Hello kollel!
Two questions on some mishnayot. The mishna talks about all the sounds that could be heard in jericho. Is this meant literally? And since tamid seems mostly about the second beit hamikdash, was this a miracle that was present only in one era, or both?
Also, the mishna talks about the kohanim stopping from carrying the tamid to say the shema and other brachas. Is there any issue that their clothes are dirty from the blood etc of the Tamid, or did they have to change first before davening?
Thank you!
Josh
Shalom Josh,
It's great to hear from you!
1. I assume this refers to both Batei Mikdash. If Jericho is 10 Parsa'os away from Jerusalem, then let's consider that even sounds as powerful as thunder from distant lightning can only be faintly heard at this range. Therefore, it might be hyperbole, or if it is meant literally then it would appear that it is being portrayed as a miracle.
2. Regarding the clothing of the Kohanim, remember that generally if they become soiled, then in any event they are no longer fit. See Rashi (Zevachim 18b, DH Metushtashim) and Rambam (Hilchos Klei ha'Mikdash 8:5).
May you continue to attain greatness in Torah and Yir'as Shamayim!
Bi'Verachah,
Yishai Rasowsky
With regard to the sounds projecting down to Yericho, I heard from a reliable source who was in Jordan many years ago and visited a Greek or Roman amphitheater, which had highly polished short, stout marble pillars that were used to project the sound from the stage. There was an inscription in the vicinity that proclaimed that they used Jewish techniques for projecting the sound, like the sound of the Beis ha'Mikdash that was heard in Yericho.
Placing those pillars at known intervals, at the correct angles along the route from Yerushalayim to Yericho, may have truly accomplished what is recorded in the Mishnah!
Ya'akov Tavin
Shalom R' Ya'akov,
Thank you for this interesting addition. I appreciate you sharing what your reliable source recounted from the amphitheater visit in Jordan. It's always nice to hear these kinds of real-world connections people make to the Mikdash.
My friend R' Moshe Pessin kindly pointed out that some Rishonim, such as the Ritva (Yoma 39b, DH Kvar Amar), treat the phenomenon as a miracle, something that happened only when Klal Yisrael was worthy, and not a regular physical occurrence that could be duplicated with engineering.
Interestingly, my friend R' Binyomin Fishman cited the book, "Landscapes of the Spirit" (https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=52723&st=&pgnum=14&hilite=), by Rabbi Abba Zvi Naiman, who quotes the Ra'avad (in the name of his Rebbi), to Tamid 3:8, that the sound was heard only in Yericho itself, and not in the areas in between.
Bi'Verachah,
Yishai