English translation — אחרי ב

Talk b<pg>106</pg>

A.

We learned in tractate Yoma<sup>1</sup>

(At the end of the service of the High Priest on Yom Kippur)

"He sanctified his hands and his feet and removed

[the golden garments]

they brought<sup>2</sup>

him his own garments and he put them on and they escorted him to his house and he made a festive day for his friends when he came out in peace from the Sanctuary."

At the conclusion of the Mishnah "and Yom Tov he would make etc." some have the reading<sup>3</sup>

"on that he went out"<sup>4</sup>

instead of "at the time<sup>5</sup>

that he went out"

(and so wrote the Rambam in the Book of the Hand<sup>6</sup>).

And commentators wrote<sup>7</sup>

in explanation of this reading,

that "the intention is not that immediately upon his leaving the Sanctuary he would make the Yom Tov on that same day, for he was fasting,

but rather on the next day he would make it<sup>8</sup>,

and this is the precision of the Rambam who wrote 'and Yom Tov he would make on that he went out in peace from the Sanctuary' and did not write 'upon his leaving'

[as they say in the text of the Order of the Service of Yom Kippur]

even though it is a more concise language..

he lengthened his language to teach us that on the next day he would make it".

But they already raised a difficulty on this⁹,

since "it is possible..

that it continued until evening after the tending of the lamps until he dons his own garments,

and he goes in honor, walking in his innocence,

in a manner that when he arrived at his house it was night¹⁰

and it will be at his going out¹¹

specifically".

B.

And it appears to say that the two versions depend on the two reasons that exist¹²

for this festival:

a)

The festival was in the form of thanksgiving for having left a place of danger¹³,

like the four who are required<pg>107</pg>

to give thanks etc.¹⁴

— for if the High Priest was not worthy, he would not have come out of the Holy of Holies alive,

therefore when he prayed there, "he would not prolong his prayer so as not to frighten Israel"¹⁵,

and as the Rambam wrote in his Commentary on the Mishnah¹⁶,

that "if he had delayed, they would fear that death had befallen him, for many High Priests died in the Holy of Holies if they were not worthy or if there was a change in the act of the incense offering."

b)

The holiday was "because his deeds were appeased before G‑d, blessed be He, and he emerged in peace"¹⁷

(or because of "his great joy..

for he stood to serve before G‑d, in the innermost chamber"¹⁸).

And corresponding to these two reasons is the difference between the two versions mentioned above — "when he emerged" or "because he emerged":

Those who read "at the time that he came out in peace etc." hold like the second reason mentioned above,

that the holiday is about the service of the day etc.

[And therefore they do not read "that he came out",

because the High Priest's coming out in peace from the Holy of Holies is not the cause of the holiday],

that is,

that this that the time of the holiday was immediately following the completion of the service¹⁹,

emphasizes that the holiday comes in connection with the service of the High Priest in the Holy

[And that which the Tanna specifies "at the time that he came out in peace etc.",

this is because this is a sign that the service was accepted].

But those who read "that he came out in peace from the Holy" hold like the first manner mentioned above,

that the holiday was a thanksgiving of the High Priest for that he came out in peace from the Holy — and as the simple meaning of the language "that he came out in peace",

that the holiday is about this "that he came out in peace"

(and not that this is only a sign that the service was accepted).

[And perhaps one could say even more than this,

that for this reason

(that the Yom Tov was a private thanksgiving of the Kohen Gadol),

the Kohen Gadol made the Yom Tov specifically not "at the time he went out etc.'"

(i.e., even not at night,

when it is already permitted to eat,

as above),

but only the next day.

For according to this reason that the Kohen Gadol gave thanks to G-d "for having gone out in peace",

in the manner of the four who need to give thanks etc. — seemingly he should have brought a thanksgiving offering²⁰

for this salvation,

and it stands to reason that his thanksgiving celebration was in proximity to the bringing of the thanksgiving offering²¹.

And since he could not offer his thanksgiving offering until the next day,

therefore he delayed the Yom Tov until then.

— But since this constant obligation is not found anywhere, it must be said that it is not.

And the reason one can say is that there is no place at all to say that the atonement of Israel —<pg>108</pg>

places the one who atones in certain mortal danger so that he must bring a thanksgiving offering for this! And the reason — that he accustoms himself etc.].

3.

However, there is room to discuss in the method of the Rambam who brought this that "and he would make a holiday etc." — for prima facie it is a book of laws and not a narration of events&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;

[And even though the Kohen Gadol would practice making this holiday,

like that of the four who need to give thanks,

this is not a law&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;].

