יצא ובא לו דרך כניסתו מנא הני מילי א"ר שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן אמר קרא (דברי הימים ב א, יג) ויבא שלמה לבמה אשר בגבעון ירושלם וכי מה ענין גבעון אצל ירושלים אלא מקיש יציאתו מגבעון לירושלים לביאתו מירושלים לגבעון מה ביאתו מירושלים לגבעון פניו כלפי במה כדרך ביאתו אף יציאתו מגבעון לירושלים פניו כלפי במה כדרך ביאתו וכן כהנים בעבודתן ולוים בדוכנן וישראל במעמדן כשהן נפטרין לא היו מחזירין פניהן והולכין אלא מצדדין פניהן והולכין וכן תלמיד הנפטר מרבו לא יחזיר פניו וילך אלא מצדד פניו והולך כי הא דר' אלעזר כד הוה מיפטר מיניה דר' יוחנן כד הוה בעי ר' יוחנן לסגויי הוה גחין קאי ר' אלעזר אדוכתיה עד דהוה מיכסי ר' יוחנן מיניה וכד הוה בעי ר' אלעזר לסגויי הוה קא אזיל לאחוריה עד דמכסי מיניה דרבי יוחנן רבא כד הוה מיפטר מיניה דרב יוסף הוה אזיל לאחוריה עד דמנגפן כרעיה ומתווסן
(ד) כָּל שֶׁהִשְׁלִים עֲבוֹדָה וְנִסְתַּלֵּק לוֹ אֵינוֹ יוֹצֵא וַאֲחוֹרָיו לַהֵיכָל אֶלָּא מְהַלֵּךְ אֲחוֹרַנִּית מְעַט מְעַט וּמְהַלֵּךְ בְּנַחַת עַל צִדּוֹ עַד שֶׁיֵּצֵא מִן הָעֲזָרָה. וְכֵן אַנְשֵׁי מִשְׁמָר וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲמָד וּלְוִיִּם מִדּוּכָנָן כָּךְ הֵם יוֹצְאִין מִן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ כְּמִי שֶׁפּוֹסֵעַ אַחַר תְּפִלָּה לַאֲחוֹרָיו. כָּל זֶה לְיִרְאָה מִן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ:
(ו) ... וְלֹא יִסְתֹּר אֶת דְּבָרָיו. וְלֹא יֵשֵׁב לְפָנָיו עַד שֶׁיֹּאמַר לוֹ שֵׁב. וְלֹא יַעֲמֹד מִלְּפָנָיו עַד שֶׁיֹּאמַר לוֹ עֲמֹד אוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּטּל רְשׁוּת לַעֲמֹד. וּכְשֶׁיִּפָּטֵר מֵרַבּוֹ לֹא יַחֲזֹר לוֹ לַאֲחוֹרָיו אֶלָּא נִרְתָּע לַאֲחוֹרָיו וּפָנָיו כְּנֶגֶד פָּנָיו:
רב ששת הוה יתיב בבי כנישתא דשף ויתיב בנהרדעא אתיא שכינה ולא נפק אתו מלאכי השרת וקא מבעתו ליה אמר לפניו רבש"ע עלוב ושאינו עלוב מי נדחה מפני מי אמר להו שבקוהו (יחזקאל יא, טז) ואהי להם למקדש מעט אמר רבי יצחק אלו בתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות שבבבל
The study of the Torah may be suspended for escorting a dead body and for bringing a bride into marriage. It was said of R. Judah b. Ila’i that he used to suspend the study of the Torah for escorting a dead body and for bringing a bride into marriage. When was this said? When there are not present sufficient numbers, but if sufficient numbers are available, [the study of the Torah] is not suspended. How many are sufficient? R. Shmuel b. Inia said in the name of Rav: Twelve thousand and [in addition] six thousand trumpets, or, as according to another version, twelve thousand men of whom six thousand have trumpets. Ulla said: Enough to make a procession extending from the burying ground to the town gate. Sheshet said: The taking away of Torah [study] should correspond to its giving: just as it was given in the presence of sixty myriads, so to it should be taken away only in the presence of sixty myriads. This applies to one who read Scripture and recited Mishnah; but for one who [also] taught the Mishnah there is no limit. It was taught: R. Shimon b. Yohai said: Come and see how beloved are Israel to God—... every place to which they were exiled the Shekhinah (God’s Divine Presence) went with them. They were exiled to Egypt and the Shekhinah was with them, as it says, “Did I reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt” (II Samuel 2:27). They were exiled to Babylon, and the Shekhinah was with them, as it says, “For your sake I was sent to Babylon” (Isaiah 43:14). And when they will be redeemed in the future, the Shekhinah will be with them, as it says, “Then the Lord your God will return [with] your captivity” (Deuteronomy 30:3). It does not say here veheshiv [and He