Sukkah Chapter 5, Mishnah 4: The Simchat Beit HaShoevah Celebration

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Before us is Mishnah 4 of the fifth chapter of Maseches Sukkah. This is a relatively long Mishnah, describing in great detail what took place during the Simchas Beis HaSho'evah.

The dancing, the singing and the music:

"Chassidim v'anshei maaseh hayu merakdim lifneihem b'avukos shel eish b'yedeihen" - those men who were meticulous in the performance of mitzvos and who did many good deeds would dance before the people and juggle with torches of fire.
"V'omrim lifneihem divrei shirah v'sishbachos" - songs and praises to the Holy One, blessed is He.
"V'haleviim b'chinoros u'nevalim u'metziltayim va'chatzotzros u'chlei shir b'lo mispar" - the Leviim played on stringed instruments, on wind instruments, on cymbals and trumpets, and on musical instruments beyond number.

The fifteen steps:

"Al chamesh esreh maalos hayordos me'ezras Yisrael l'ezras nashim" - fifteen steps that descended from the courtyard, from the Ezras Yisrael, down to the Ezras Nashim.
"K'neged chamishah asar shir hamaalos she'b'Tehillim" - these steps corresponded to the fifteen chapters called 'Shir HaMaalos' in Tehillim.
"She'aleihen Leviim omdim bichlei shir v'omrim shirah" - during the Simchas Beis HaSho'evah the Leviim stood on those steps with their musical instruments in hand and sang.

Toward the drawing of the water:

From here on the Mishnah describes what took place at the end of the night, as morning approached, at the time of preparation for the drawing of the water: "V'amdu shnei kohanim ba'shaar ha'elyon she'yored me'ezras Yisrael l'ezras nashim u'shtei chatzotzros b'yedeihen" - two kohanim stood at the upper gate leading to the courtyard, that same gate which descended from the passage between the Ezras Yisrael and the Ezras Nashim, with two trumpets in their hands.

"Kara hagever" - there are two ways of explaining this expression:

The crowing of the rooster, that is, with the appearance of the first light of dawn.
A man who was appointed in the Beis HaMikdash to announce this time to the kohanim, so that they could begin their service.

Either way, at that moment "taku v'heriu v'saku" - a tekiah, a teruah and a tekiah.

The order of the blasts as they descended:

"Higiu l'maalah asiris taku v'heriu v'saku" - when they reached the tenth step they again sounded a tekiah, a teruah and a tekiah.
"Higiu la'azarah taku v'heriu v'saku" - when they reached the Ezras Nashim, the floor level, they again sounded a tekiah, a teruah and a tekiah.
"Hayu tokim v'holchim ad she'magiim la'shaar hayotzei l'mizrach" - the final blast they continued to sound as they walked, until they reached the gate that opens to the east, through which they left the Ezras Nashim.

Turning to the west:

"Higiu la'shaar hayotzei l'mizrach, hafchu p'neihem l'maarav" - when they reached that gate they would turn their faces to the west, toward the Heichal and toward the holy place. What they said at that moment was directed against a repulsive act that had occurred in the days of their ancestors, in the first Beis HaMikdash, when the people sinned and turned their faces away from the Mikdash, and even exposed themselves and relieved themselves in its direction. With their words they sought to distinguish themselves from that generation.

"V'amru: Avoseinu she'hayu ba'makom hazeh, achoreihem el heichal Hashem u'p'neihem keidmah, v'heimah mishtachavim keidmah la'shamesh, va'anu l'Yah eineinu" - our ancestors who stood in this place had their backs to the Heichal of Hashem, to the Sanctuary of Hashem, and their faces to the east, and they bowed eastward to the sun in idolatry; but as for us - our eyes are to Hashem, and that is the direction in which we turn.

The wording according to Rabbi Yehudah:

"Rabbi Yehudah omer: Hayu shonin v'omrin: Anu l'Yah u'l'Yah eineinu" - we belong to Hashem, and our eyes are to Hashem; this is the direction in which we look. The Gemara explains the meaning of these words: "Anu l'cha mishtachavim v'eineinu l'cha meyachalos" - we bow to Hashem, and our eyes are lifted forward and our hope is in Hashem.