And even though at the beginning of this chapter&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt;

the Rambam prefaces "The order of all the actions on this day is thus",

meaning that in this chapter he does not come to teach us the laws of the service of Yom Kippur,

but rather to narrate "the order of all the actions",

as they were actually done

[therefore the Rambam repeated and reviewed several details in this chapter,

even though he had already written them in the previous chapters,

because in it he describes "the order of all the actions"]

— nevertheless,

it is understood that his intention in "the order of all the actions on this day" is for actions that are related in their content to the service of this day; and according to the above in the method of the Rambam

[who adopted the version "that he came out safely",

meaning that he holds that the making of the holiday was

(not because his service was accepted etc.,

but rather)

for his coming out safely]

the holiday is not related to "the actions on this day": not only according to the reasoning

(above)

that he made the holiday only the next day,

surely it cannot be said that it is from "the actions on this day"; but even if you say that according to the Rambam he made the holiday immediately at night after the completion of the day's service — nevertheless,

since its content is a private thanksgiving of the Kohen Gadol and his custom,

it is not fitting to include it in "the actions on this day"&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;.

And indeed it is emphasized in the language of the Rambam,

that the Yom Tov was not

(only)

his private joy.

For here in the Mishnah the language is "and they accompany him to his house and he would make a Yom Tov for his friends",

but the Rambam changed in two ways:

(a)

he stated "and all the people²⁶

accompany him to his house"²⁷,

(b)

he omitted the word "his friends".

And this is to inform us,

that the Yom Tov of the Kohen Gadol

(was not his private joy,

that he celebrated only with his friends,

but rather)

belonged to "all the people"²⁸

who accompanied him to his house

(and therefore he omitted the word "his friends"²⁹).

And it must be said,

that according to the Rambam,

even though the Yom Tov was "on his having emerged safely from the Holy"

[and not on the essence of the service of Yom Kippur],

nevertheless it belongs to the laws of the service of Yom Kippur,

and therefore all the people participated in the accompaniment and the Yom Tov that he made,

since his service on Yom Kippur the Kohen Gadol performs as their agent and representative of all Israel³⁰.

<pg>109</pg>

4.

And this will be understood by prefacing further a change in the language of the Rambam relative to the language of the Mishnah:

In the Mishnah it is stated briefly "and they accompany him to his house",

while the Rambam adds before this "and he goes out to his house and all the people accompany him to his house",

which implies that the Kohen Gadol would "go out to his house",

and why did the Rambam add these words to the language of the Mishnah?

Also, it requires explanation,

what is the precision in going out specifically to his house,

for at first glance,

what difference does it make at all where the Kohen Gadol goes out,

whether to his house or to another place³¹?

And it is implied from this,

that the going out to his house is also a part of the actions of the Kohen Gadol on this day.

And therefore the Rambam changed from the language of the Mishnah

(where the going out at the end of the day is brought only in connection with the escorts)

and prefaced "and he goes out to his house"

(with emphasis on the Kohen Gadol)

— in continuation of all his actions beforehand described in the Rambam,

that after he "sanctifies his hands and feet and removes the golden garments and puts on³²

his own garments" he "goes out to his house"

(except that the manner of his going out to his house is,

that "all the people escort him until his house").

And one must understand,

in what is considered this matter

(that he "goes out to his house")

as one of the details of the service of the Kohen Gadol on this day?

And one must say the explanation of this:

This that the Kohen Gadol "goes out to his house" is considered as the completion and conclusion of his service on Yom Kippur,

for since the beginning of his service is in that "seven days before Yom Kippur they separate the Kohen Gadol from his house"³³,

as we learn³⁴

from the days of the consecration or from the Giving of the Torah that the service of Yom Kippur requires a state of separation of the Kohen Gadol from his house

[from this it is understood,

that the separation is not a peripheral matter³⁵,

so that he can prepare himself properly,

but rather the content of the matter of the service requires that he be in a state of separation from his house]

— behold it is found,

that the return

(goes out)

to his house is the conclusion and completion of his service.

And therefore the Rambam brought also the going out to his house

(and its manner)

in "the order of all the actions on this day",

and did not suffice with the description of his service until his going out from the Sanctuary,

for also the act of going out to his house is included in the "actions on this day"³⁶.

And one must say,

that this is also the reason that the exit of the High Priest to his home was in such a manner,

that "all the people escort him",

that one can say that this escort is not only for the sake of honor³⁷,

but

(mainly)

in order to show and emphasize that his exit to his home is a part of the actions of this day that belong to all the people,

as above.

And based on this it is also understood regarding the continuation of the language of the Rambam,

"and a holiday he would make on his having emerged safely from the Sanctuary" — that on one hand it implies that the holiday is on the safe exit

(and not<pg>110</pg>

Thanksgiving for the service),

And on the other hand, this Yom Tov belonged to the entire people

(who would escort him),

As above — because also the departure from the Holy is part of the deeds of the Kohen Gadol on this day

(which was not completed in its entirety until he was found in his house),

All of which the Kohen Gadol did — their emissary of all Israel,

Then also the joy "that he went out in peace from the Holy"

(namely the joy over the completion of the service),

It is the joy of the entire people as a whole.

5.