shall bring back] but veshav [and he shall return]. This teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, will return with them from the places of exile. Where [is the Shekhinah] in Babylonia? Abaye said: In the synagogue of Huzal and in the synagogue of Shaf Veyativ (lit. was destroyed and then rebuilt) in Nehardea. Do not say that it is in both places, but it is sometimes in one and sometimes in the other. Abaye said: May I be rewarded for whenever I am within a parasang I go in and pray there. The father of Samuel and Levi were sitting in the synagogue Shaf Veyativ in Nehardea. The Shekhinah came and they heard a sound of trembling and rose and went out. Sheshet was once sitting in the synagogue Shaf Veyativ in Nehardea, when the Shekhinah came. He did not go out, and the ministering angels came and threatened him. He said to Him and said: Master of the World, if one is afflicted and one is not afflicted, who gives way to whom? God said to them: Leave him alone. “Yet I have been to them as a little sanctuary [in the land into which they will go]” (Ezekiel 11:16). R. Yitzchak said: This refers to the synagogue and study houses Elazar says: This refers to the house of our teacher in Babylonia. Rava gave the following exposition: What is the meaning of the verse, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place” (Psalms 90:1)? This refers to synagogues and study houses. Abaye said: At first I used to study at home and pray in the synagogue, but when I heard the words of David, “O Lord, I love the dwelling place [me’on] of Your house” (Psalms 26:8), I began to study in the synagogue. It has been taught: R. Elazar HaKappar says: The synagogues and study houses in Babylon will in time to come be planted in Eretz Israel, as it says, “For as Tabor among the mountains and as Carmel by the sea came” (Jeremiah 46:18-19). Now can we not draw an a fortiori inference from here: Seeing that Carmel and Tabor which came only on a single occasion to learn the Torah were set in Eretz Israel, how much more so with the synagogues and study houses of learning where the Torah is read and spread throughout the land. Bar Kappara gave the following exposition: What is the meaning of the verse, “Why do you look askance [terazedun], mountains of peaks (gavnunim)” (Psalms 68:18). A bat kol (heavenly voice) went forth and said to them: Why do ye desire litigation [tirzu din] with Sinai? You are all full of blemishes as compared with Sinai. It is written here “gavnunim,” and it is written elsewhere “or humpbacked [gibben] or a dwarf” (Leviticus 21:20). Ashi observed: You can learn from this that if a man is arrogant, this is a blemish in him. It should not be used as a short cut [kapandria]. What is kapandria? Rava said: Kapandaria is as its name implies.... What does its name imply? As if one were to say, Instead of going round the building [makifna adare], I will enter here. Abahu said: If a path went through there originally, it is permitted. Nahman b. Yitzchak said: If one goes in without any intention of using it as a short cut, he may afterwards use it as a short cut. And R. Helbo said in the name of R. Huna: If one enters a synagogue to pray, he may afterwards use it as a short cut, as it says, “But when, the people of the land shall come before the Lord at the appointed times, he that enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate” (Ezekiel 46:9). If grass has grown in it, he should not pluck it, so as not to arouse distress. But it has been taught: He should not pluck it and give it as food [to cattle], but he