ash

He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

And whence is this obtained? Because it is written (in the preceding passage): MN HShMIM, Men Ha-Shamayim, out of heaven. (But the word HShMIM, Ha-Shamayim, is equivalent to) ASh VMIM, Ash Ve-Mim, fire and water, Mercy and Judgment, in the antithesis of that (condition) wherein no Judgment is found at all.

And whence is this obtained? Because it is written (in the preceding passage): MN HShMIM, Men Ha-Shamayim, out of heaven. (But the word HShMIM, Ha-Shamayim, is equivalent to) ASh VMIM, Ash Ve-Mim, fire and water, Mercy and Judgment, in the antithesis of that (condition) wherein no Judgment is found at all.

And the sons of Ham—Ktsh (Nubia), and Mesrim (Egypt), and Pot, and Canaan, and all their children. And the sons of Shem—Tl4m (Elamites), and Ashér (Assyrians), and Arpakhshar (Persians?), and Lédh (Lud), and Aram (Arameans, Damascenes, and Harranites), and all their children. Now the children of Japhet clung to the borders of the east, from the Mountain of Nddh, which is on the confines of the east, to the Tigris and the confines of the north, and from Baktdrénés (Bactria?) as far as Gadhrién (Gadarea?). And the children of Shem held from Persia [in] the east as far as the sea of Tadhrasnkés in the west; unto them belongeth the middle of the earth, and they held sovereignty and dominion therein. The children of Shem occupy all the southern and a little of the western quarter.

As for the bullocks which were burnt and the goats which were burnt, their slaughtering is [done] at the north, and the reception of their blood is [done] at the north, and their blood requires sprinkling on the veil, and on the golden altar; [The omission of] a single one of these applications invalidates [the sacrifice]. He [the priest] pours the remainder of the blood on the western base of the altar; but if he did not pour it out, he did not invalidate [the sacrifice]. Both of these were burnt at the ash pit.

Bullocks which are burned and goats which are burned: when they are burned in fulfillment of their prescribed commandment, they are burned in the ash depository (bet hadeshen), and they defile garments. But when they are not burned in fulfillment of their commandment, they are burned in the bet habirah and they do not defile garments.

The one who had merited to clear the ashes, would get ready to clear the ashes. They said to him: “Be careful not to touch any vessel until you have washed your hands and feet from the laver. See, the fire-pan is in the corner between the ascent and the altar on the west of the ascent.” No one entered with him, nor did he carry any light. Rather, he walked by the light of the altar fire. No-one saw him or heard a sound from him until they heard the noise of the wooden wheel which Ben Katin made for hauling up the laver, when they said, “The time has come.” He washed his hands and feet from the laver, then took the silver fire-pan and went up to the top of the altar and cleared away the cinders on either side and scooped up the ashes in the centre. He then descended and when he reached the floor he turned his face to the north and went along the east side of the ascent for about ten cubits, and he then made a heap of the cinders on the pavement three handbreadths away from the ascent, in the place where they used to put the crop of the birds and the ashes from the inner altar and the ash from the menorah.

They then began to throw the ashes on to the heap (tapuah). This heap was in the middle of the altar, and sometimes there was as much as three hundred kor on it. On festivals they did not use to clear away the ash because it was reckoned an ornament to the altar. It never happened that the priest was neglectful in taking out the ashes.

He then arranged a large pile on the east side of the altar, with its open side on the east, while the inner ends of the [selected] logs touched the ash heap. Spaces were left between the logs in which they kindled the brushwood.

The superintendent then said to them: come and cast lots, to see who is to slaughter, and who is to sprinkle the blood, and who is to clear the ashes from the inner altar, and who is to clear the ash from the candlestick, and who is to lift the limbs on to the ascent: the head, the right leg, the two forelegs, the tailbone, the left leg, the breast and the neck and the two flanks, the entrails, the fine flour, the griddle cakes and the wine. They cast lots and whoever won, won.

The one who had been chosen for clearing the ashes from the inner altar went in carrying the teni which he set down in front of it, and he scooped up the ash in his fists and put it into it, and in the end he swept up what was left into it, and then he left it there and went out. The one who had been chosen to clear the ashes from the menorah went in. If he found the two eastern lights burning, he cleared the ash from the rest and left these two burning. If he found that these two had gone out, he cleared away their ash and kindled them from those which were still lit and then he cleared the ash from the rest. There was a stone in front of the candlestick with three steps on which the priest stood in order to trim the lights. He left the kuz on the second step and went out.

The one who had been chosen for clearing the ashes from the inner altar went in carrying the teni which he set down in front of it, and he scooped up the ash in his fists and put it into it, and in the end he swept up what was left into it, and then he left it there and went out. The one who had been chosen to clear the ashes from the menorah went in. If he found the two eastern lights burning, he cleared the ash from the rest and left these two burning. If he found that these two had gone out, he cleared away their ash and kindled them from those which were still lit and then he cleared the ash from the rest. There was a stone in front of the candlestick with three steps on which the priest stood in order to trim the lights. He left the kuz on the second step and went out.

The one who had been chosen for clearing the ashes from the inner altar went in carrying the teni which he set down in front of it, and he scooped up the ash in his fists and put it into it, and in the end he swept up what was left into it, and then he left it there and went out. The one who had been chosen to clear the ashes from the menorah went in. If he found the two eastern lights burning, he cleared the ash from the rest and left these two burning. If he found that these two had gone out, he cleared away their ash and kindled them from those which were still lit and then he cleared the ash from the rest. There was a stone in front of the candlestick with three steps on which the priest stood in order to trim the lights. He left the kuz on the second step and went out.