In summary: in this Mishnah we learned the order of the Simchas Beis HaSho'evah: the dancing of the chassidim and men of good deeds with torches of fire, the recitation of songs and praises, and the playing of the Leviim on countless musical instruments upon the fifteen steps that corresponded to the fifteen chapters of 'Shir HaMaalos'. We also learned the order of the trumpet blasts at the call of the rooster - at the upper gate, at the tenth step and in the courtyard, and in a continuous blast until the gate that opens to the east - and the turning to the west along with the declaration that distinguishes between the deeds of earlier generations and our own service: "Va'anu l'Yah eineinu".

Original maamar

אות סוכה ה:ד

חֲסִידִים וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה הָיוּ מְרַקְּדִים לִפְנֵיהֶם בַּאֲבוּקוֹת שֶׁל אוֹר שֶׁבִּידֵיהֶן, וְאוֹמְרִים לִפְנֵיהֶן דִּבְרֵי שִׁירוֹת וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת. וְהַלְוִיִּם בְּכִנּוֹרוֹת וּבִנְבָלִים וּבִמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבַחֲצוֹצְרוֹת וּבִכְלֵי שִׁיר בְּלֹא מִסְפָּר, עַל חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מַעֲלוֹת הַיּוֹרְדוֹת מֵעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, כְּנֶגֶד חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת שֶׁבַּתְּהִלִּים, שֶׁעֲלֵיהֶן לְוִיִּים עוֹמְדִין בִּכְלֵי שִׁיר וְאוֹמְרִים שִׁירָה. וְעָמְדוּ שְׁנֵי כֹהֲנִים בַּשַּׁעַר הָעֶלְיוֹן שֶׁיּוֹרֵד מֵעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעֶזְרַת נָשִׁים, וּשְׁתֵּי חֲצוֹצְרוֹת בִּידֵיהֶן. קָרָא הַגֶּבֶר, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הִגִּיעוּ לְמַעְלָה עֲשִׂירִית, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הִגִּיעוּ לָעֲזָרָה, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקָעוּ. הָיוּ תוֹקְעִין וְהוֹלְכִין, עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעִין לַשַּׁעַר הַיּוֹצֵא מִזְרָח. הִגִּיעוּ לַשַּׁעַר הַיּוֹצֵא מִמִּזְרָח, הָפְכוּ פְנֵיהֶן לַמַּעֲרָב, וְאָמְרוּ, אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהָיוּ בַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֲחוֹרֵיהֶם אֶל הֵיכַל ה' וּפְנֵיהֶם קֵדְמָה, וְהֵמָּה מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים קֵדְמָה לַשָּׁמֶשׁ, וְאָנוּ לְיָהּ עֵינֵינוּ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הָיוּ שׁוֹנִין וְאוֹמְרִין, אָנוּ לְיָהּ, וּלְיָהּ עֵינֵינוּ: The pious and the men of action would dance before the people who attended the celebration, with flaming torches that they would juggle in their hands, and they would say before them passages of song and praise to God. And the Levites would play on lyres, harps, cymbals, and trumpets, and countless other musical instruments. The musicians would stand on the fifteen stairs that descend from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, corresponding to the fifteen Songs of the Ascents in Psalms, i.e., chapters 120–134, and upon which the Levites stand with musical instruments and recite their song. And this was the ceremony of the Water Libation: Two priests stood at the Upper Gate that descends from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, with two trumpets in their hands. When the rooster crowed at dawn, they sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. When they who would draw the water reached the tenth stair the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia, to indicate that the time to draw water from the Siloam pool had arrived. When they reached the Women’s Courtyard with the basins of water in their hands, the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. When they reached the ground of the Women’s Courtyard, the trumpeters sounded a tekia, and sounded a terua, and sounded a tekia. They continued sounding the trumpets until they reached the gate through which one exits to the east, from the Women’s Courtyard to the eastern slope of the Temple Mount. When they reached the gate through which one exits to the east, they turned from facing east to facing west, toward the Holy of Holies, and said: Our ancestors who were in this place during the First Temple period who did not conduct themselves appropriately, stood “with their backs toward the Sanctuary of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east” (Ezekiel 8:16), and we, our eyes are to God. Rabbi Yehuda says that they would repeat and say: We are to God, and our eyes are to God.