אמר להם הממונה בואו והפיסו – take an allotment [by counting out a certain number on the raised fingers of those among whom a decision is to be made]. This is the lottery that is explained in chapter 2 of [Tractate] Yoma [Mishnah 2].

מי שוחט – even though ritual slaughtering is ritually permitted by a non-Kohen (literally, “foreigner”), for it is the beginning of the Divine Service of the daily offering and is beloved to them, for if they don’t take an allotment, they will come to quarrel about it and they will come to danger (i.e., loss of life).

מי זורק – who receives the blood, he is the one who sprinkles, for the essence of the sacrifice is the sprinkling, and for that reason, it (i.e., the Mishnah) took it.

מי מדשן מזבח הפנימי – the person who clears the ashes from the inner court is he one who offers the incense. And since the removal of the ashes is the beginning of the Divine Service of incense, it (i.e., the Mishnah) took it. And similarly, the removal of ashes from the Menorah/candelabrum is the beginning of the kindling [of the Menorah]. And the removal of the ashes of the inner altar and the Menorah would precede the slaughtering of the daily offering. But that it (i.e., the Mishnah) mentions in the order of the allotment – the slaughtering and sprinkling at the opening clause is beause they are the essence of the Divine Service.

העוקץ – the tail.

החזה – all [the permitted fat] that sees the ground.

והגרה – the place where it ruminates/chews the cud, is [in] the neck, and through it, the windpipe is attached with the liver and the heart.

זכה מי שזכה – he who won the allotment sprinkles the blood and the one nearest him slaughters. But even though the slaughtering precedes the reception of the blood, nevertheless, because the Divine Service of the sprinkling is greater than the slaughtering, for the slaughtering is ritually permitted by a non-Kohen (literally, “foreigner”), which is not the case regarding the sprinkling, therefore, the one who is first found worthy (i.e., “the winner”), when the allotment arrives to him in sprinkling, and he second nearest him in slaughtering, and the third who removes the ashes from inner altaer and offers the incense, and the fourth removes the ashes of he candelabrum and kindles the lights, and the fifth raises up the head and leg for the lamb, and the sixth the two hands, and the seventh, the tail, which are the tail and the foot, and eighth is the breast and the chewing of the cud/ruminant, and the ninth – the two walls, and the tenth, the insides, and the eleventh, the fine flour of the meal offering of the libations, which is offered with the daily offering, and the twelfth are the sort of cakes of the High Priest, and the thirteenth is the wine of libations. All of these thirteen Kohanim leave with one allotment that is described in chapter two of Tractate Yoma (Mishnah 2).

צאו וראו – on the high place that they had in the Temple.

זמן השחיטה – for ritual slaughtering is disqualified at night, as it states (Leviticus 19:6): “It shall be eaten on the day/ביום that you sacrifice it, [or on the day following],”

ברקאי – the morning light shines and has broken through from end to end.

האיר פני כל המזרח (the whole eastern horizon is light) – that he would not say anything until the entire eastern horizon is lightm, for it is not enough tha it is light only like a point, and the Halakha is according to Mattia ben Shmuel.

עד שיהא בחברון – those who are standing below ask him, has the light reached Hebron? And he answers, “yes,” And in order to mention the merit of the forefathers that are buried in Hebron we say this.

משלכת הטלאים – the chamber/office where the lambs of the daily offering/תמיד were.

לשכת החותמות – of those who take fine flour for meal offering and wine for libations, for they would go near the superintendent appointed over the seals and give him the money according to the libations that he requires, and he gives him a seal and he brings the seal to the superintendent over the libations and he receives from him libations. And the chamber that the superintendent sits in is called the chamber of the seals. And in Tractate Shekalim (see Chapter 5, Mishnah 3), it explains that there four seals in the Temple and it was written on them: “calf, ram, kid and sinner” When he brings the seal that is written on it, “calf,” it is known that he gave money for the libations of a bull. [When he brings the seal that is written on it] “ram,” it is known that he gave money for the libations of a ram, for the Aramaic translation of a ram is דכרא /male of the flock (ram). [When he brings the seal that is written on it], “kid,” it is known that he brought the money for the libations of a lamb. [When he brings the seal that is written on it], “sinner,” it is known that he brought the money for the libations for a leper.

