מקדש ראשון היה בו פרוכת אחת ובמקדש שני היו שתים מפני ספק שנתחדש להם בעת הבנותו. ועוד נבאר זה במקומו במסכת מדות [פרק בתרא הל' ז] ורבי יוסי נתבאר לו אותו ספק וראה כי הפרוכת על צורתו כך וזהו ענין אמרו לא היתה שם אלא פרוכת אחת ועוד אבארהו לך במקומו.

The First Temple had only one curtain in it, while in the Second Temple there were two curtains in it because of a doubt that befell them at the time of its being built, and we will explain this in its place in Tractate Middot (Chapter 4, Mishnah 7). But that doubt had become clear to Rabbi Yossi and in his opinion that the place of the [second] curtain was in the wheel this and that, and this is the matter where he states [in the Mishnah] that there was only one curtain there and allof this we will explain in its place.

And it is stated [in the Mishnah]: "עד שהוא מגיע לארון" – meaning to the say, to the place of the Ark (see Tractate Yoma 62b), because in the First Temple where there was an Ark, there wasn’t there [in the Second Temple] anything other than one curtain, and it only describes here the order of the Second Temple where there wasn’t an Ark there as there were two curtains.

And the subject of what it says [in the Mishnah]: "ובא לו כדרך בית כניסתו" (and he went along by the way he entered – i.e., he walked out backwards facing the Ark – where it used to be) – that he leaves when he is walking backwards, his face towards the Holy of Holies and his his bak towads the opening, the Honor and Glory to God And similarly when they depart from every Divine Service, and the Levites when leave from the post, all of them do not depart other than backwards (see Tractate Yoma 53a and Maimonides’ codification in The Laws of the Chosen House/Temple, Chapter 7, Halakah 4 but he walks backwards slowly and softly to the side until he departs). And the liturgical text of this short prayer is as follows: “May it be Your will, Lord our God that iff this year was parched, that this year be rainy and not my destiny to be a servant of of ruling from the house of Judah, and that your people the House of Israel will not be in need for sustenance/a living (see Tractate Yoma 53b), and do not let the prayers of those who pass on crossroads enter before you.” And the explanation of [the word] "שחונה" is heat/warmth, the Aramaic translation of (I Kings 1:1): “and he (i.e., King David) never felt warm,” for he was not warm, he would pray that God would measure exactly the weather this year, and this would be of general great good for humanity and the animals, for the when the weather is average, it cures the bodies of those who are infirm, and preserves constatntly the heath of creatures, and first of all the measure (Deuteronomy 7:15): “The LORD will ward off from you all sickness.” And after that, he prayers for the contnual rule of justice and truth, and this is the purpose of everything. And after these two general matters, he prayers on the private matters of all human beings, that God will cause every peשלא להבעית את יrson to be sucessful in his labor, and his business and commerce will be successful in order that he will not need to ask and beg from his fellow. And afterwards he prayers that rain should fall, and when it (i.e., Tractate Yoma 53b) say, that the prayers of the passers-by should not enter before you,” because they do not pray other than for continual sunshine and the removal of rain.

שלא להבעית את ישראל (to not dismay the Jewish people) – that it will not frighten them , for if he would be detained, they would worry that [perhaps] he had died, because many times the High Priests die in the Holy of Holies if they were not worthy or if they changed something in the act of [offering up] the incense, surely you will fearful as it (i.e., the Torah), may it be exalted, said regarding Aaron (Leviticus 16:2): “lest he die; for I appear in the cloud, etc.”

And the explanation of "שתיה" is foundation, and according to the truth the place of Divine Service is the foundation of the world,and as it is mentioned at the beginning of [Tractate] Avot (Chapter 1, Mishnah 2 and the commentary of our teacher – Maimonides – there).

