## Mishnah Arakhin Chapter 2

###### Mishnah Arakhin 2:1
[Mishnah Arakhin 2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Arakhin/r/2:1)

אֵין בָּעֲרָכִין פָּחוּת מִסֶּלַע, וְלֹא יָתֵר עַל חֲמִשִּׁים סָלַע. כֵּיצַד, נָתַן סֶלַע וְהֶעֱשִׁיר, אֵינוֹ נוֹתֵן כְּלוּם. פָּחוֹת מִסֶּלַע וְהֶעֱשִׁיר, נוֹתֵן חֲמִשִּׁים סָלַע. הָיָה בְיָדָיו חָמֵשׁ סְלָעִים, רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, אֵינוֹ נוֹתֵן אֶלָּא אֶחָת. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, נוֹתֵן אֶת כֻּלָּם. אֵין בָּעֲרָכִין פָּחוּת מִסֶּלַע, וְלֹא יָתֵר עַל חֲמִשִּׁים סֶלַע. אֵין פֶּתַח בַּטּוֹעָה פָּחוּת מִשִּׁבְעָה, וְלֹא יָתֵר עַל שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר. אֵין בַּנְּגָעִים פָּחוּת מִשָּׁבוּעַ אֶחָד, וְלֹא יָתֵר עַל שְׁלשָׁה שָׁבוּעוֹת:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**One cannot be charged for a valuation less than a *sela*, nor** can one be charged **more than fifty *sela*. How so?** If **one gave one *sela* and became wealthy,** he is **not** required to **give anything** more, as he has fulfilled his obligation. If he gave **less than a *sela* and became wealthy,** he is required to **give fifty *sela*,** as he has not fulfilled his obligation. If **there were five *sela* in** the **possession** of the destitute person, and the valuation he undertook is more than five *sela*, how much should he pay? **Rabbi Meir says: He gives only one** *sela* and thereby fulfills his obligation. **And the Rabbis say: He gives all** five. **One cannot be charged for a valuation less than a *sela*; nor** can one be charged **more than fifty *sela*.** If a woman experienced a discharge of blood and is **unsure** whether it was during her days of menstruation or during the eleven days that would render her a *zava*, the **alleviation** of her state of uncertainty does **not** occur in **fewer than seven** clean days, **nor** in **more than seventeen** clean days, depending on the number of days that she experiences the discharge. There are symptoms of leprosy that a priest will immediately confirm to be ritually pure or ritually impure, and there are others for which the priest quarantines the leper in order to determine his status. **With regard to leprous marks, there is no** quarantine that is **less than one week and none greater than three weeks.**


###### Mishnah Arakhin 2:2
[Mishnah Arakhin 2:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Arakhin/r/2:2)

אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מֵאַרְבָּעָה חֲדָשִׁים הַמְעֻבָּרִים בְּשָׁנָה, וְלֹא נִרְאֶה יָתֵר עַל שְׁמֹנָה. שְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם נֶאֱכָלוֹת אֵין פָּחוּת מִשְּׁנַיִם וְלֹא יָתֵר עַל שְׁלשָׁה. לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים נֶאֱכָל אֵין פָּחוּת מִתִּשְׁעָה וְלֹא יָתֵר עַל אַחַד עָשָׂר. קָטָן נִמּוֹל אֵין פָּחוּת מִשְּׁמֹנָה וְלֹא יָתֵר עַל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**No fewer than four full** thirty-day **months** may be established **during** the course of **a year, and it did not seem** appropriate to establish **more than eight. The two loaves** that are brought to the Temple on *Shavuot* **are eaten** by the priests **not before the second and not after the third** day from when they were baked. **The shewbread is eaten not before the ninth** day from when it was baked, which is the situation in a regular week when the bread is baked on Friday and eaten on the following Shabbat; **and not after the eleventh** day, when the two Festival days of Rosh HaShana occur on Thursday and Friday, as the shewbread is baked on Wednesday and not eaten until the following Shabbat. **A minor boy is not circumcised before the eighth** day after his birth **and not after the twelfth** day. Normally a newborn is circumcised on his eighth day. If he was born during twilight, which an uncertain period of day or night, he is circumcised on what would be the eighth day of his birth if he is was born at night, which is the ninth day if he was born during the day. If he was born during twilight on Shabbat eve, the circumcision cannot be performed on Friday, as he might have been born on Shabbat and therefore Friday is only the seventh day. And the circumcision cannot be on Shabbat, as perhaps he was born on Friday and only circumcision performed on the eighth day overrides Shabbat. Therefore, it is postponed until after Shabbat. If two days of Rosh HaShana occur on Sunday and Monday, the circumcision is postponed until Tuesday, the twelfth day after birth.