לשכת בית המוקד – on account of the fire that is always burning there.

תשעים ושלשה כלי כסף וכלי זהב – it is not explained why it was necessary for the number of these utensils. But in the Jerusalem Talmud in the Tractate Hagigah, they said that it corresponds to the ninety-three mentionings [of the Divine Name] in the prophecies of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

השקו את התמיד – [they gave the lamb to be slaughtered as the daily offering water] near the time of its slaughtering, in order that its hide will be straightened out/become flat nicely.

בכוס של זהב – there are those who state that an exaggeration was taught, for it (i.e, the cup that the lamb drank from) was not made of of gold, but of a fine copper that like gold, and there are those who stated that it was a cup actually of gold, for there is no poverty in the place of wealthy splendor.[to demonstrate the greatness and honor attributed to the place].

אע"פ שמבוקר – the daily offering requires inspection from physical defect four times prior to its slaughter, simila to the Passover lamb.

לצפונו 'ל מזבח – for the daily offering is a burnt offering and the burnt offering requires [offering] in the north.

שמונה עמודים ממסים – low columns of stone [that are small].

ורביעית של ארז – square pieces of cedar were on the columns.

אונליות (hooks) – similar to hooks; ANTZINISH in the foreign language.

ושלשה סדרים (three rows) – of hooks, it was this one above that one in all the pieces of the tree, to suspend/hang large animal or a small one.

על שלחנות של שיש שבין העמודים – for on them they would rinse the insides and it was possible to make them out of gold, for there is no poverty in the place of wealth/splendor, but they did not make them of anything other than marble because the gold shakes and smells bad, but the marble is cold and cools off and preserves it so that it does nor become putrid.

הטני – it is the language of (Deuteronomy 26:2): “[you shall take some of every first fruit of he soil, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you], put in a basket.” It is similar to a basket but its mouth is wide.

והכוז (oil vessel – in the shape of a large wine cup) – a ladle; in the Arabic language they call it ALCUZ.

שני מפתחות – to open two locks that are on the northern wicket.

תרקב (three kabs, a dry measure) – a utensil that holds three kabim, and the language of “tarkav,” is two [kabim] and a kab, and it was similar to a tarkav, but it didn’t hold other than two kabs and a half, and it was of gold.

אחד יורד לאמת השחי – the northern wicket as is taught in the Mishnah further on (see Mishnah 7): “He came to the northern wicket/door.” It had wo locks, the one was below, inside at the bottom of the opening, and the Kohen that wanted to enter, would put in his forearm into the hole in the wall until his armpit and open it with his hand through the inside, and the other [lock], he opens with a key immediately without effort like all the other openings.

כיון (directly) – like [Tractate Pesahim 37a – Bartenura, at least as published in the standard יכין ובועז edition of the Mishnah, states that this quote is on Pesahim 37b]: “he may form the dough in a mould and attach it to the cake directly” (i.e., well-fitting without loss of time), meaning to say, quickly without trouble.

ושני פשפשין היו לו לשער הגדול – this is the gate of the Temple/the hall containing the golden altar. And it had doors at the beginning of the beams of the wall that was six cubits thick, and other doors at the end of its beams towards the inside. These two wickets/doors had two small openings, one from the right of the large gate and one from its left, a bit distant from the gate. On that which was in the south, it is written (Ezekiel 44:2): “This gate is to be kept shut and is not to be opened” refers to the future, and from something undefined such it was in the Jerusalem Temple, but the wicket that is in the north, he would open it through a hole near it where one inserts his hand until the armpit and bends his hand inside, and through another lock that is there, it is opened immediately without effort.

ופותח הפשפש ונכנס משם לתא (to the cell/compartment back of the Holy of Holies) – and it is one chamber open to the hall containing the golden altar.

ומן התא נכנס להיכל – and he goes in the cavity of the hall containing the golden altar until the large gate that is at the end of the beams of the wall from the inside and opens it and he comes to the second gate and stands inside and opens it.

נגר (door-bolt, pin fitting into sockets top and bottom) – a bolt that breaks through from one end of the door to the [other] end of the door. Another explanation, the נגר is a peg/nail (i.e., something fastened) that is wedged in in the back of the door in an incision in the lintel/door-sill.