pluck it and leave it there. The statement in our Mishnah also refers to plucking and giving it for food. Our Rabbis taught: One does not act disrespectfully in a cemetery: We do not graze cattle in them, nor do we run a water channel through them, nor do we gather grass in them, and if he did gather grass they must be burned on the spot, out of respect for the dead. To what do these last words apply? Shall I say, to the last clause? Since he burns them on the spot, what respect does this show for the dead? Rather it refers to the preceding clauses. If Rosh Hodesh Adar falls on Shabbat the portion of shekalim is read [on that day]. 1. If it falls in the middle of the week, it is read on the Shabbat before, and on the next Shabbat there is a break. On the second [of the special Shabbatot] they read “Zakhor;” On the second [of the special Shabbatot] they read “Zakhor;” On the third the portion of the red heifer; On the fourth “This month shall be for you;” On the fifth the regular order is resumed. They interrupt [the regular order] for anything: for Rosh Hodesh, for Hanukkah, for Purim, for fasts, for Ma’amadot, and for Yom HaKippurim GEMARA. We have learned in another place (Mishnah Shekalim 2:1): On the first of Adar they make a proclamation with regard to the shekels
כיון שאנו מחזיקים הבימה שבה קורין פרשת קרבנות
כמו מזבח, שמפני כן מסבבים הבימה בחג הסוכות כמו
שסבבו המזבח, ואותו המזבח שעמד בהיכל לפני ארון
הקדש שהוא מזבח מקטר קטרת היה עומד באמצע
הבית מכוון בין מנורה לשולחן... ויען הבימה שלנו
עומדת בפנים כמזבח הפנימי, על כן ראוי להעמידו
באמצע בית הכנסת לדמותו לבית המקדש בכל
האפשרי ואין לשנות במקדש מעט שלנו
כמו מזבח, שמפני כן מסבבים הבימה בחג הסוכות כמו
שסבבו המזבח, ואותו המזבח שעמד בהיכל לפני ארון
הקדש שהוא מזבח מקטר קטרת היה עומד באמצע
הבית מכוון בין מנורה לשולחן... ויען הבימה שלנו
עומדת בפנים כמזבח הפנימי, על כן ראוי להעמידו
באמצע בית הכנסת לדמותו לבית המקדש בכל
האפשרי ואין לשנות במקדש מעט שלנו
(א) חַיָּב אָדָם לִנְהֹג כָּבוֹד גָּדוֹל בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה... וְלֹא יַחֲזֹר אֲחוֹרָיו, אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן גָּבוֹהַּ מִמֶּנּוּ עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, אֶלָּא יֵשֵׁב לְפָנָיו בְּכֹבֶד רֹאשׁ וּבְיִרְאָה וָפַחַד... וִיכַבְּדֶנּוּ כְּפִי כֹּחוֹ.
(ב) אָסוּר לְאָדָם לָצֵאת מִבֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת קֹדֶם קְדֻשָּׁה דְּסִדְרָא. .... וּכְשֶׁיּוֹצֵא מִבֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת אוֹמֵר ה' נְחֵנִי וְגו' (תְּהִלִּים ה, ט) (כָּל בּוֹ) וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְיוֹצֵא (מַהֲרִי''ל).
(ו) ומשתחוה. מהרי"ל עשה ג' השתחואות כשהלך ממקומו למול ארון הקדש ובצאתו מפתח ב"ה בכל פעם כתלמיד הנפטר מרבו [ד"מ] כשיצא מבה"כ לא יצא ואחוריו להיכל אלא יצדד וכן בירידתו מהתיבה [ע"ה ר"ח]:
(א) גבוה. כתב הט''ז ונראה דהס''ת צריך שתהיה גבוה מן האדם אבל איפכא לא הוי דרך כבוד ונ''ל דהרבנים שעומדים לפני ארון הקדש אינן בכלל איסור זה שעומדים אחוריהם לארון הקודש כיון שהס''ת מונחת באה''ק הוה כמו ברשות אחרת עכ''ל:
ערוך השולחן יורה דעה רפב
ואין לתמוה שבשעת הדרשה עומד הדורש פניו אל העם ואחוריו אל ארון הקודש, דכיון שהספר תורה מונחת בארון הקודש – הוה כרשות אחרת (ט"ז סעיף קטן א).
ועוד: דזהו עצמו כבוד התורה, שדורש בהתורה ובמצותיה. והתורה עצמה צותה כן בכעין זה, כמו בברכת כהנים שהכהנים פניהם כלפי העם פנים כנגד פנים. והתורה גזרה כן כדאיתא בסוטה (לח א): "כה תברכו" – פנים כנגד פנים. והכא נמי הרי התורה גזרה להודיע חוקי האלקים ואת תורותיו, ובהכרח לדרוש פנים כנגד פנים
ואין לתמוה שבשעת הדרשה עומד הדורש פניו אל העם ואחוריו אל ארון הקודש, דכיון שהספר תורה מונחת בארון הקודש – הוה כרשות אחרת (ט"ז סעיף קטן א).
