The flute [is played] five or six [days]; this is the flute of the Beis HaSho’evah, which overrides neither Sabbath nor Festival.  They said, “Whoever did not see the rejoicing of the Beis HaSho’evah, never saw rejoicing in his lifetime.”

At the conclusion of the first festival day of Succos they descended to the Women’s Court, where they made a great improvement.  There were golden candelabra there with four golden bowls atop them, four ladders for each [candelabrum], and four youths from [among] the young priests holding pitchers of oil containing one hundred and twenty log, which they poured into each bowl.

From the worn-out trousers of the Kohanim and their belts they made wicks and they would kindle them.  There was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that was not illuminated by the light of the Beis HaSho’evah.

Devout men and men of [good] deeds would dance before them with flaming torches [that were] in their hands and would utter before them words of songs and praises; and the Leviim with harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets, and countless musical instruments [stood] on the fifteen steps that descend from the Court of the Yisraelim to the Women’s Court —- corresponding to the fifteen Songs of Ascent in Psalms. Upon them the Leviim would stand with musical instruments and chant songs. Two Kohanim stood at the Upper Gate that descends from the Court of the Yisraelim to the Women’s Court, with two trumpets in their hands. [When] the crier called out, they sounded a tekiah, a teruah, and a tekiah.  [When] they reached the tenth step, they sounded a tekiah, a teruah, and a tekiah. [When] they reached the Court, they sounded a tekiah, a teruah, and a tekiah. They would continue sounding tekiah until they reached the gate leading out [to the east]. [When] they reached the gate leading out to the east, they turned to the west and said, “Our forefathers who were in this place —- their backs [were] toward the Sanctuary and their faces toward the east, and they bowed eastward toward the sun. But as for us —- our eyes are toward YAH.”  R’ Yehudah says: They repeated and said, “We are for YAH and toward YAH are our eyes.”

They make no fewer than twenty-one trumpet blasts in the Temple, and no more than forty-eight.  Every day there were twenty-one trumpet blasts in the Temple: three for the opening of the gates; nine for the daily morning burnt-offering; and nine for the daily afternoon burnt-offering. With the mussaf-offerings they added another nine. And on the eve of the Sabbath they added another six: three to stop the people from work; and three to distinguish between the sacred and the secular.  On the eve of the Sabbath during Succos, there were forty-eight: three for the opening of the gates; three for the Upper Gate; three for the Lower Gate; three at the filling of the water; three on top of the Altar; nine for the daily morning burnt-offering; nine for the daily afternoon burnt-offering; and nine for the mussaf-offerings; three to stop the people from work; and three to distinguish between the sacred and the secular.

On the first festival day of Succos there were thirteen bullocks, two rams, and one he-goat; there remained fourteen yearling sheep for eight watches.  On the first day six [of the watches] offered up two each, and the rest [offered] one each. On the second [day] five offered up two each, and the rest one each. On the third [day] four offered up two each, and the rest one each. On the fourth [day] three offered up two each, and the rest one each. On the fifth [day] two offered up two each, and the rest one each. On the sixth [day] one offered up two, and the rest, one each. On the seventh [day] all were equal.  On the eighth [day] they reverted to [casting] lots as on the [other] festivals.  [The Sages] said, “Whoever offered up bullocks today should not offer them tomorrow”; but they took turns in rotation.

During three periods of the year all [twenty-four] watches were equal in the prescribed offerings of the festivals and in the division of the Panim Bread.  On Shavuos they would say to him, “Here is matzah for you; here is chametz for you!”  The watch whose time [of service] was fixed —- [only] it offers the daily burnt-offerings, vow-offerings, freewill-offerings, the remaining public offerings, and [this watch] offers everything.  If a festival fell near a Sabbath, either before it or after it, all the watches shared equally in the division of the Panim Bread.

If one day intervened between them, the watch whose time was fixed took ten loaves, and the one that stayed behind took two. But during the rest of the year, the incoming [watch] took six [loaves] and the outgoing [watch] took six. R’ Yehudah says: The incoming [watch] took seven and the outgoing [watch] took five.  The incoming [watch] divided [the bread] in the north and the outgoing [watch] in the south.  [The watch of] Bilgah always divided [the bread] in the south, its ring was permanently affixed, and its window was sealed.