Menachos Chapter 4, Mishnah 4. We continue with mitzvos that stand on their own: although they appear to form one connected unit, each one stands by itself and none depends on the other, meaning that one does not invalidate the other. Our Mishnah opens with the subject of the temidin and the musafin in the Beis HaMikdash.
Every day two lambs were offered: one in the morning - the tamid of the morning, and one in the afternoon - the tamid of the afternoon. The proper way is for these to be the first offering and the last offering of the day, so that they frame the day at both ends. In the middle of the day private offerings are brought, and on special days - Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh and Yom Tov - additional communal offerings are brought, called musafin.
The temidin and the musafin - separate mitzvos:
The point of our Mishnah is that the mitzvah to bring the various musaf offerings does not depend on the temidin having been brought properly, and the same in reverse. These are separate mitzvos, and at first glance this seems obvious: why would they depend on one another? The commentators therefore explain that the word "me'akvin" carries a different meaning here than it did in the previous mishnayos. There it meant that one thing depends on the other, while here it means that the order is not indispensable.
Ideally the proper way is to bring the tamid of the morning first, then the musaf of the day, and in the afternoon the tamid of the afternoon. If one departed from this order, for example he brought the musaf before the tamid of the morning - he transgressed and did not act correctly, but after the fact he has fulfilled his obligation and the offerings are valid. This is the first and most basic point of the first part of the Mishnah.
Chisurei mechsera - inaugurating the mizbe'ach:
The Gemara establishes that several words are missing from our Mishnah - "chisurei mechsera" - and this becomes clear at its end. Let us state the halachah already now: there is nothing preventing one from bringing the tamid of the afternoon even if the tamid of the morning was not brought; the morning was indeed missed, but the afternoon offering is brought. There is, however, an important qualification here: the very first offering ever brought on the outer mizbe'ach, the mizbe'ach of the olah, must be specifically the tamid of the morning. One does not inaugurate the mizbe'ach with the tamid of the afternoon. Therefore, if the first offering would be an afternoon offering - it is not brought, and one waits until the next day.
And now to the language of the Mishnah: "HaTemidin einan me'akvin es haMusafin" - the temidin do not hold back the musafin. On the simple level, this means that the failure to bring the tamid does not disqualify the musaf. According to the commentators the meaning is twofold:
If the tamid was not brought in the morning and the musaf was brought first - after the fact this is acceptable.
And if he brought the tamid of the afternoon before he brought the musafin or some of them - he erred, and nevertheless he may bring the remaining musafin required on that day.
The rule that emerges is that the tamid comes before the musaf; but if he brought the musaf first, he did not act properly - and in any case everything is valid. So too, if he did not bring the tamid in the morning, he brings the one of the afternoon, provided that this is not the first offering ever brought on that mizbe'ach.
Which kohanim are being discussed:
The discussion concerns the particular group of kohanim chosen for the service on that morning, through the payis - the lottery mentioned in Maseches Tamid, which determines which kohanim receive the day's services. The kohanim are divided into twenty-four watches, and each watch is divided into six or seven subgroups called a beis av. The beis av of that day, those kohanim serving on it, serve only once that week and only once in twenty-four weeks, and therefore many wish to merit the service, and the payis selects those who perform it.
On this Rabbi Shimon speaks, drawing a distinction between two situations:
Through circumstances beyond their control or by mistake: If the morning tamid was not brought because of circumstances beyond their control - for example, no lambs were available - or because of an error, in that they thought they still had time and turned out to be mistaken, those same kohanim bring the afternoon tamid.
Deliberately: If they intentionally did not bring it, saying that it could be brought in the afternoon - they are penalized and are not permitted to bring the afternoon offering. This is a punishment for their negligence in their duty, and therefore they forfeit the privilege. Of course, other kohanim are obligated to bring it.