ועוד: דזהו עצמו כבוד התורה, שדורש בהתורה ובמצותיה. והתורה עצמה צותה כן בכעין זה, כמו בברכת כהנים שהכהנים פניהם כלפי העם פנים כנגד פנים. והתורה גזרה כן כדאיתא בסוטה (לח א): "כה תברכו" – פנים כנגד פנים. והכא נמי הרי התורה גזרה להודיע חוקי האלקים ואת תורותיו, ובהכרח לדרוש פנים כנגד פנים
אמר רבי חלבו אמר רב הונא היוצא מבית הכנסת אל יפסיע פסיעה גסה אמר אביי לא אמרן אלא למיפק אבל למיעל מצוה למרהט
[not translated: and they are all (the verses mentioned there) written on His arm] Rabin b. Rab Adda said in the name of R. Isaac : If one is accustomed to attend the Synagogue regularly and absents himself one day, the Holy One, blessed be He, makes inquiry about him ; as it is said, "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light?" (Is. 1. 10). If [his absence is because] he went to perform a religious duty, he will have light ; but if he went to attend to some secular business, he will have no light. "Let him trust in the name of the Lord" (ibid.). For what reason [is the light denied him] ? Because he should have trusted in the name of the Lord, but did not. R. Johanan said : When the Holy One, blessed be He, enters a Synagogue and does not find there ten. He is immediately filled with wrath ; as it is said, "Wherefore, when I came, was there no man ? When I called, was there none to answer ?" (ibid. v. 2). R. Helbo said in the name of Rab Huna : Whoever fixes a place for his prayer has the God of Abraham for his help : and on his death, it is said of him, "Where is the humble and pious man, of the disciples of our father Abraham !" Whence do we learn that our father Abraham fixed a place for his prayer ? For it is written, (Gen. xix. 27) "And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood". "Stood" means nothing else than prayer ; as it is said, "Then stood up Phineas and prayed" (Ps. cvL 30). R. Helbo [also] said in the name of Rab Huna : When leaving the Synagogue, one should not take large steps. Abbai said: This refers only to leaving ; but to enter a Synagogue it is praise-worthy to hasten ; as it is said, "Let us eagerly strive to know the Lord" (Hos. vi. 3). R. Zera said : At first when I saw the Rabbis hastening to the study-session on the Sabbath, I thought they were desecrating the holy day; but when I heard the statement of R. Tanhum, in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi : A man should always run to hear the Halakah discussed, even on the Sabbath, as it is said, "They shall walk after the Lord, who shall roar like a lion, for He shall roar, and the children shall come hurriedly from the West" (ibid. xi. 10), I also hastened. R. Zera said : The merit of attending the study-session lies in hastening thereto. Abbai said : The merit of attending the discourse lies in the crush. Raba said: The merit of studying [Torah] lies in the reasoning thereon. Rab Pappa said: The merit of attending a house of mourning lies in maintaining silence. Mar Zotra said : The merit of a fast consists in dispensing charity. Rab Sheshet said : The merit of listening to a funeral oration lies in raising [the voice in lamentation]. Rab Ashe said : The merit of attending a wedding lies in addressing words [of felicitation to the bride and bridegroom]. Rab Huna said : Whoever prays at the rear of a Synagogue is called wicked ; as it is said, "The wicked walk on every side" (Ps. xii. 9). Abbai said : This applies only to one who does not turn his face towards the Synagogue ; but if he does that, we can have no objection. Once a man prayed at the rear of a Synagogue and did not turn his face in its direction. Elijah passed by, and seeing him thought that he was an Arab. He said to him, "With thy back [to the Synagogue] standest thou before thy Master? " And drawing his sword, he slew him. One of the Rabbis said to Rab Bebai b. Abbai (another version : Rab Bebai said to Rab Nahman b. Isaac) : What means, "When vileness is exalted [kerum] among the sons of men" (ibid.)? He answered : This refers to the things that stand in the height [rum] of the world which are despised by men. R. Johanan and R. Eleazar [offer another explanation]. They both say : As soon as a man stands in need of the help of his fellow-creatures, his face changes like a Kerum ; as it is said, "Kerum is vileness to the sons of men." What is Kerum? When Rab Dimai came [from Palestine] he said, "There is a bird in the coast-towns called Kerum, and when the sun shines, it changes into many colours." R. Ammi and R. Assi both say : [The man who needs help from his fellow-creatures] is as though he were sentenced to two penalties, viz., fire and water; as it is said, "Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads, we went through fire and water" (ibid. lxvi. 12). R. Helbo also said in the name of Rab Huna : A man should always be careful with the afternoon prayer, for behold, Elijah was only answered in the afternoon prayer; as it is said, "And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the afternoon offering, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, O Lord, the God of Abraham.... Hear me, O Lord, hear me" (I Kings xviii. 