The one who had been chosen for clearing the ashes from the inner altar went in carrying the teni which he set down in front of it, and he scooped up the ash in his fists and put it into it, and in the end he swept up what was left into it, and then he left it there and went out. The one who had been chosen to clear the ashes from the menorah went in. If he found the two eastern lights burning, he cleared the ash from the rest and left these two burning. If he found that these two had gone out, he cleared away their ash and kindled them from those which were still lit and then he cleared the ash from the rest. There was a stone in front of the candlestick with three steps on which the priest stood in order to trim the lights. He left the kuz on the second step and went out.

They began to ascend the steps of the Sanctuary. Those who had won the right to clear the ashes from the inner altar and from the candlestick went in front. The one who won the right to clear the inner altar went in and took the teni and bowed down and went out again. The one who had been chosen to clear the candlestick went in, and if he found the two eastern lights still burning he cleared out the eastern one and left the western one burning, since from it he lit the candlestick for the evening. If he found that this one had gone out, he cleared the ash away and lit it from the altar of burnt-offering. He then took the kuz from the second step and bowed down and went out.

The doorway of the porch was forty cubits high and its breadth was twenty cubits. Over it were five main beams of ash [wood]. The lowest projected a cubit on each side beyond the doorway. The one above projected beyond this one a cubit on each side. Thus the topmost one was thirty cubits long. There was a layer of stones between each one and the next.

An ash-shovel whose spoon was missing is still susceptible to impurity, since it is still like a hammer, the words of Rabbi Meir. But the sages rule that it is clean. A saw whose teeth are missing one in every two is clean. But if a hasit length of consecutive teeth remained it is susceptible to impurity. An adze, scalpel, plane, or drill that was damaged remains susceptible to impurity, but if its steel edge was missing it is clean. In all these cases if it was split into two parts both remain susceptible to impurity, except for the drill. The block of a plane by itself is clean.

MISHNAH: Green melon and sweet melon are not kilaim one with the other. Rebbi Jehudah says, they are kilaim. Lettuce and garden lettuce, endives and field endives, leeks and field leeks, coriander and field coriander, mustard and Egyptian mustard, Egyptian pumpkin and ash-gourd, Egyptian beans and carob beans are not kilaim one with the other.

“Egyptian gourd.” Our Mishnah does not follow Rebbi Neḥemiah. In the name of Rebbi Neḥemiah: Aramean gourd is Egyptian gourd; it is kilaim with Greek gourd, kilaim with ash-gourd.

“Ash gourd.” Rebbi Ḥinenah said, it is a kind of bitter gourd and they sweeten it in hot ashes.

MISHNAH: Radish and naphew, mustard and hoar-hound; Greek gourd with the Egyptian and ash ones, even though they look similar, are kilaim one with the other.

It was stated: “Five things were said about Greek gourd: One may not allow it to cover grains, it brings impurity and stops impurity, its stalk is one hand-breadth, the tiniest amount of it makes forbidden, and to him who makes a vow not to use pumpkins, only Greek gourd is forbidden.” Rebbi Jonah asked, why do we not count “it brings impurity and stops impurity” as two? Bar Qappara stated seven: “One may not allow it to cover grains, it brings impurity, it stops impurity, its stalk is one hand-breadth, one gives it its working space, it is kilaim with Aramean [pumpkin], and kilaim with ash pumpkin.” He did not state that it makes forbidden or anything about making a vow.

It was stated: “Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says, a sign for mountains are ash trees, for valleys dates, for brooks reeds, for the lowland sycamores. Even if it is no proof, there is a sign (1K. 10:27, 2Chr. 1:19, 9:27)): ‘Cedars he [Solomon] gave as many as sycamores in the lowland.’ ” Some people want to say it was said as a legal term, others say it refers to the calf whose neck is to be broken.

MISHNAH: One who makes a vow to abstain from cooked food is permitted roasted and scalded food. If one said, a qônām that I will not taste a cooked dish, he is forbidden fine dishes and permitted thick ones. Also he is permitted a soft boiled egg and ash-gourd.

“He is permitted a soft boiled egg,” a soft one’. “And ash-gourd,” Rebbi Ḥinenah said, it is a kind of bitter gourd and they sweeten it in hot ashes.

Rab Judah said : If one is uncertain whether excrement is present, it is forbidden [to read the Shema']. If one is uncertain whether urine is present, it is permitted. Another version is : Rab Judah said : If one is uncertain whether excrement is in the room, it is permitted [to read it], but by an ash-heap it is forbidden. If one is uncertain whether urine is present, even by an ash-heap it is permitted.

Rab Judah said : If one is uncertain whether excrement is present, it is forbidden [to read the Shema']. If one is uncertain whether urine is present, it is permitted. Another version is : Rab Judah said : If one is uncertain whether excrement is in the room, it is permitted [to read it], but by an ash-heap it is forbidden. If one is uncertain whether urine is present, even by an ash-heap it is permitted.

What means 'Ash [the Bear]? Rab Judah said : Juta. What is Juta? Some say : The tail of a ram ; others say : The head of a calf. But the more probable view is that of him who said, "The tail of a ram" ; for it is written, "And the 'Ajish will be comforted for her children" (ibid. 5:32). Hence it seems as if something is lacking [in the tail]