Tamid, Chapter 1, Mishnah 3. Our chapter has been following the kohanim through the earliest hours of the day in the Beit Hamikdash: where they slept, how they kept watch, and how the lottery was held to determine who would perform the terumat hadeshen, the removal of ashes from the altar. Now that the kohen for that first service has been selected, the Mishnah turns to what happened next, before any avodah actually began.
The kohen who was in charge did not send everyone straight to work. He first took the whole group of kohanim on a tour of the azarah, the courtyard, so that the entire area could be examined and confirmed to be in order before the service of the day started.
Opening the Gate
He took the key in hand and opened the small doorway of the Beit Hamoked, the chamber of the hearth where the kohanim had spent the night. Through that opening he passed from the hall into the azarah itself, and the rest of the kohanim came in behind him.
In their hands they carried two blazing torches. It was still dark outside, and the torches served a simple, practical purpose: to throw light on the path ahead so that the group could see the courtyard as they moved through it.
Two Groups, Two Directions
Once inside, the kohanim divided. One group set off beneath the covered colonnade running along the eastern side of the azarah, and the other group made its way along the roofed area on the western side. The Mishnah describes what occupied them as they walked: "hayu bodkin veholchin", they went along inspecting as they went. This was not a casual stroll through the courtyard. They were surveying the entire outer perimeter, checking that every one of the kelim, the sacred vessels of the Beit Hamikdash, was resting in its proper place and that nothing was amiss.
Meeting at the Chavitin Chamber
Each group continued along its side until both arrived at the same destination: the chamber on the eastern side of the azarah where the chavitin were prepared. The chavitin was the daily flour offering of the Kohen Gadol, the loaves that he brought every single day without exception.
When the two groups converged there, having each completed half the circuit, they reported to one another. The Mishnah records their words: "shalom, hakol shalom", all is well, everything is in order. Each side had found the vessels of its half of the courtyard exactly where they belonged.
Setting the Chavitin in Motion
With the inspection concluded, the work of the day began immediately. Kohanim were designated from among them to serve as the makers of the chavitin, and they set the water heating so that the Kohen Gadol's offering could be prepared properly.