Study Yoma folio 16A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
דרומית מזרחית היא לשכה שהיו עושין בה לחם הפנים. מזרחית צפונית — בה גנזו בית חשמונאי אבני מזבח ששקצום מלכי גוים. צפונית מערבית — בה יורדין לבית הטבילה. אמר רב הונא: מאן תנא מדות — רבי אליעזר בן יעקב היא.
the southeast chamber in the Hall of the Hearth was the chamber in which the showbread was prepared. The northeast chamber was the chamber in which the Hasmoneans sequestered the altar stones that were desecrated by the non-Jew kings when they sacrificed idolatrous offerings. The northwest chamber was the chamber in which the priests descended through tunnels to the Hall of Immersion. There is a contradiction between the sources with regard to the location of the Chamber of the Lambs. Rav Huna said: Who is the tanna who taught the mishnayot in tractate Middot? It is R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov, who has a different opinion with regard to this matter.
דתנן: עזרת נשים היתה אורך מאה ושלשים וחמש על רוחב מאה ושלשים וחמש, וארבע לשכות היו בארבע מקצועותיה, ומה היו משמשות? דרומית מזרחית — היא היתה לשכת הנזירים, ששם נזירים מבשלים את שלמיהן ומגלחין שערן ומשלחין תחת הדוד. מזרחית צפונית — היא היתה לשכת דיר העצים, ששם כהנים בעלי מומין עומדין ומתליעין בעצים, שכל עץ שיש בו תולעת פסול לגבי מזבח.
As we learned in a Mishnah in tractate Middot: The dimensions of the women’s courtyard were a length of 135 cubits by a width of 135 cubits, and there were 4 chambers in its 4 corners. And what purpose did these chambers serve? The southeast chamber was the Chamber of the Nazirites, as there the nazirites cook their peace-offerings and shave their hair and cast it in the fire to burn beneath the pot in which the peace-offering was cooked, as the Torah instructs (see Numbers 6:18). The northeast chamber was the Chamber of the Woodshed, where blemished priests, who are disqualified for any other service, stand and examine the logs to determine if they were infested by worms, as any log in which there are worms is disqualified for use on the altar.
צפונית מערבית — היא היתה לשכת המצורעין. מערבית דרומית, אמר רבי אליעזר בן יעקב: שכחתי מה היתה משמשת. אבא שאול אומר: בה היו נותנין יין ושמן, והיא היתה נקראת ״לשכת בית שמניא״.
The northwest chamber was the Chamber of the Lepers, where lepers would immerse for purification. With regard to the southwest chamber, R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov said: I forgot what purpose it would serve. Abba Shaul says: They would place wine and oil there for the meal-offerings and libations, and it was called the Chamber of the House of Oils. From this Mishnah it may be inferred that the tanna who taught the mishnayot in tractate Middot is R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov, as that is why the Mishnah finds it necessary to mention that he forgot the purpose of one of the chambers.