ואת הפותחות – the locks and the enclosures.

מיריחו היו שומעים קול שע הגדול – and from Jerusalem until Jericho is ten Parsangs (see Tractate Yoma 39b) [equivalent to approximately twenty-five kilometers].

מגריפה (the name of a musical instrument in the Temple) – a species of musical instrument that was in the Temple, having ten holes, each one of them producing one kindred kinds of music, and its sound could be heard from afar.

בן קטין (he appears also in Tractate Tamid, Chapter 1, Mishnah 4) – the name of a man ho was a High Priest, ad he made a wheel-work for the wash-basin to sink it into the well/cistern, so that there its waters would not become unfit for use by being kept overnight, for every thing that was sanctified in the Temple vessels became unfit for use by being kept overnight, and when he would depart, and would become one who immersed himself that day [but ineligible to resume eating heave-offering until after sunset), and they would raise him up from the cistern to sanctify his hands and his feet, the sound of the wheel would be heard until Jericho.

גביני כרוז – a Kohen whose name was Gevini, who would announce/cry out each morning in the Temple: “Arise, Kohanim, for your Divine Service.”

חליל – TZALNITZLISH in the foreign language; MIZMOR in Arabic, and its sound can be heard from afar. There are those who say PIPRI in the foreign language.

צלצל – TZIMBALI in the foreign language.

מכוור – name of a place.

ובאחרונה – for there wasn’t only just a little big of ashes, and he was not able to take them in handfuls, he swept the rest of the ashes into the basket.

והניחו – in the basket there and then he left. But immediately, he would not remove it, for since he had to put the ashes near the Eastn Altar like the removal of the ashes of the Menorah, he waits until after the sprinkling of [the blood of] the daily offering, which he would make the preparations of the two lamps and finish the completion of the removal of he ashes of the Menorah, and then both of of them would remove this basket and that oil vessel and pour the ahses into one place near the altar and they are absorbed there in their place.

ומצא שתי נרות מזרחיות דולקים – this Tanna/teacher holds that the Menorah is placed in the aeast and west. And sometimes that he finds also the rest burning, and it (i.e., the Mishnah) took [the words] “the two eastern lights flickering” because the rest of the lights, even if they are burning, he puts them out and removes the ashes, but these two lights/candles, if he found them flickering/burning, he does not put them out, and further, because it teaches in the concluding segment [of the Mishnah] “that if he found that they had gone out, he cleaned them and lit them from those which were [yet] flickering/burning,” but with the rest of the lights, if he found that they had gone out, he does not re-kindle them until the evening.

מדשן את השאר – five lights/candles for the west side, he removes from them the old oil and the old wick and the ashes, and places everything in the oil vessel, and puts new oil and a new wick, and after the slaughter of the daily offering and the sprinkling of its blood, he removes the ashes of the two eastern [lights]/[candles], and places in them 0il and a new wick. But surely, when he stops the preparing with the slaughter of the daily offering and the sprinkling of its blood and he doesn’t prepare all of them together, because it is written (Exodus 30:7): “[On it Aaron shall burn aromatic incense:] he shall burn it every morning when he tends the lamps,” the Torah stated that part of the preparation for the two cows, and perform the preparation of the five candles/lights in the first clause of the Mishnah and then he returns with the preparation of the two lights/candles, because for since that he began, he did most of it. But that which he didn’t do six [of them] and then return to do one, because it is written (ibid.), “when he tends the lamps, the preparation [is not] less than two candles/lambs. And these words are at a time where there is no miracle, as, for example, after Shimon the Righteous died. But prior to Shimon the Righteous dying, the western light/candle always burned/flickered through a miracle, as it is taught in a Baraita (Talmud Shabbat 22b) : from outside the curtain of the Pact (see Leviticus 24:2-3), the testimony is that God’s presence rests upon Israel, this is the western candle/light that we place in it oil according to the measure of its fellow and from it he would begin and from it he would conclude, for when he came to prepare the two eastern lights/candles, he would not remove the ashes other than from the first candle/light alone and prepare it, but he leaves the second light/candle that is adjacent to it burning/flickering until the evening when he kindles he lights/candles, and from it candles all of the other lights/candles, but after he kindled the rest of the candles/lights, he prepares it and removes the ashes for this candle in the evening and kindles it. But even though it is written (Exodus 30:7) “when he tends the lamps,” that there is no tending less than “two,” this is more preferable that he didn’t tend to other than one light/candle from the two eastern candles/lights/lamps and to leave the second lamp/candle/light burning so that he would not tend to it until the evening, in order to publicize the miracle that he always kindles. But if even that he tends five [lights/candles/lamps] that are on the western side of first, and not the five of the eastern side anad at the end the two of the western side, and from them, he would have to kindle, but he doesn’t do this because it is written (Leviticus 24:2-3): “for kindling lamps regularly. [Aaron shall set them up in the Tent of Meeting] outside the curtain of the Pact [to burn] from evening to morning before the LORD regularly,” the Torah stated, set up a fixed lamp/candle/light to kindle from it all the rest of the candles, and which is this? The second candle/light/lamp of the eastern side, for when he ascends in the hall of the golden altar, it is that candle/lamp/light that he approaches first, but we don’t forgo the occasion to perform a religious act, but one could say that in this, the miracle was established and it was fixed to kindle from it. But, with the first light/lamp/candle, it is impossible, for behold it is written (ibid.,): “before the LORD”, from that candle of the side of God’s presence, which is the the western side, but the first candle/lamp/light is not called, “before the LORD.”

