Today we will complete Maseches Sukkah with the final mishnah, and immediately afterward we will begin the first mishnah of Maseches Beitzah. In the previous section we learned the halachah for when Yom Tov falls adjacent to Shabbos - either ending on Friday or beginning on Sunday - and how the lechem hapanim is divided among all the watches. Our mishnah deals with a case in which Yom Tov ended on Thursday or began on Monday, so that one free day remains in between, allowing the kohanim to return home and rest there before Yom Tov begins.
When one day separates between Yom Tov and Shabbos:
"Chal yom echad l'hafsik beintayim" - when there was one day separating between Shabbos and Yom Tov, "mishmar shezmano kavua hayah notel eser challos" - the watch whose turn it was takes ten of the twelve loaves of the lechem hapanim, "v'hamis'akev notel shtayim" - and the kohanim of the other watches who happened to be in the Mikdash, whether they came a bit early before Yom Tov or lingered a bit afterward, divide the remaining two loaves among themselves.
All of these cases - Yom Tov that falls on Shabbos, Yom Tov adjacent to Shabbos, or Yom Tov with one day separating it from Shabbos - are only the exceptions. But what is the rule itself? How is the lechem hapanim divided on an ordinary Shabbos?
The division of the lechem hapanim during the rest of the year:
"Uvish'ar yemos hashanah hanichnas notel shesh v'hayotzei notel shesh" - on all the other Shabbosos of the year the division is equal: the watch entering for service the coming week takes six loaves, and the departing watch takes six loaves.
"Rabbi Yehudah omer: hanichnas notel sheva v'hayotzei notel chamesh" - according to Rabbi Yehudah the division is not equal: the incoming watch takes seven loaves, and the departing watch takes five.
The place of the division in the Azarah:
Each watch would divide its portion among its kohanim, and this division was done in a specific place:
"Hanichnasin cholkin batzafon" - the incoming watch divides its bread on the northern side of the Azarah, which is the more distinguished side, to show that they have just arrived and are ready to begin their service.
"V'hayotz'in badarom" - the departing watch, which is already about to leave, divides its bread on the southern side of the Azarah.
The punishment of the watch of Bilgah:
One watch was punished and lost several privileges, among them the right to divide the lechem hapanim in the more distinguished part of the Azarah even when it was the incoming watch:
"Bilgah l'olam choleket badarom" - the watch of Bilgah always divided its loaves of lechem hapanim on the southern side of the Azarah, even when it was the incoming watch and not the departing one.
"V'tabata kevu'ah" - the ring that was used to hold the animal in place during the slaughter, thereby making the work of slaughtering easier, was fastened down to the ground and could not be used, and the kohanim were forced to borrow a ring from another watch.
"V'chalonah setumah" - the compartment in which they stored their knives was blocked up and sealed, and they were forced to use the compartment of another watch.
The reason for the punishment is explained in the story the Gemara brings: one of the daughters of the watch of Bilgah rebelled against the Jewish people and against the service of the Beis HaMikdash, and when the Greeks broke into the Sanctuary she went up and struck the altar with her sandal, calling out: "Wolf, wolf, you are consuming the money of Israel!" For this act the entire watch was punished, for they said: from where did she pick up such language? Where did she learn to speak this way? Surely it was something she heard at home, and what children say - out of the mouths of babes - comes from the mouth of their father and mother.
Summary: In the final mishnah of Maseches Sukkah we learned the division of the lechem hapanim in a case where a single day of interruption falls out (ten loaves for the watch whose time is fixed and two for the one that is delayed), the rule for the rest of the year (six and six, and according to Rabbi Yehudah seven for the incoming watch and five for the outgoing one), the place of the division in the Courtyard - the incoming watch in the north and the outgoing watch in the south, and the three punishments of the watch of Bilgah and the reason for them.
In the next section we will begin with the first mishnah of Maseches Beitzah.