The Kohanim would stand guard in three places in the Holy Temple: in the Chamber of Avtinas, and in the Chamber of the Ray, and in the Hall of the Fire. And the Leviim [would stand guard] in twenty-one places: five [Leviim] at the five gateways of the Temple Mount; four [Leviim] at the four corners of [the Temple Mount walls], on its inside; five [Leviim] at [the] five gateways of the Temple Courtyard; four [Leviim] at its four corners, on the outside; and one [Levi] in the Chamber of the Offering; and one [Levi] in the Chamber of the Curtain; and one [Levi] behind the Chamber of the Ark-cover.

The Officer of the Temple Mount would make the rounds to each and every guard, and torches were lit before him. And any guard who did not stand, the Officer of the Temple Mount would say to him, “Peace unto you!” [If] it was apparent that he was sleeping, [the Officer] would strike him with his staff, and he also had permission to burn his garment. And they would say, “What is that noise in the Courtyard? [It must be] the sound of a Levi being beaten and his clothing being burned, because he fell asleep on his watch.” R’ Eliezer ben Yaakov says: One time they found my mother’s brother sleeping [on his watch] and they burned his garment.

The Temple Mount had five gateways: the two Chuldah Gates in the south were used for enter-ing and exiting; Kiponos in the west was used for entering and exiting; Tadi in the north was not used for any purpose; the Eastern Gate, upon it was depicted a likeness of Shushan, the capital city [of Persia], that through it, the Kohen Gadol who was to burn the parah [adumah], and the parah [itself] and all the others assisting [the parah] would exit to the Mount of Olives.

There were seven gateways in the Courtyard: three in the north, and three in the south, and one in the east. In the south was the Kindling Gate; second to it was the Gate of the Firstborns; third to it was the Water Gate. In the east [was] the Ni-kanor Gate, and [this gate] had two chambers: one to its right and one to its left. One was the Chamber of Pinchas the Clothier, and one was the Chamber of the Makers of the Chavitin.

And [those gateways] in the north: the Gate of the Ray; and [this gateway] was like a pavilion, and a loft was built on top of it, so that the Kohanim would stand guard above and the Leviim below. And it had an opening to the Cheil. Second to it was the Gate of the Offering; third to it was the Hall of the Fire.

And there were four chambers in the Hall of the Fire, like suites that open into a ballroom. Two [chambers] were located in the consecrated portion [of the Hall of the Fire] and two were located in the unconsecrated portion. And the ends of beams separated between [the] consecrated [area] and [the] unconsecrated [area].  And what purpose did [these chambers] serve? [The] southwestern [chamber], it was the Chamber of Sacrificial Lambs; [the] southeastern [chamber], it was the chamber of the makers of the Panim Bread; [the] northeastern [chamber], in it the sons of the Hasmoneans concealed the stones of the Altar that the Greek kings had defiled; [the] northwestern [chamber], through it [the Kohanim] would descend to the immersion room.

When the Kohen Gadol wishes to burn [the limbs of the tamid], he would ascend the ramp and the Deputy was to his right. [When the Kohen Gadol] reached the midpoint of the ramp, the Deputy took hold of his right [arm] and helped him ascend. The first [Kohen] handed to [the Kohen Gadol] the head and the leg, and [the Kohen Gadol] leaned on them and [then] threw them. The second [Kohen] handed the two forelegs to the first [Kohen], [the first Kohen] gives them to the Kohen Gadol, and [the Kohen Gadol] leaned on them and threw them; the second [Kohen] slipped away and departed. And in this manner they would hand to [the Kohen Gadol] all the remaining limbs, and he would lean on them and throw them. And when [the Kohen Gadol] wishes, he leans and others throw.  [The Kohen Gadol] comes to circle the Altar; from where does he begin? From the southeast corner, [then to the] northeast, [to the] northwest, [and to the] southwest.  They gave [the Kohen Gadol] wine to offer; the Deputy would be standing on the horn with the flags in his hand, and two Kohanim would stand on the Table of the Fats with two trumpets of silver in their hands. They sounded a tekiah-teruah-tekiah. They came and stood next to Ben Arza, one to his right and one to his left. [The Kohen Gadol] bent down to pour [the wine] and the Deputy waved the flags, and Ben Arza sounded the cymbals, and the Leviim chanted the song. [When] they arrived at the end of a stanza they sounded a tekiah, and the people prostrated themselves. At every stanza [a] tekiah, and at every tekiah [a] prostration.  This is the order of the tamid for the service of the House of our Lord. May it be [His] Will that it be rebuilt speedily in our days, Amen.

The song that the Leviim would recite in the Temple: On the first day they would say: Hashem’s is the earth and its fullness, the inhabited land and those who dwell within it. On the second [day] they would say: Great is Hashem and much praised, in the city of our God, Mount of His Holiness.” On the third [day] they would say: “God stands in the Divine assembly, in the midst of judges shall He judge.” On the fourth [day] they would say: “O God of vengeance, Hashem, O God of vengeance, appear, etc. On the fifth [day] they would say: Sing joyously to the God of our might, call out to the God of Jacob.” On the sixth [day] they would say: “Hashem will have reigned, He will have donned His grandeur, etc.” On the Sabbath they would say: “A song, a hymn for the Sabbath day.” A song, a hymn for the future era, for a day that is entirely a Sabbath, [a day of] rest [leading] to everlasting life.