Study Arakhin folio 11A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
There were 10 holes in it and each and every one would emit 10 types of tone. It therefore emerges that the entire instrument emitted 100 types of tone. It was taught in a baraita: The magreifa was 1 cubit wide and 1 cubit tall, and a handle protruded from it. It was hollow and there were 10 holes
§ The Mishnah teaches that the Temple musicians were slaves of priests according to R' Meir, whereas according to R' Yosei they were Israelites of pure lineage, and according to R' Ḥanina ben Antigonus they were Levites. The Talmud suggests: Let us say that they disagree about this; that the one who
The Talmud responds: And can you understand the disagreement in this manner? According to this suggestion, what does R' Yosei, who says that the musicians were Israelites of pure lineage, hold? If he holds that the primary component of song in the Temple service is singing with the mouth, then it
The Talmud responds: Actually, R' Yosei holds that the primary component of song in the Temple service is singing with the mouth. And here, the tanna’im disagree about whether the musicians in the Temple may be elevated from the musical platform to the presumptive status of pure lineage with regar
The one who says that the musicians were slaves holds that people cannot be elevated from the Temple musical platform to the presumptive status of pure lineage with regard to marriage and eligibility to receive tithes. The one who says that the musicians were Levites holds that one elevates from the