1)

(a)The Pirchei Kehunah slept on the floor of the Beis-ha'Mokad (and not on beds) - like guards in the courtyard of the king's palace.

(b)A Kohen who had an emission during the night - had to leave the Beis-ha'Mokad via the 'Mesibah' (an adjoining series of tunnels [see also Tiferes Yisrael]) which led down to an underground Mikvah.

(c)The advantage of the 'tunnel route' to get to the Mikvah - was the fact that the tunnels were not sanctified with the Kedushah of the Azarah, which he would otherwise have had to pass through.

(d)The tunnels passed underneath the 'Birah' - which means 'a palace', and which is how the Pasuk in Divrei ha'Yamim describes the Beis-ha'Mikdash.

2)

(a)The Tamei Kohen found his way to the Mikvah in the middle of the night - by means of torches on either side of the tunnels that lit up the way.

(b)After Toveling, he then ...

1. ... dried himself - by means of a towel which presumably, was provided (see Tiferes Yisrael).

2. ... warm himself - by means of a fire that was burning there.

(c)The Tana refers to a 'Beis ha'Kisei shel Kavod' that was situated there. It was called by that name - because based on the fact that when the door was closed, they knew that the bathroom was engaged, everybody knew not to enter whenever it was in use.

(d)After Toveling, the Kohen would ...

1. ... return to the Beis ha'Mokad until the gates of the Azarah opened (see Tiferes Yisrael). The moment ...

2. ... that they did - he would go home, because a T'vul Yom (from the time he Tovels until the following nightfall) is forbidden to remain in the Azarah.

3)

(a)The Tana discusses a Kohen who wanted to be 'Torem es ha'Mizbe'ach', by which he means - the Avodah of T'rumas ha'Deshen (the first Avodah in the morning, which entailed taking a shovel-full of ashes from the Mizbe'ach and depositing them beside the ramp).

(b)A Kohen who wanted to perform this Avodah - needed to Tovel first.

(c)Each morning, the Memuneh (the Kohen in charge) tended to open the gates - around 'K'ros ha'Gever' (which means either when the cock crows or when the appointed Kohen would announce that it was time to begin the Avodah.

4)

(a)The Memuneh gained entry into the Beis-ha'Mokad - by knocking on the door. When the Kohanim opened the door for him, he would announce - that whoever had Toveled should come for the Payas (a form of 'tossing up' that would determine who would perform the T'rumas ha'Deshen).

(b)This, and subsequent Payasos were not performed in the Azarah - because the Payas entailed a. removing their hats, and b. standing in a circle, and neither standing bear-headed in the Azarah nor standing there with one's back towards the Heichal is considered respectful.

(c)Whoever won the Payas (as described in Yoma) - would merit the Mitzvah.

5)

(a)Abaye learns from the Pasuk "ve'ha'Chonim Lifnei ha'Mishkan ... Moshe Aharon u'Vanav", Shomrei Mishmeres ha'Mikdash ... le'Mishmeres B'nei Yisrael" - that the Mikdash requires guarding in three places.

(b)The problem with Abaye's D'rashah is - that Moshe, who is mentioned together with Aharon and his sons, was a Levi (and our Mishnah is currently concerned only with the Kohanim).

(c)To answer the Kashya, we divide the Pasuk like this - "ve'ha'Chonim Lifnei ha'Mishkan ... Moshe, Aharon u'Vanav Shomrei Mishmeres ha'Mikdash ... ".

6)

(a)The first three Kohanim who stood watch in the Mishkan were - Aharon and his two sons, Elazar and Isamar.

(b)Initially, we learn that they stood guard in three locations (and not all in the same one) from the fact that just as Moshe stood in one location all by himself, so too, did each of the three Kohanim.

(c)Rav Ashi learns the same thing - from the Seifa of the Pasuk "Shomrim ... Mishmeres ... le'Mishmeres".

7)

(a)We ask whether the Tana's description of Beis-Avtinas and Beis-ha'Nitzutz as 'attics' is literal ...

1. ... meaning that it is an upper floor, whilst downstairs was used for something else ...

2. ... or not, in which case the Kohanim merely had to stand guard on higher ground than the Levi'im, perhaps even in a room that stood on pillars, but which did not serve any specific purpose per se.

(b)We think that it might not be literal - due to the Halachah that the Kohanim must stand higher than the Levi'im, which may well be the sole interpretation of the word.

(c)Based on a Mishnah in Midos, which cites Beis-ha'Nitzutz as being one of the three gateways located in the north, we answer that it is literal. The upper level, the Tana explains - was built on top of a sun-porch, where the Levi'im stood guard (the problem with this will be discussed in Midos).

(d)It was considered a Makom Chol - because it opened on to the Har ha'Bayis and not to the Azarah (even though it adjoined it).

8)

(a)The Beraisa learns from the Pasuk in Korach "vi'Yelavu Alecha vi'Yesharsucha" - that the Levi'im must assist the Kohanim in their Avodah (i.e. guard in the same places as them [the Kohanim on the inside, and the Levi'im on the outside]).

(b)Based on the Pasuk there ve'Nilvu alecha ve'Shamru ... le'Chol Keilav u'le'Chol Avodaso", we suggest that perhaps the Levi'im guarded entirely independently of the Kohanim.

(c)We uphold the ruling of the Mishnah in Midos however - on the basis of the earlier Pasuk, which teaches us that sometimes (i.e. in the three above cases) the Levi'im must serve together with the Kohanim (see also the Peirush).

9)

(a)The problem with our Mishnah, which lists only one Sh'mirah for the Beis-ha'Mokad is - that from the Mishnah in Midos, which ascribes to it two gates ...

(b)... one leading to the Har ha'Bayis (which was Chol), and the other, to the Azarah (which was Kodesh).

(c)Rebbi Yehudah explains - that the large gate that opened into the Azarah contained a small door (known as 'a Pishpesh Katan').

(d)That Pishpesh was used - for the Kohanim, to clamber through early each morning before the T'rumas ha'Deshen. And their task was - to check the Keilim in the Azarah, to see that they were all in place (as we shall see at the end of the Perek).

10)

(a)To solve the discrepancy - Abaye explains that seeing as the two gates were so close to (and facing) each other, one Kohen was actually able to guard them both.

(b)We also query the Tana's description of the tiers of stones that surrounded the walls of the Beis-ha'Mokad, the problem with the different size width stone ledges is - how they were able to cut the stones to size in the Beis-ha'Mikdash, since the Pasuk "ve'ha'Bayis be'Hibanoso Even Sheleimah ... " clearly forbids using any metal tools inside.

(c)Based on the Pasuk there "Avnei Eser Amos ve'Avnei Shemoneh Amos" (which teaches us that the stones were cut to size), Abaye answers - that they cut the stones in the vicinity of the quarry, and then transported them already cut to the Beis-ha'Mikdash.

(d)We ask why the Ziknei Kehunah needed to sleep on ledges that jutted out from the wall of the building. Why could they not sleep on beds. Abaye answers - that it is not Derech Eretz to bring beds into the Beis-ha'Mikdash.

11)

(a)The Mishnah refers to the guards who served in Beis Avtinas and in Beis ha'Nitzutz as 'Rovim' - because they were still children (under bar-Mitzvah) who were not yet ready to perform any Avodah at all, and those who served in the Beis ha'Mokad as 'Pirchei Kehunah' - because they were over bar-Mitzvah, and of the age where their beards had already begun to grow (see also Rosh).