מצאן שכבו – the two eastern ones (i.e., candles/lamps/lights). As, for example, after Shimon the Righteous died.

מדשנן ומדליקן מן הדולקים – not that he would put a new wick and new oil, in the manner of taking care of/preparing the lights/lamps/candles, for always, we don’t prepare the two eastern lights/candles/lamps other than after the slaughtering of the daily offering in order to interrupt between the preparation of the five to the preparation of the two, but rather, we cleanse them, that is, we remove the ashes that are at the head of the old wick, and lift it up and kindle it, in order that it be interruption between preparing the five candles to the two be well recognized. But if the candles/lights/lamps are not burning, we kindle them from the altar of the burnt offering.

ומדשן את השאר – this is the preparation of the five candles/lamps/lights, that we place a new wick and new oil and leave them extinguished until the evening when he comes and kindles [them]. But he removes the ashes from here and it is not like the removal of the ashes of the two eastern [lights] that is above. But after the slaughtering of the daily offering and the sprinkling of its blood, he returns and removes the eastern ashes and places oil and and a new wick and leaves it until the evening extinguished. But a second candle/light/lamp which is called, “western” just like this, he cleans and removes the ashes and the old wick and puts in new oil and kindles it from the altar of the burnt offering in order to kindle from the lamps/candles/lights in the evening, the others that the western lamp/candle/light was fixed to kindle from it other candles/lamps/lights, and therefore, also he kindles if he found it extinguished prior to the slaughtering of the daily offering, since he needs nevertheless, to kindle it when he comes and prepares after the slaughtering. Such I found the explanation of this Mishnah in the commentary of our Rabbi, Baruch bar Yitzhah, and he is the clearest of all of the commentaries. But the words of Maimonides are very astonishing, and also what he thinks in that the preparation of the candles/lamps/lights is their kindling, and when he would kindle the lamps/lights of the entire Menorah in the morning, as he kindles it in the evening, it is an exalted hidden thing/miracle in my eyes, but I did not hear nor did I see any of my Rabbis who think thus.

ואבן היתה לפני המנורה – because the Menorah is eighteen handbreadths high and it was necessary to ascend to a high place in order to prepare the lamps/lights/candles.

ובה שלש מעלות – corresponding to the three ascents that are written regarding the Menorah (see Numbers 8:2, Exodus 25:37 and Exodus 27:20): "בהעלותך את הנרות"/”when you mount the lamps; "והעלה את נרותיה"/”the lamps shall be so mounted;” "להעלות נר תמיד" /”for kindling the lamps regularly.”

והניח הכוז ויצא – until after the sprinkling of the blood of the daily offering for then he makes he preparations of two lamps/candles/lights and removes it, and then his neighbor removed the basket. And when they removed them, they bowed down (according to Tractate Megillah 22b – this is the spreading of one’s hand and feet on the floor), at the conclusion of the Divine Service, but not now, fo still their Divine Service was not completed.