And one must explain the content of the matter of "he goes out to his house" in greater depth:

In the service of Yom Kippur we find a unique innovation,

that the atonement of the bull of the Kohen Gadol was not only for himself alone but also for his "house"³⁸,

"his house, this is his wife"³⁹

[in addition to his brother priests⁴⁰]

; and this matter

(that is to say, atonement of his "house")

pertains to the entirety of the service of the day,

and as the ruling of the Rambam⁴¹

that the services of the day "all are done by a married High Priest, as it is said 'and he shall atone for himself and for his house, his house, this is his wife'".

And the matters require explanation,

why did the Torah say that the service of the High Priest on Yom Kippur must be done by a "married High Priest"?

And even more perplexing, for the service itself must be done specifically out of separation from his house³³

(and his wife⁴²).

And one can say one of the explanations in this⁴³

:

The atonement of the goat of Yom Kippur is an atonement for all of Israel,

as the Rambam says⁴⁴

"The scapegoat because it is an atonement for all of Israel, the High Priest confesses over it on behalf of all of Israel",

And that is that the High Priest says the confession as an agent of all of Israel⁴⁵.

But on the other hand, the Rambam rules⁴⁶

that the goat does not atone for all sins of the Torah unless he "repented"⁴⁷,

and this is,

that the atonement of the goat,

which is of the community

(and not an individual),

and which comes through the Kohen Gadol who is the agent of the community of all Israel,

does not take effect for the individual unless he repented.

And it is found,

that in this atonement there is a thing and its opposite: despite the goat being a matter of the community

[which means — a thing that pertains to the entirety as a whole,

without special relation to an individual⁴⁸,

like communal funds,

which must be "surrendered to the community nicely nicely"⁴⁹],

nevertheless, together with this, the atonement of the goat for the community is in a manner that takes effect upon each individual by himself⁵⁰,

and if the individual did not repent, there is lacking for this individual in this atonement.

<pg>111</pg>

And it must be said,

that this is one of the reasons that the High Priest brought a bull for his own atonement and it was not sufficient for him that he is included in the atonement of all of Israel⁵¹

— because being their emissary of Israel in the service and atonement of Yom Kippur,

there were also in him these two matters,

that he is a public person,

their emissary and representative of all of Israel,

and on the other hand, it was not nullified from him

(in this matter itself)

his existence as an individual,

so that he brought a bull which is his for his own atonement.

And for this same reason the Torah required that the High Priest be "married,"

and that he include his "house" in his own atonement,

for in this it is emphasized,

that this that he brings a "bull" for himself and confesses over it,

he does this

(not as a "public,"

that his entire existence is only for the sake of the collective,

but rather)

as a private individual.

And with this we can explain what the Rambam said,

that at the conclusion of the day's service "he goes out

(the High Priest)

to his house",

that its explanation

(as above)

that this itself is a part of the act of the service — because this that "he goes out to his house" is not only to indicate that his service has already been completed and consequently he is already permitted to return to his house,

but on the contrary,

the going out to his house, its essence is — the conclusion and purpose of the service of Yom Kippur,

which is the atonement that is effected regarding the individual,

that regarding the High Priest this was expressed in the atonement of his house

(as above).

6.

Explanation of the matter according to Chassidus:

The service of the High Priest on Yom Kippur was in the utmost separation and holiness,

and especially in his entry into the Holy of Holies,

the most holy place in the world

(in the place),

on Yom Kippur,

the most holy day of the year⁵².

But the ultimate intention is not the separation from the world,

but rather to draw down holiness into the world,

in the language of the Midrash⁵³

(which is brought in Tanya⁵⁴),

to make for Him, blessed be He, a "dwelling place in the lower realms".

And for this reason,

immediately after the conclusion of the service of Yom Kippur,

"he goes out

(immediately)

to his house" — from one extreme to the other without any "intermediary" in between — for this is the ultimate purpose of all his service and his standing and his wondrous state during his service on Yom Kippur in the Holy of Holies,

to draw down this holiness also "into his house".

And this is also the content of the Yom Tov that he made "on that he came out in peace from the Holy" — in the manner of the language of our sages&lt;sup&gt;55&lt;/sup&gt;

Regarding Rabbi Akiva,

that "he entered in peace and came out in peace",

that his entrance into the Pardes was in a manner that "he came out in peace",

because his entrance into the Pardes was "in peace",

meaning not for the departure from the world,

but so that there should be for him an addition of vitality in his service below, soul in body&lt;sup&gt;56&lt;/sup&gt;

— And likewise with the Kohen Gadol,

that despite the greatness of his elevation and his separation from the world at his entrance into the Holy of Holies,

behold "he came out in peace",

and this is expressed in that immediately upon his exit from the Holy — "he went out to his house",

in order to complete the purpose of creation,

to make for Him, blessed be He, a "dwelling place in the lower realms" specifically.

(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Re'eh 5746)