נכנס במקום שנכנס ענינו למקום שנכנס בקטרת בין בדי הארון והיה מזה מן הדם לפני הארון. כמו שאמר הש"י [שם] על הכפרת ולפני הכפרת:

נכנס למוקם שנכנס– meaning to say to the place that entered with the incense between the bars projecting from the Ark , and he sprinkles from the blood in front of the Ark as od stated (Leviticus 16:15): “for he shall sprijnkle it over the cover and in front of the cover.”

והיה מחזיר פעמיים מלת אחת כדי שלא יטעה במנין. והיה מונה ההזאה הראשונה מכלל שבע של מטה והש"י אמר [שם] והזה באצבעו והיא ההזאה הראשונה ואח"כ מן הדם באצבעו ז' פעמים כך באה הקבלה וכאילו הוא העיקר:

כמצליף (like swinging a whip) – like one who strikes with a rod/scourge (see Tracate Yoma 54b). And he mentions the word “one” twice so that he does not error in the countain, and he comes to count the first sprinkling following from the overall number of seven below, and God stated (Leviticus 16:14): “and sprinkle it with his finger [over the cover on the east side],” this is the first sprinkling, and fafterwards from the blood witih his finger seven times (Leviticus 16:19: “And the rest of the blood he sprinkle on it with his finger seven times” – see also the Laws of the Service of Yom Kipppur, Chapter 3, Halakha 8), as it comes in the received tradition.

וכן – this is the base.

היה שופך דם הפר במזרק שהיה בו דם השעיר ומחזיר הכל במזרק שהיה בו דם הפר כדי שיתערבו הדמים עירוב יפה והדבר כולו מבואר:

He pours/casts the blood of the bull into a bowl (out of which the sprinkling is done) which has the blood of the goat in it and he eturns everything to the pool that had in it the blood of the bull in order that bloods sould mix very wwell (see Tractate Yoma 58a). And all of this matter is clear.

היה מזה בקרן שלפניו מלמעלן למטן כדי שלא יזה מן הדם על בגדיו ואין הלכה כרבי אליעזר:

He sprinkles on the beam in front of him "מלמעלן למטן" in order that that the bllod would not squirt onto his clothes (see Tosefta Tractate Yoma Chapter 3, Halakha 1 where this is the approach of the First Tanna, and so our teacher codiefied in the Laws of the Service of Yom Kippur, Chaper 4, Halakha 2). But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.

טהרו של מזבח הוא המקום המגולה ממנו. והוא כי קטרת של כל יום היה במזבח של זהב כמו שאמר השם יתברך [שמות ל] והקטיר עליו אהרן קטרת סמים וכל יום היה מוציא ממנו מותר הגחלים והדשן כמו שבארנו והיה נזהר שיזה הדם על מקום שלא יהיה בו דשן ולא גחלים אלא עצם המזבח מגולה.

טהרו של מזבח (the exposed surface of the Altar from which the ashes had been raked) it is the revealed place therein (see Tractate Yoma 59a) because the insecense of each is not other tfor the golden Altar as God stated (Exodus 30:7): “On it Aaron shall burn aromatic incense: [he shall burn it every morning when he tends the lamps].”And on each day, they remove from it the remnants of the coals and the ashes as we have explained. And tehrefore, he intends to sprinkle the blood on the place where there is neither ashes nor goals, but only the body of the revealed Altar.

And it (i.e., the Mishnah) states: "ועל מזבח החיצון" – meaning to say that the blood that is placed on the outer Altar, their remnants are placed on the foundation of the southern one. And the subject of religious trespass will be explained completely in its place (see Tractate Meilah, Chapter 3, Mishnah 3 along with Maimonides’ commentary and the Laws of Religious Trespass/Meilah, Chapter 2, Halakha 11).

רבי שמעון ורבי אליעזר אומרים שאם הזה שלש הזאות או ארבע ונשפך הדם שישלים המנין על מה שיש לו מן ההזאות מדם אחר ואין הלכה כמותן:

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon state that if he made three or four sprinklings and the the blood is spilled, he completes the number on the sprinklings that were were aleady done from other blood. But the Halakha is not according to them.