Dear chevra, welcome back to our pre-Pesach Mishnayos learning series where we are learning Mishnayos related to the period leading up to the Yom Tov of Pesach. So we are now finishing the series on Mishnayos related to Rosh Chodesh Nissan. We are on the fourth of four Mishnayos that talk about or reference Rosh Chodesh Nissan. This Mishna tonight is found in Maseches Taanis, Perek Daled, Mishna Heh. This Mishna comes in middle of a discussion regarding how they operated in the Beis HaMikdash. It says that in addition to the Kohanim and Leviyim that would work in the Beis HaMikdash, the rest of Klal Yisrael, the Yisraelim, would also send representatives both either to the Beis HaMikdash or in the towns and villages where they would have special tfillos and daven alongside the bringing of the Korbanos, the Korban Tamid, the Korban Mussaf that may have been brought that day as well. And these were called maamados. These were the people who stood in stood there watching over the Korbanos so that the rest of Klal Yisrael, not just the Kohanim and Leviyim, could be seen as participating in the process in the Beis HaMikdash. It could very well be that the maamados were one of the earliest forms of communal prayer that we see in the Mishna itself. So in the prior Mishna, before which is Mishna Daled, the Mishna's discussing whether or not the when the maamados themselves participate. So if there's Hallel on a particular day, there'd be no maamad in the morning and so on and so forth. So one of the periods of time that there might not be a maamad was when on a certain days on which a what's called a Korban Eitzim was brought. So let's explain what a Korban Eitzim is. So back in the time of the beginning, beginning of the Second Beis HaMikdash, there's a the psukim in Navi of Ezra Nechemia discusses that when the Jews returned and started building the Beis HaMikdash, there was a lack of wood to be used on the Mizbeach. And so a call was put out by them to ask the population to if anybody would like to donate wood to help run the Beis HaMikdash, to run the Mizbeach. And a number of families volunteered. They stood they raised their hands and they said we will, we will, and they volunteered. And once those families established the days on which they would bring their the wood, not only that became the known as the days of Korban Eitzim. It was as if they were bringing a Korban, and according to some, they actually brought along with the wood they would bring an animal, a Korban. But once they volunteered, those days became known for those families, and those particular families would celebrate it was like a mini Yom Tov for those families year after year after year. And those were the days they would continue to donate the wood to the Beis HaMikdash, and even if the Beis HaMikdash had plenty of wood at that point, if those families brought the wood, the wood would be used on the Mizbeach in recognition and deference to the fact that when the Beis HaMikdash needed them, they stepped up and volunteered. So you never know when you volunteer and you step up, it has an impact long, long after you think that it will. So let us learn the Mishna together. Maseches Taanis, Perek Daled, Mishna Heh. זמן עצי הכהנים והעם תשעה. This is what the pasuk calls it. These are the times of the bringing of the of the wood of the Kohanim and the nation, tisha. There are nine days throughout the year through which they they bring the eitzim to the Beis HaMikdash. The first one, and that is why it is appropriate for our series, באחד בניסן בני ארח בן יהודה, the first day of Nissan, Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the family בני ארח בן יהודה would bring the Korban Eitzim. בעשרים בתמוז בני דוד בן יהודה would bring the Korban Eitzim. Then we have a few in Chodesh Av. בחמשה באב בני פרעוש בן יהודה would bring the eitzim. Number four, בשבעה בו בני יונדב בן רכב would bring the Korban Eitzim. The fifth of the nine days is בעשרה בו בני סנאה בן בנימן would bring the Korban Eitzim. And some the Meforshim and some understand that it was actually on the ninth of Av that they brought it, or at least at some point they brought it during the ninth of Av, maybe when they did not celebrate it as a fast day, but then later on they moved it to the tenth. Finally be-chamisha asar bo. Number six is the 15th day of Av, Tu B'Av, which we also now celebrate as a Yom Tov. בני זתו בן יהודה. So that would be an interesting day because there the family of בני זתו בן יהודה would bring the Korban Eitzim. ve-imahem kohanim ve-leviyim. And along with them would be Kohanim and Leviyim, also other Kohanim and Leviyim. It was kind of like a general day. וכל מי שטעה בשבטו. And anybody else who didn't know what shevet they belonged to, they would also bring on that day. I guess it was kind of a celebration. Remember the Mishnah at the end of Taanit tells us that Tu B'Av was the day when the boys and girls would go out and meet each other to get married. So, it makes sense that if you didn't know what shevet you were from, you were kind of trying to get into the community a little bit, so you would bring your korban atzim. And then the Mishnah has two very interesting names: u-bnei Gonvei Eli, the children of Gonvei Eli, and bnei Kotzei Ketziot, and the children of Kotzei Ketziot. And so the meforshim explain that what these are referencing to was a very interesting story. There was a period of time during the second Beis HaMikdash when the governor wanted to block people from doing mitzvot, including the bringing of bikurim and they would put guards on the roads to Yerushalayim to prevent people from bringing the first fruits of their trees to the Beis HaMikdash. And these people were very determined to bring the bikurim to the Beis HaMikdash, and so what they did is they tricked the guards. What they did was they put dried figs, cut-up figs on top of their baskets to make it look like they were not bringing fresh fruit, and they tricked the watchmen into letting them pass, and then they made their way to Yerushalayim and to the Beis HaMikdash. So they were Gonvei Eli and Kotzei Ketziot, which is references to the way they tricked the watchmen by putting branches and also cut figs on top of the fresh fruit. So that's the first six. Number seven is be-esrim bo, on the twentieth of Menachem Av, again, בני פחת מואב בן יהודה, they got to bring the korban atzim. Be-esrim be-Elul, number eight is the twentieth day of Elul, בני עדין בן יהודה, the family of Adin ben Yehuda would bring the korban atzim. And finally the ninth is be-echad be-Teves, the first Rosh Chodesh of Teves, שבו בני פרעוש שניה, that the family of Parosh ben Yehuda which was number three would come and provide it again. I guess they were very determined to donate to the Beis HaMikdash, so they got to bring it twice. But once we mentioned Rosh Chodesh Teves, we have another rule about Rosh Chodesh Teves, the Mishnah concludes: באחד בטבת לא היה בו מעמד, there was no maamad, there was none of this, the yisraelim did not stand watch over the korbanot at all. Why? Shehayah bo hallel, because first of all there was Hallel, A, because it was not just Rosh Chodesh, because Rosh Chodesh actually saying Hallel on Rosh Chodesh is a later takanah, but it was Chanukah, so you had Hallel. Ve-korban musaf, you had a korban musaf because it was Rosh Chodesh. Ve-korban atzim, and because like we said it was a day of bringing a korban atzim, that meant the maamad had no time to stand watch because they were busy celebrating the korban, all three of these celebrations. And once again, by the way, this is our second Mishnah referencing Chanukah in a row, because here again, even though it doesn't mention Chanukah, but when it says Hallel on that day, it's a reference to Chanukah. And with that we conclude our series of mishnayos related to Rosh Chodesh Nissan, and I thank you for joining and continue learning.