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!”

Why was this necessary? Because one time the moon's light rose and they thought that the east had lit up, so they slaughtered the daily sacrifice, and then [had to] take it out to the place of burning.  They took the Kohen Gadol down to the mikveh.  This was the rule in the Temple: Whoever moved his bowels needed immersion, and whoever urinated needed to wash his hands and his feet.

No person may enter the Temple Courtyard for service, even if he is tahor, until he immerses himself [in a mikveh].  On this day, the Kohen Gadol immerses himself five times and washes [his hands and feet] ten times, all of them in the Holy atop the Parvah Chamber, except for this one only.

They spread a linen sheet between him and the people. He undressed, descended, immersed himself, ascended, and dried himself. They brought him golden vestments, and he donned them; then he washed his hands and feet. They brought him the daily offering. He made the incision and another completed the slaughter for him. He received the blood [in a vessel] and threw it.  He entered [the Temple] to burn the morning incense, and to prepare the lamps [of the Menorah]. He offered the head and the limbs, the chavitin meal offering and the wine.

The morning incense was offered [every day] between the [throwing of the] blood and the [offering of the] limbs [of the daily offering]; that of the afternoon, between the [offering of the] limbs and the nesachim.  If the Kohen Gadol was old or delicate, they warmed water for him and poured it into the cold water so that it should lose its chill.

They brought him to the Parvah Chamber, which was in the holy area. They spread a linen sheet between him and the people. He washed his hands and feet, and [then] undressed. R' Meir said: [First] he undressed, [then] he washed his hands and feet.  He went down and immersed himself, ascended and dried himself. They brought him white vest- ments, he dressed and [then] washed his hands and feet.

In the morning he put on Pelusian [linen] worth twelve maneh, and in the afternoon, Indian [linen] worth eight hundred zuz; these are the words of Rabbi Meir.  But the Sages say: In the morning he donned [linen] worth eighteen maneh, and in the afternoon, [linen] worth twelve maneh, all worth together thirty maneh.  These [amounts] came from the public [treasury]; but if he wishes to add [to these amounts], he may do so from his own.

He [then] comes to his ox, and his ox was standing between the Antechamber and the Altar, its head to the south and its face to the west.  The Kohen [Gadol] stands to the east [of the ox] facing west, and he supports both his hands upon it, and he confesses.  He would say the following: “I beg of You, HASHEM, I have acted wickedly, rebelled, and sinned before You, I and my household. I beg of You, HASHEM, forgive now the wicked acts, rebellions and sins, for I have acted wickedly, rebelled, and sinned before You, I and my house- hold, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: For on this day he will atone for you . . .”  And they answer after him: “Blessed is the Name —- the glory of His Kingship —- forever and ever.”

He [then] comes to the eastern part of the Courtyard, north of the Altar, the Dep- uty Kohen Gadol to his right and the head of the family to his left.  Two he-goats were there, and a lottery box was there in which were two lots. They [formerly] had been of boxwood, but Ben Gamla made them of gold, and they used to laud him.

Ben Katin made twelve spouts for the laver, for it [formerly] had only two; he also made a machine for the laver so that its wa-ter should not become unfit by remaining overnight.  King Monbaz made all the handles of the utensils [used] for Yom Kip-pur of gold.  Helene, his mother, placed a golden candelabrum over the entrance to the Holy; she also made a golden tab-let, upon which the section [of the Torah] of the suspected adulteress was written.  Nikanor —- miracles happened to his doors, and they used to laud him.

And these for censure:  Those of the Garmu family did not want to teach [outsiders] about making the Panim Bread.  Those of the Avtinas family did not wish to teach about making the incense.  Hugros, a Levi, knew a special musical method but did not want to teach [it].  Ben Kamtzar did not want to teach the method of writing.  About the first ones it is said: The mention of a righteous man is for a blessing. And about the others it is said: And the name of the wicked will rot.