###### Mishnah Arakhin 2:3
[Mishnah Arakhin 2:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Arakhin/r/2:3)

אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מֵעֶשְׂרִים וְאַחַת תְּקִיעוֹת בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ וְלֹא מוֹסִיפִין עַל אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמֹנֶה. אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מִשְּׁנֵי נְבָלִין וְלֹא מוֹסִיפִין עַל שִׁשָּׁה. אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מִשְּׁנֵי חֲלִילִין וְלֹא מוֹסִיפִין עַל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר. וּבִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר יוֹם בַּשָּׁנָה הֶחָלִיל מַכֶּה לִפְנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. בִּשְׁחִיטַת פֶּסַח רִאשׁוֹן, וּבִשְׁחִיטַת פֶּסַח שֵׁנִי, וּבְיוֹם טוֹב רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל פֶּסַח, וּבְיוֹם טוֹב שֶׁל עֲצֶרֶת, וּבִשְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי הֶחָג, וְלֹא הָיָה מַכֶּה בְּאַבּוּב שֶׁל נְחשֶׁת אֶלָּא בְּאַבּוּב שֶׁל קָנֶה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁקּוֹלוֹ עָרֵב. וְלֹא הָיָה מַחֲלִיק אֶלָּא בְאַבּוּב יְחִידִי, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מַחֲלִיק יָפֶה:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**No fewer than twenty-one** trumpet **blasts are** sounded daily **in the Temple,** as each day three blasts were sounded for the opening of the gates in the morning, nine for the daily morning offering, and nine for the daily afternoon offering, totaling twenty-one. **And no more than forty-eight are** ever sounded on a single day. This would occur on the Friday of *Sukkot*, when they would sound an additional twelve blasts during the ritual of drawing the water for the water libation; nine for the additional offerings; three to signal the population to cease their work before Shabbat; and three more to mark the beginning of Shabbat. When accompanying their song with instruments, the Levites **do not use fewer than two lyres and do not use more than six.** When flutes are played, **they do not use fewer than two flutes and do not use more than twelve. And** there are **twelve days during the year when the flute plays before the altar: At** the time of **the slaughter of the first Paschal offering,** on the fourteenth of Nisan; **and at** the time of **the slaughter of the second Paschal offering,** on the fourteenth of Iyyar; **and on the first festival** day **of Passover; and on the festival of *Shavuot*; and on** all **eight days of the festival of *Sukkot*. And one would not play with a copper flute; rather, one would play with a flute of reed, because its sound is** more **pleasant. And one would conclude** the music **only with a single flute, because it concludes** the music **nicely.**


###### Mishnah Arakhin 2:4
[Mishnah Arakhin 2:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Arakhin/r/2:4)

וְעַבְדֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים הָיוּ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, מִשְׁפְּחוֹת בֵּית הַפְּגָרִים וּבֵית צְפָרְיָא וּמֵאֶמָּאוֹם הָיוּ מַשִּׂיאִין לַכְּהֻנָּה. רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָא בֶּן אַנְטִיגְנוֹס אוֹמֵר, לְוִיִּם הָיוּ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Temple musicians **were slaves of priests;** this is **the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yosei says:** The musicians were not slaves, but Israelites from **the family of the house of Pegarim and the family of the house of Tzippara from** the city of **Emaum,** and their lineage was sufficiently pure that **they would marry** their daughters **to** members of **the priesthood. Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus says: They were Levites.**


###### Mishnah Arakhin 2:5
[Mishnah Arakhin 2:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Arakhin/r/2:5)

אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מִשִּׁשָּׁה טְלָאִים הַמְבֻקָּרִין בְּלִשְׁכַּת הַטְּלָאִים, כְּדַי לַשַּׁבָּת וְלִשְׁנֵי יָמִים טוֹבִים שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, וּמוֹסִיפִין עַד לְעוֹלָם. אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מִשְּׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרוֹת, וּמוֹסִיפִין עַד לְעוֹלָם. אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מִתִּשְׁעָה כִנּוֹרוֹת, וּמוֹסִיפִין עַד לְעוֹלָם. וְהַצִּלְצָל לְבָד:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
One maintains **no fewer than six lambs that** have been **inspected** for blemishes **in the Chamber of the Lambs,** which are **sufficient for** the offerings of **Shabbat and for the** two **Festival days of Rosh HaShana** that may occur adjacent to it. **And one may add** inspected lambs **up to an infinite** number. One plays **no fewer than two trumpets** and no fewer **than nine harps** in the Temple, **and one may add up to an infinite** number. **And the cymbal** was played **alone,** and none may be added to it.


###### Mishnah Arakhin 2:6
[Mishnah Arakhin 2:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Arakhin/r/2:6)

אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין מִשְּׁנֵים עָשָׂר לְוִיִּם עוֹמְדִים עַל הַדּוּכָן, וּמוֹסִיפִין עַד לְעוֹלָם. אֵין קָטָן נִכְנָס לָעֲזָרָה לַעֲבוֹדָה אֶלָּא בְשָׁעָה שֶׁהַלְוִיִּם עוֹמְדִים בַּשִּׁיר. וְלֹא הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים בְּנֵבֶל וְכִנּוֹר אֶלָּא בַפֶּה, כְּדֵי לִתֵּן תְּבַל בַּנְּעִימָה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, אֵין עוֹלִין לַמִּנְיָן, וְאֵין עוֹמְדִים עַל הַדּוּכָן, אֶלָּא בָאָרֶץ הָיוּ עוֹמְדִין, וְרָאשֵׁיהֶן מִבֵּין רַגְלֵי הַלְוִיִּם, וְצוֹעֲרֵי הַלְוִיִּם הָיוּ נִקְרָאִין:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
In the Temple, there are **no fewer than twelve Levites standing on the platform** adjacent to the altar and singing, **and one may add** Levites on the platform **up to an infinite** number. **A minor** Levite may **enter the Temple courtyard for service only at a time when the Levites are engaging in song,** so that he may accompany them. **And** minors **would not engage in** playing **a lyre and in** playing **a harp; rather,** they would engage **in** singing with **the mouth, in order to provide flavor to the music** with their pure, high voices. **Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says:** Minors **are not tallied in the** minimum **total** of twelve Levites, **and they do not ascend to the platform; rather, they would stand on the ground and their heads** would reach to **between the legs of the Levites, and they were called cadets [*tzoarei*] of the Levites.**