בזמן שכהן גדול נכנס להשתוות – in the great room with the golden altar, but we don’t call it coming in without need.

באבנים טובות – that are the shoulders of the Ephod.

הגביה לו את הפרוכת – that is hanging/suspended from the opening of the hall [leading to the interior of the Temple], for there weren’t doors at the opening of the hall, like the other openings in the Temple, but rather only a curtain.

באו ועמדו – for after they blessed and read and did their Divine Service that is stated above, they came to the Ascent/steps in the front of the Temple Hall.

עמדו הראשונים – these are the five Kohanim that had the utensils in their hands.

וברכו את העם ברכה אחת – and theses are the three verses of the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), “May the LORD bless you and keep you;” ”May the LORD deal kindly with you and graciously with you;” “May the LORD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace.” But we call it one blessing because they would not answer Amen after tehm between each verse in the manner that they do outside of the Temple/Jerusalem.

את השם ככתבו – with a Yud, Heh, etc.

ובמדינה בכינויו – with an Aleph, Daleth, etc. for we don’t mention God’s name as it is written other than in the Temple alone, as it states (Exodus 20:21): “in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you.” They (i.e., the Rabbis) invert the order in which it is written and expound upon it: In every place where I will come to you and bless you – which is the Temple, there I will mention My name.

כנגד כתפותיהם – because they require the raising of their palms, as it is written (Leviticus 9:22): “Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them,” and it is written (Deuteronomy 18:5): “[For the LORD your God has chosen] him and his descendants, [out of all your tribes, to be in attendance for service in the name of the LORD] for all time;” just as it is he regarding the lifting of the palms, even his descendants (literally, “his sons,) for all time.

ובמקדש – when they bless the people with God’s ineffable Name, and the Divine Presence is above the second joints of their fingers, they raise their hands above from their heads.

שאין מגביה את ידו למעלה מן הציץ – because the name of God is written on it.

רבי יהודה אומר כו' – But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda (see also Tractate Sotah, Chapter 7, Mishnah 6, where the latter sections this Mishnah is also repeated).

בזמן שכהן גדול רוצה להקטיר – that he offers incenses any time that he wants, and takes a portion when he wishes.

למחצית הכבש – and he had tired a bit.

וסמך עליו – because of the honor/prestige of the High Priest that his offering of the incense would be regarded as more important than the rest of the Kohanim.

וזרקן – as we have expounded [on the verse] (Deuteronomy 12:27): “You shall offer your burnt offerings, both the flesh and the blood, [on the altar of the LORD your God; and of your other sacrifices, the blood shall be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, and you sall eat the flesh],” just as the blood is sprinkled, so too the flesh is sprinkled (see Tractate Pesahim 47a).

נשמט השני והלך לו – but the first [priest] remains there to receive the limbs from those who stretch forth their hands and to give them to the High Priest.

בא לו להקיף את המזבח – the High Priest who was at the top of the ramp when he was in the south, walks around [in a circuit] in a rightward direction, for all of the turns that you make [in the Temple] must be towards the right (see Tractate Yoma 58b -and see also Tractate Zevakhim, Chapter 5, Mishnah 3, in terms of the order of the turns made), therefore, he would walk to the southeast and from there to the northeast, until he reaches the southwest, the place of the perforations/holes where the wine and the water that they perform the libations descend in them and from there go to the pits by the side of the altar in to which the remainder of the libations was poured which are the foundations, and there, the one Kohen stands and hands to him the wine for the libations, but the High Priest does not carry the wine with him, lest the wine become spoiled in the smoke of the pile of wood on the altar in the Temple when he walks around the altar, and while he is walking around, he turns [a piece of flesh on the altar] with a hook, that is, he drips limbs that were not consumed on the altar. But the rest of the Kohanim that perform the libations of the wine, walk going to the left from he ramp to the southwestern [corner] which is close to the ramp, as is taught in the Mishnah in Tractate Zevakhim, in the Chapter, “The Holy of Holies” (Chapter Six, Mishnah 3), “All of those who ascend the altar go up on the right (i.e. east) side and make a circuit and go down on the left, except for the one who does who goes up for these three things,” libations of the wine and the water and the burnt offering of the bird. The wine and the water so that they won’t be affected by the smoke. And the burnt offering of the bird also, so that it would not die in the smoke. But the High Priest that is similar to a member of the household, he has permission to go as he desires, what the rest of the priests are not allowed to do, and he also has permission to turn a piece of flesh with a hook without a lottery, he has to go around the altar in order to walk in a rightward direction.

והסגן עומד על הקרן (the prefect/assistant stands on the corner) – near the High Priest who comes to offer libations.

והסודרים בידו – to wave when the Kohen offers the libation. In order that the Levites will know, and that they will speak/break out through song, and Ben Arza know and he knocked/struck the cymbal, as it states nearby.

על שלחן החלבים – two tables were in the western side of he ramp, one table of silver, where they put the Temple utensils, and one table of marble, where they put the limbs, and it is called, the table of the fats.

בן ארזא – the nae of a person that strikes the cymbal, TZIMBAL in the foreign language.

בראשון לה' הארץ ומלואה – because it is the first [thing] in the act of Creation.

בשני גדול ה' – for on it (i.e., the second day of Creation), the waters were divided and he firmament was placed between the [upper] waters and the lower [waters].

בשלישי אלהים נצב בעדת אל – for on it (i.e., the third day of Creation), the dry land appears that upon it, the judges stand to administer justice.

ברביעי אל נקמות – for on it (i.e., the fourth day of Creation), the son, and the moon and the stars were created that God, in the future, will be avenged from those who worship them.

בחמישי הרנינו לאלהים עזנו – for on it (i.e., the fifth day of Creation), the living creatures were created that He who sees them (i.e., God) sing and praise to its Creator.

בששי ה' מלך – for on it (i.e., the sixth day of Creation) the Creation was completed and on it, man was created who recognizes the Kingship of His Creator.

מנוחה לחי העולמים – this Tanna/teacher holds like the one who stated that for six thousand years, there will be a world and one will be destroyed, and on account that in the seventh millennium, there won’t be anything but the Holy One, blessed be He, as it states (Isaiah 2:11): “None but the LORD shall be Exalted in that day,” therefore on Shabbat, we recite (Psalm 92): “A psalm. A song; for the sabbath day,” for the seventh millennium, as one day of the Holy One, blessed be He is one thousand years [for us].