The Ketores and the Golden Altar:
Another offering is brought every day, and in fact twice a day, half of it in the morning and half of it in the afternoon - the ketores (incense). The ketores is not burned on the outer altar but on the inner altar that stands in the Heichal. The structure of the Heichal consists of three parts:
The Ulam: the entrance chamber at the front.
The Kodesh: which contains the golden altar, the incense altar; on the northern side stands the Table with the twelve loaves of the lechem hapanim upon it; and on the southern side the Menorah with its seven lamps.
The Kodesh HaKodashim: at the rear, on the western side.
Once a year a large batch of ketores is prepared for the entire year, including an additional amount for the double portion of Yom Kippur. Each day the equivalent of one maneh is burned, which is the combination of the eleven ingredients from which the ketores is made. A maneh is about half a kilogram, and half of it is offered in the morning and half in the afternoon - that is the proper procedure.
And the Mishnah says: "Lo hiktir ketores baboker - yaktir bein ha'arbayim" - if he did not burn the ketores in the morning, he burns it in the afternoon. If the morning portion was not brought, the situation is not as it should be, but the afternoon burning is not dependent on the morning burning.
The Mishnah teaches a further point, parallel to what was stated above: whereas the outer altar in the courtyard is inaugurated specifically with the morning tamid, the inner golden altar can and must be inaugurated specifically with the afternoon ketores - even when this altar has never been used at all.
Rabbi Shimon said: "V'chulah haysah kerevah bein ha'arbayim" - and all of it was offered in the afternoon. That is, if he did not bring the half maneh in the morning, he brings a full maneh in the afternoon, since by the end of the day he must burn the equivalent of a full maneh over the course of the day. The halachah does not follow him, but rather the first Tanna: if the morning half was not brought, he burns only a half maneh in the afternoon.
Inaugurating the Vessels:
From here the Mishnah continues to the law of inaugurating the vessels, and how it is to be done:
"She'ein mechanchin mizbach hazahav ela biktores hasamim" - that the golden altar is inaugurated only with the incense of spices - and specifically with the afternoon ketores.
"Ela b'tamid shel shachar" - only with the morning tamid. The outer altar, known as the altar of the olah and sometimes as the copper altar, is inaugurated only with the morning tamid offering.
"Ela b'lechem hapanim baShabbos" - only with the lechem hapanim on Shabbos. The arrangement of the Table in the Kodesh is done with the twelve loaves set in two stacks, and specifically on Shabbos. If on Shabbos the bread was not placed on the Table for whatever reason, and the bread was only obtained on Tuesday - the time has passed, and the lechem hapanim is not placed on the Table in the middle of the week.
"Ela b'shivah neros bein ha'arbayim" - only with the seven lamps in the afternoon. The inauguration of the Menorah is done specifically in the afternoon, with all seven lamps on the branches of the Menorah.
Regarding the Menorah, a point should be noted: according to the Rambam, whose view differs from almost all the others, the Menorah is lit twice a day - once in the afternoon and once in the morning. According to his approach, the dedication of the Menorah takes place with the afternoon lighting and not with the morning lighting. According to most students of the subject, however, there are not two lightings but only one lighting a day, in the afternoon, which means that the lighting is done in the afternoon.
And if one did not light, whether because he was unable to or for any other reason, the Menorah is not lit in the middle of the night. By then it is too late, and the opportunity has been lost.
In summary: In this Mishnah we learned that the daily offerings and the Musaf offerings do not hold each other up, and that "holding up" here refers only to order - so that after the fact it does not invalidate. We saw the Gemara's addition by way of "chisurei mechsera", according to which the first offering on the outer Altar must be the morning daily offering; the words of Rabbi Shimon, who distinguishes between an unintentional act or circumstances beyond one's control and a deliberate act, regarding the kohanim who complete the service in the afternoon; the incense that is divided between morning and evening, and the dispute between Rabbi Shimon and the first Tanna about it; and finally the laws of the dedication of the golden Altar, the outer Altar, the Table and the Menorah, each of which has its own time and its own offering.