36 f.). The first "Hear me" means : that fire may descend from heaven ; the second "hear me" means : that they may not say it is due to sorcery. R. Johanan said : Also with the evening prayer [must a man be careful] ; as it is said, "Let my prayer be set forth as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (Ps. cxli. 2). Rab Nahman b. Isaac said : Also with the morning prayer [must a man be careful] ; as it is said, "O Lord, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice ; in the morning will I order my prayer unto Thee, and will look forward" (ibid. v. 4). R. Helbo also said in the name of Rab Huna : Whoever partakes of the festivity of a bridegroom without felicitating him transgresses the five "voices" ; as it is said, "The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that say. Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts" (Jer. xxxiii. 11). If he does felicitate him, what is his reward ? R. Joshua b. Levi said : He is worthy of Torah which was given amidst five "voices"; as it is said, "And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a horn exceeding loud... and when the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice" (Exod. xix. 16 ff.). But it is not so; for it is written, "And all the people perceived the thunderings" (Exod. 20:18)! The "voices" referred to are those before the giving of the Torah. R. Abbahu said : [If he felicitates the bridegroom] it is as though he had brought a thanksgiving offering ; as it is said, "Even of them that bring offerings of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord" (Jer. l.c.). Rab Nahman b. Isaac said : It is as though he had rebuilt one of the ruins of Jerusalem ; as it is said, "For I will cause the captivity of the land to return as at the first, saith the Lord" (ibid.). R. Helbo also said in the name of Rab Huna : Every man in whom is the fear of God, his words are heard ; as it is said, "The end of the matter, all having been heard, fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole man" (Eccles. xii. 13). What means "for this is the whole man"? R. Eleazar answered : The Holy One, blessed be He, said, The whole universe was only created for his sake. R. Abba b. Kahana said : Such a man is equal in worth to the whole world. R. Simeon b. 'Azzai (another version: R. Simeon b. Zoma) said : The whole world has only been created to be subservient to him. R. Helbo also said in the name of Rab Huna : Whoever is in the habit of greeting his neighbour, and omits to do so a single day, transgresses the injunction "Seek peace and pursue it" (Ps. xxxiv. 15). Should his neighbour greet him and he does not respond, he is called a robber ; as it is said, "It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard ; the spoil of the poor is in your houses" (Is. iii. 14).
(ח) כְּשֶׁיֵּצֵא מִבֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת אָסוּר לָרוּץ אוֹ לִפְסֹעַ פְּסִיעָה גַּסָּה, לְפִי שֶׁמַּרְאֶה עַצְמוֹ שֶׁעִכּוּב בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת דּוֹמֶה עָלָיו לְמַשָּׂא. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים כְּשֶׁהוֹלֵךְ לַעֲסָקָיו. אֲבָל אִם הוֹלֵךְ מִבֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת לְבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ מִצְוָה לָרוּץ. (סִימָן צ').
ערוך השולחן יורה דעה רמב סעיף מג
לא ישב בפני רבו עד שיאמר לו "שב", ולא יעמוד עד שיאמר לו "עמוד", או עד שיטול רשות מרבו לעמוד. וכשהולך ממנו – לא יחזור לאחוריו כנגד רבו כדרך ההולכים מהבית, אלא ילך לאחוריו ופניו כנגד רבו, כדרך שיורדין מארון הקודש.
לא ישב בפני רבו עד שיאמר לו "שב", ולא יעמוד עד שיאמר לו "עמוד", או עד שיטול רשות מרבו לעמוד. וכשהולך ממנו – לא יחזור לאחוריו כנגד רבו כדרך ההולכים מהבית, אלא ילך לאחוריו ופניו כנגד רבו, כדרך שיורדין מארון הקודש.
After Kohanim say Birkas Kohanim, they say
עשינו מה שגזרת עלינו עשה עמנו מה שהבטחתנו השקיפה ממעון קדשך מן השמים וברך את עמך את ישראל
עשינו מה שגזרת עלינו עשה עמנו מה שהבטחתנו השקיפה ממעון קדשך מן השמים וברך את עמך את ישראל
This is a surprising expression, isn't it? Hashem, we did that which You decreed upon us, now You, too, do as You promised and bless your people, Klal Yisrael. The expression "what you decreed upon us," מה שגזרת עלינו,makes it sound like it they had been ordered to do a difficult or unpleasant task. What's so hard about blessing Klal Yisrael? So Reb Meir Simcha (14:Tefilla 12) explains
לפי מה שמצאנו בסוף סוכה שבבית שני היו אומרין אבותינו היו פניהם כו' ואחוריהם למערב ואנו כו' ועינינו כו' וכאן אמר הגמרא לעולם תהי' אימת הציבור עליך שהרי כהנים פניהם כלפי העם ואחוריהם כלפי כו' לכן אמר כד מהדרי אפייהו מצבורא, אומרים רבש"ע עשינו מה שגזרת עלינו שאנו עשינו זה בהכרח לפי שגזרת עלינו.
that for the Kohanim to turn their backs on the Aron Kodesh is disrespectful and inappropriate, but the exigencies of Birkas Kohanim and Kvod Hatzibbur require that they do so. Therefore, after they finish duchenning, they state their reason for having turned their backs on the Aron, that blessing Klal Yisrael is vitally important, and they ask that Hashem give effect to the bracha.