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שְׁלשָׁה תַּרְחִישִׁים: Three Scenarios — Three Sets of Times
The Tamid must be offered before the Korban Pesach, which must be offered before Shabbos. Each constraint shifts the schedule one hour earlier
Afternoon Schedule — Halachic Hours (counting from sunrise)
Scenario 1 — Regular Day
Tamid Slaughtered
שְׁמֹנֶה וּמֶחֱצָה
8½ hours · 2:30pm approx.
Tamid Offered
תֵּשַׁע וּמֶחֱצָה
9½ hours · 3:30pm approx.
Korban Pesach
—
No Pesach this day
Scenario 2: Erev Pesach (weekday or Shabbos)
Scenario 2 — Erev Pesach (weekday or Shabbos)
Tamid Slaughtered
שֶׁבַע וּמֶחֱצָה
7½ hours · 1:30pm approx.
Tamid Offered
שְׁמֹנֶה וּמֶחֱצָה
8½ hours · 2:30pm approx.
Korban Pesach — After
אַחַר כָּךְ
After 8½ hours
The Tamid is moved one hour earlier to make room for the Korban Pesach. This applies whether Erev Pesach falls on a weekday or on Shabbos — the Korban Pesach overrides Shabbos and the schedule adjusts accordingly.
Scenario 3: Erev Pesach on Erev Shabbos
Scenario 3 — Erev Pesach Falls on Erev Shabbos (Friday)
Tamid Slaughtered
שֵׁשׁ וּמֶחֱצָה
6½ hours · 12:30pm approx.
Tamid Offered
שֶׁבַע וּמֶחֱצָה
7½ hours · 1:30pm approx.
Korban Pesach — After
וְהַפֶּסַח אַחֲרָיו
After 7½ hours — must finish before Shabbos
When Erev Pesach falls on Friday, the Korban Pesach must be slaughtered and lowered into the roasting pit before Shabbos begins — as the mishnah in Shabbos 1:11 records. The entire schedule is pushed another hour earlier. Two deadlines converge: the Pesach must follow the Tamid, and the lamb must be in the oven before Shabbos.
Pesachim 5:1 is a mishnah of cascading constraints. The Korban Pesach must follow the Tamid — so the Tamid moves earlier. When Shabbos is also approaching, everything moves earlier still. The three scenarios trace a single principle applied twice: each new obligation that must follow the Tamid forces the Tamid itself to be brought sooner. The schedule of the afternoon service on Erev Pesach is not arbitrary — it is engineered precisely to honor each obligation in sequence, with no overlap and no violation.