refused to be consoled. He told them, is that your pious man? They said to him: Rabbi, such and such he did, such and such happened to him. He replied: It is impossible that he would honor his Creator by water and He hurts him by water! Immediately, there started a rumor in the town that the man’s daughter had returned. Some say, she got trapped in a hedge of thorns, others say that an angel came in the appearance of Rebbi Phineas ben Yair and saved her.

“Gabinius the herald.” He was announcing in the Temple. What did he say? “The Cohanim to the service, and the Levites to the podium⁴⁴To sing at the daily sacrifices., and Israel to stand by⁴⁵Representing the entire people for whom the sacrifices were brought, in later Second Temple times a delegation of the people from the district of the week’s Cohanim was present during the offering of the daily sacrifices..” King Agrippas heard his voice at a distance of eight parasangs⁴⁶Using Egyptian measures this would be about 36 km. B (but not M) reads “one parasang”, about 4.5 km. and gave him rich gifts.

“Ben Gever for locking the doors.” Rav explained for the House of Rebbi Shila, “when gever called⁴⁷Mishnah Yoma1:8.” as “when the herald proclaimed.” They said to him, “when the rooster called.” He said to them, did we not state “Ben Gever”? Could you say, “the son of the rooster”?

“Ben Bevay for the oakum, he was threading the wicks⁴⁸This is from Yoma2:2, Note 106.. ⁴⁹This text is from Peah8:7, Notes 94–96 (פ). Rebbi Yose went up to Kufra and wanted to appoint providers⁵⁰Overseers of charity. there, but they did not accept. He came and said before them: “Ben Bavai over the oakum.” If this one had been appointed over the wicks and therefore merited to be counted with the leaders of his generation, you who are being appointed over the lives of people, so much more.

“Ben Arza for the cymbal;” as we have stated there⁵¹Mishnah Tamid7:3., “the executive officer waves a sheet and Ben Arza plays the cymbal.”

“Hugdas ben Levi for the song.” Rebbi Aḥa said, he knew a special melody. When he put his thumb in his mouth he produced all kinds of sounds and the heads of his fellow Levites were taken aback.

⁵²This and the next paragraphs are from Yoma3:8, Notes 225–235, where also the differences in readings are noted. The additions of the corrector in the story of the family Eutinos are from B. The family Garmu were experts in preparing the shew-bread and its removal from the oven, but they did not want to teach. They sent and brought craftsmen from Alexandria who were experts in preparing the shew-bread but were not experts in its removal from the oven. The family Garmu were heating from within and removing from the outside, and it did not become moldy. But those were heating from the inside and removing from the inside, and it became moldy. When the Sages realized this situation, they said, everything which the Holy One, praise to Him, created, he created to His glory; all work of the Eternal is for Himself⁵³Prov. 16:4.. They sent after them, but they refused to come until they doubled their wages. They used to take twelve mina, so they gave them twenty-four. Rebbi Jehudah says, they used to take 24, so they gave them 48. They asked them, why do you not want to teach? They answered them, there is a tradition among us from our forefathers that this Temple will be destroyed in the future. Others should not learn and prepare the same before their foreign worship. In the following matter one mentions them for praise, that in the hands of their children white bread was never found, so people should not say, from the preparation of shew-bread they are eating.

“The family Eutinos were experts in preparing the incense and the smoke-creating herb, but they did not want to teach. They sent and brought craftsmen from Alexandria who were experts in preparing the incense but were not experts in the smoke-creating herb. The family Eutinos’s was going straight up, and spread, and descended. But theirs was immediately spreading. When the Sages realized the situation, they said, everything which the Holy One, praise to Him, created, he created to His glory; as it is said⁵⁴Is.43:7., all which is called by My Name, etc. They sent after them, but they refused to come until they doubled their wages. They used to take twelve mina, so they gave them twenty-four. Rebbi Jehudah says, they used to take 24, so they gave them 48. They asked them, why do you not want to teach? They answered them, there is a tradition among us from our forefathers that this Temple will be destroyed in the future. Others should not learn and prepare the same before their foreign worship. In the following matter one mentions them for praise, that no woman of any of them ever went out perfumed. Not only that, but if one of them married a woman from outside, he contracted with her that she should not use perfume, [that one should not say, they perfume themselves from the compounding of incense, to confirm what is said, you shall be innocent in the eyes of the Eternal and of Israel.]

Rebbi Yose said, I found a child of the family Eutinos. I said to him, my son, from which family are you? he told me, from family X. I said to him, my son, because your forefathers intended to increase their prestige and to decrease Heaven’s prestige, therefore their prestige was diminished and Heaven’s prestige increased. Rebbi Aqiba said, Simeon ben Lagos told me, I was collecting herbs, I and a youth from the family Eutinos, when I saw him crying and laughing. I said to him, my son, why did you cry? He said to me, about the prestige of my family which is diminished. And why did you laugh? About the glory prepared for the Just in the future world. [What did you see?] There is smoke-creating herb before me! I said to him, my son, show it to me. He answered me, I have a tradition from my ancestors not to show it to any creature.’ Rebbi Joḥanan ben Nuri said, I met an old man from the family Eutinos [who held a scroll about chemicals.]. He said to me, ‘Rabbi. In the past my family were humble, and transmitting this scroll one to the other. But now they are not trustworthy; here the scroll is yours and take care of it.’ When I came and repeated these words before Rebbi Aqiba, his tears flowed and he said, from now on we do not have to mention them for shame.

“Eleazar for the gobelins,” he was appointed to oversee the weavers of the gobelins. “Phineas the clothier.” He clothed the garments of the High Priesthood. It happened that a Cohen dressed a general⁵⁵Greek στρατιώτης. who gave him 8 pieces of gold, and some say, he gave him twelve.