Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 4 The Ark of the Covenant rested on the Foundation Stone in the Holy of Holies. The Sages debate whether this stone represents the initial point for God’s creation of the whole world. On Yom …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 4 Was the Ark of the Covenant exiled to Babylonia or buried in the Temple Mount? How did the High Priest perform the required sprinklings on Yom Kippur? Why are the staves of the ark …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 3 How does the High Priest enter the Holy of Holies? How does he approach the place of the Ark of the Covenant? How does he pour the incense onto the hot coals? How does …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 2, 3 John Steinbeck’s commentary on God’s lesson to Cain in Genesis 4:7 reveals the importance of translating the Torah as it was intended. A different word in the same verse provides one of the …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1, 2 Tachanun: the daily confession of communal sins. Who purchases the Yom Kippur bull? Does the High Priest take a detour on the route to the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur in deference …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 Why is the word “after” included in Genesis 22:13 re the ram with horns caught in the thicket? If the High Priest dies on Yom Kippur after slaughtering his bull, may the replacement High Priest …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 I could not remain silent when Jews are under attack due to a mass delusion that has brought so many of our own brothers and sisters to self-slander, reminiscent of the sin of the …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 Rav Pappa brings a series of questions that compare the incense service of Yom Kippur to the daily meal and animal offerings, asking whether elements that would disqualify those services also disqualify the incense. …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 How does the High Priest bring the incense into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. Practical concerns force an adjustment to the ideal manner. Rabbi Yishmael ben Kimhis had very large hands thanks …