Seven days before Yom Kippur they sequester the Kohen Gadol from his house to the officials' chamber, and they prepare an-other Kohen [to serve] as his substitute, lest he become disqualified.  R' Yehudah says: They also prepare another wife for him, lest his wife die, for it is said: And he shall make atonement for himself and for his house; “his house” —- that is his wife.  They said to him: If so, there is no end to the matter.

On all of these seven days he throws the blood, burns the incense, prepares the lamps, and offers the head and the hind leg. On all the other days [of the year], if he wishes to offer [any sacrifice], he may offer [it]. For the Kohen Gadol has the first right to offer and the first right to take a portion.

They provide him sages from among the sages of the court who read to him about the service of the day. Then they say to him, “My lord Kohen Gadol, read with your own mouth, perhaps you have forgotten or perhaps you have not learned.”  On the morning of the Eve of Yom Kippur they stand him at the Eastern Gate and they lead before him oxen, rams, and sheep, that he should recognize [them] and be conversant in the service.

During the entire seven-day period, they did not withhold food and drink from him. But on the Eve of Yom Kippur toward nightfall they did not let him eat much, because food induces sleep.

The sages of the court put him in the custody of the sages of the priesthood, who took him up to the Avtinas family's upper chamber, adjured him, took their leave [of him] and went their way.  They said to him, “My lord Kohen Gadol, we are emissaries of the court and you are our emissary and the emissary of the court; we adjure you by Him Who domiciled His Name in this House, that you will not change anything of all that we have told you.”  He would turn aside and weep, and they would turn aside and weep.

If he was a scholar he lectured; but if not, scholars would lecture before him. If he was accustomed to read [Scripture], he would read; but if not, they would read to him.  And from what did they read to him? From Job, from Ezra, and from Chronicles.  Zechariah ben Kevutal says: Many times I read before him from Daniel.

If he wished to doze, young men of the priesthood snapped before him with the index finger, and they said to him, “My lord Kohen Gadol, stand up and cool off once on the floor!”  And they kept him busy until the time for slaughtering [the daily offering] arrived.

Every day they removed [ashes] from the Altar at the call of the crier or thereabout, either before it or after it. On Yom Kippur [it was done] from midnight, and on the [three] festivals from the first watch. And yet before the call of the crier the Courtyard was already filled with Jews.

At first, whoever wanted to remove [the ashes] from the Altar, did so. In case there were many, they ran and ascended the ramp, and whoever preceded his colleague into the four cubits, won.  If two of them were even, the administrator would say to them, “Put out a finger.” What did they put out? One or two [fingers], but they did not put out a thumb in the Temple.

It once happened that two were even as they ran and ascended the ramp, and one of them pushed his colleague; he fell and his leg was broken. Once the Court realized that there was a danger, they instituted that they not remove [the ashes] from the Altar, except by lot.  There were four lots there; this is the first lot.

The second lot was [to determine] who slaughters; who throws [the blood]; who clears the ashes from the Inner Altar; who clears the ashes from the Menorah; and who brings the limbs [of the daily burnt offering] to the ramp —- the head and the hind leg, the two forelegs, the tail and the hind leg, the breast and the neck, the two sides, and the intestines —- the fine flour, the chavitin meal offering, and the wine. Thirteen Kohanim won it.  Ben Azzai, in Rabbi Akiva's presence, quoted Rabbi Yehoshua: It was offered in the same way as it walked.

The third lot —- “Those new to the incense, come and draw lots!”  And the fourth [lot was for] new and old; [to determine] who takes the limbs up from the ramp to the Altar.

The daily sacrifice was offered with nine [Kohanim, or] with ten, [or] with eleven, [or] with twelve, no less and no more. How so? [The sacrifice] itself —- with nine. On Succos one held a flask of water in his hand; thus we have ten. In the afternoon —- with eleven: [the sacrifice] itself with nine, plus two who held two logs in their hands.  On the Sabbath —- with eleven: [the sacri- fice] itself with nine, plus two who held [the] two spoons of frankincense of the Panim Bread in their hands. On the Sab-bath during Succos —- one held a flask of water in his hand.

A ram was offered with eleven: the meat with five; the intestines, the fine flour, and the wine —- with two each.

An ox was offered with twenty-four: the head and the hind leg —- the head with one, and the hind leg with two; the tail and the hind leg —- the tail with two, and the hind leg with two; the breast and the neck —- the breast with one, and the neck with three; [the] two forelegs with two; [the] two sides with two; the intestines, the fine flour, and the wine —- with three each.  In which cases do the above apply? For communal sacrifices; but for personal sacrifices, if he wanted to offer, he may do so.  The flaying and dissection of these and of those are the same.

The administrator said to them, “Go out and see if the time for slaughtering has arrived.” If it had arrived, the one who sees [it] says, “Barkai!”  Mattisya ben Shmuel says: “The whole of the east has lit up.”  “As far as Hebron?”  And he says, “Yes!”