We now begin the tenth chapter of Tractate Zevachim - chapter 10, Mishnah 1. The topic of the chapter is the order of precedence in performing the sacrificial services in the Holy Temple, when two things are supposed to be done at the exact same time. This chapter lays out two foundational principles, which we have already encountered at the end of Tractate Horayos, and therefore these concepts will sound somewhat familiar.
The Two Principles of Precedence:
"Kol hatadir mechavero kodem es chavero" - whenever two things must be done at the same time, it does not mean we choose one and reject the other, but rather that both are done, and the question is which one comes first. The rule is that the item which halachah requires more frequently receives priority.
"Kol hamekkudash mechavero kodem es chavero" - this principle will be discussed in the upcoming Mishnayos: an item that possesses a special element of holiness, meaning an additional halachic stringency, also receives priority.
In this lesson, we will focus on the first principle - the principle of frequency and regularity.
"Kol hatadir mechavero kodem es chavero":
The Mishnah begins with the rule: "Kol hatadir mechavero kodem es chavero" - when two things stand ready to be performed now, the one that is done with greater frequency comes first.
We must be precise about the meaning of frequency: it does not refer to the number of times a person happens to need something, but rather to the frequency mandated by halachah. There is no room to ask, for example, whether the Grace After Meals (Birkas Hamazon) takes precedence over the "Asher Yatzar" blessing, based on a calculation that a person uses the restroom four times a day and recites Birkas Hamazon three times - because halachah does not establish a mandatory number of occurrences in these cases. The rule is stated in situations where halachah mandates a specific action at a defined frequency, and in such cases, the one whose obligation is more frequent comes first.
From here, the Mishnah turns to applying the principle to sacrifices:
"Hatemidin kodmin lemusafin" - the daily Tamid offering is brought every morning and every afternoon, meaning on all three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, whereas the Musaf (additional) offerings - such as the Shabbos Musaf - are brought only fifty-two times a year (the exact numbers, of course, depend on the number of days in the year). Therefore, the Tamid comes first, since halachah requires it with greater frequency.
"Musfei Shabbos kodmin lemusfei Rosh Chodesh" - when the day is both Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh, one must bring the Musaf offerings of Shabbos and the Musaf offerings of Rosh Chodesh. The Shabbos Musaf comes first, since Shabbos occurs fifty-two times a year, and Rosh Chodesh occurs twelve times a year.
"Musfei Rosh Chodesh kodmin lemusfei Rosh Hashanah" - on Rosh Hashanah, both the first day of the year and Rosh Chodesh Tishrei occur, and there is a Musaf for each of them. The Rosh Chodesh Musaf comes first, because it is performed twelve times a year, compared to Rosh Hashanah, which is once a year.
One must be careful not to make a mistake: "Tamid" and "Musaf" here mean the Tamid sacrifice and the Musaf sacrifice, and the discussion is not about the prayers themselves - that is a completely different topic, even though the prayers do indeed correspond to the sacrifices.
Rosh Hashanah That Falls on Shabbos:
To illustrate the principle: Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbos requires bringing four types of sacrifices, and their order of precedence is as follows:
The Tamid offering - the daily offering brought every day.
The Shabbos Musaf.
The Rosh Chodesh Musaf.
The Rosh Hashanah Musaf.
This is the order of precedence based on the rule "that which is more frequent than another precedes it." It should be emphasized that this order applies only ideally; after the fact, if the Rosh Chodesh Musaf was offered before the Shabbos Musaf, the offering is valid and everyone has fulfilled their obligation.
From where do we derive this rule?
The Mishnah concludes with the question of the source, and the answer is an exposition on the verse: "Milvad olas haboker asher l'olas hatamid" - besides the morning burnt offering, which is the daily offering that has already been brought, you shall do these, referring to the Pesach Musaf offerings. The verse clearly states that the Pesach offerings are performed in addition to the daily offerings.
However, the words "asher l'olas hatamid" are completely superfluous, since it would have been enough to say "besides the morning burnt offering - you shall do these." The additional words therefore come to teach the reason: why does the morning offering, which is the Tamid offering, precede the Pesach Musaf - because it is "l'olas hatamid", the more frequent of the two.
We must also be careful to avoid another point of confusion: the word "tamid" means continual and continuous - the offering is brought every single day without interruption, and indeed both meanings are included in it. "Tadir", on the other hand, means frequent - the rate of frequency at which the action is performed. The connection between them is as follows: since this offering is a "tamid", brought every single day and even twice a day, it is therefore also "tadir" - more frequent than the Pesach Musaf, which is brought only on Pesach.
In summary: Our Mishnah teaches that the source of the rule is a verse, and the superfluous words "asher l'olas hatamid" teach the reason for the precedence. This is the source for the first principle in the order of precedence - not only regarding offerings, but throughout the entire Torah.