Sukkah 047

3:
In the Torah [Bemidbar 29:12-38] a very complicated series of sacrifices is prescribed for the festival of Sukkot. Basically, on each day of the seven days of the festival the following number of animals were sacrificed: fourteen lambs, two rams and one goat. In addition a certain number of bulls were sacrificed: on the first day thirteen, on the second day twelve, on the third day eleven, on the fourth day ten, on the fifth day nine, on the sixth day eight, on the seventh day seven.

4:
The problem which the management of the Bet Mikdash had to confront was how to accommodate all twenty-four contingents of priests on the seven days of the festival, bearing in mind that they all wanted to take part in the sacrificial proceedings. Our present mishnah details how this aim was achieved.

5:
If we detail the arrangements for the first day it will be easier for us to understand the arrangements made for the other six days. On the first day of Sukkot, apart from the daily sacrifice (Tamid), thirty animals were slaughtered: fourteen sheep, thirteen bulls, two rams and a goat. In most cases one animal was allocated to a contingent. Our mishnah explains that sixteen of the twenty-four contingents were allocated sixteen of the thirty animals: thirteen bulls, two rams and a goat. The remaining fourteen sheep were allocated as follows: six of the remaining eight contingents were allocated two sheep each while the last two contingents got one sheep each.

6:
On the second day of the festival the fact that one bull less was being sacrificed had to be taken into account. Fifteen contingents were allocated the twelve bulls, the two rams and the goat. That left nine contingents to share the remaining fourteen sheep: five had two sheep each and the remaining four contingents had one sheep each.

7:
I should now be easy to work out the arrangements for the remaining days of the festival. On the third day fourteen contingents shared eleven bulls, two rams and one goat. The remaining fourteen sheep were allocated as follows: four contingents got two sheep each and the remaining contingents each got one of the remaining six sheep.

8:
On the fourth day of the festival thirteen contingents shared ten bulls, two rams and one goat. The remaining fourteen sheep were allocated as follows: three contingents got two sheep each and the remaining contingents each got one of the remaining eight sheep.

9:
Let us continue the description for the sake of completeness. On the fifth day of the festival twelve contingents shared nine bulls, two rams and one goat. The remaining fourteen sheep were allocated as follows: two contingents got two sheep each and the remaining contingents each got one of the remaining ten sheep. On the sixth day of the festival eleven contingents shared eight bulls, two rams and one goat. The remaining fourteen sheep were allocated as follows: one contingent got two sheep each and the remaining contingents each got one of the remaining twelve sheep. On the seventh day of the festival ten contingents shared seven bulls, two rams and one goat. The remaining fourteen sheep were allocated to the remaining fourteen contingents, one for each contingent.

10:
According to the Torah [Numbers 29:35-38] the sacrifices on the Eighth Day — Shemini Atzeret — were one bull, one ram, one goat and seven sheep. Clearly, this amount of animals could not be shared among all twenty-four contingents so they had to revert to the system of casting lots as on all other festivals (and workdays) to see which of the contingents would participate in the slaughter of ten animals.

11:
The last clause of our mishnah takes us back to the arrangements for the seven days of the festival. No contingent was permitted to take part in the sacrifice of the bulls two days running. So those contingents that had offered the bulls on the first day of the festival had to wait until the third day in order to be allocated a bull once again. (The bulls were the major feature of the cultus on these days of the festival).

12:
Those who read carefully will note that during the celebration of the festival of Sukkot in the Bet Mikdash more than two hundred animals were slaughtered: 112 sheep, 70 bulls, 14 rams and 7 goats.

In Sukkah 045 I referred to two different baraytot. Nurit Gal-Reches writes:

Is there not an error in the references in explanations 5 and 6? The same source is referenced!

I respond:

No, there is no error. Both baraytot appear on the same folio of the Gemara, Shabbat 35b.