|
The
Abarbanel on the Yom Kippur Service
in the Beis Hamikdash
Washing and Immersing
Rendered into English
by Rabbi Elimelech Lepon
QUESTIONS:
19. Why were there so many immersions and
washings, even more than the number of services?
20. Why were there more
washings than immersions? Why couldn't there be five washings to correspond
with five immersions? Or ten immersions to correspond to ten washings? Why
five immersions and ten washings? There were not two washings for each
immersion, one before and one after, as the Ralbag
explains, for there was no washing before the first immersion nor did an
immersion accompany the last washing.
21. What was the need for
washing the hands and feet if the whole body was also immersed? Aren't the
hands and feet parts of the body?
COMMENTARY:
The
immersions are the seventh service of this day. The Kohen
Gadol would immerse himself whenever he went from
performing the regular services to performing the special services of Yom
Kippur.
The Kohen Gadol first
immersed himself before the tamid
to ready himself for this service. Although he performed many functions
during the tamid
service, one immersion was sufficient.
When he was ready to perform the special service for atonement, he would
immerse himself again to show that he was making a transition from one kind
of service to another. Thus, the immersions did not correspond with the
number of services but with the number of transitions from the daily
service to the special service for atonement. He would immerse his entire
body to show that his entire being was prepared to perform the upcoming
service.
The Kohen Gadol also
washed his hands and feet when he prepared himself to serve, just as a
person washes his hands before serving his master in order to serve him in
purity. So the Kohen, before coming to serve at
the table of Hashem, purifies the hands that will
do the work and the feet that will enter His courtyard.
Therefore, as a rule there were two washings of hands and feet for each
immersion: one for the work he had just completed, just as a man serving a
king would wash afterwards; and the second for the work that he is about to
perform. Therefore, he did not have to wash his hands and feet before
immersing for the first service, since he had not yet served. Similarly,
after the last service he was required to ritually clean his hands and feet
but once, for there was no more service left to perform.
As we have explained, the number of immersions corresponded to the number
of transitions between one type of service and another, whether from the
daily service to the special service for Yom Kippur or vice versa. Thus
there were five immersions, corresponding to the number of new services. The
washing of hands and feet was performed once for the service that had just
been completed and once for the service about to begin. Therefore, there
were five immersions and ten washings. This answers questions 19 and 20.
This also answers question 21. Which questioned the need
for the washing of hands and feet in addition to immersing the entire body.
The explanation is that when the Kohen Gadol was ready to perform the daily service or the
special Yom Kippur service, he would wash his hands after completing the
previous service, he would wash his hands after
completing the previous service like a servant leaving the table of his
master. Then, to prepare himself for the new service, he would immerse
himself. Before actually beginning the new service, he would wash his hands
and feet again. Thus each washing and immersion filled a specific need.
Similarly the psalmist says, "I shall cleanse my hands and circle Your
altar, Hashem."
And so the 21 questions have been resolved.
|
