By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Do we really want the Ge’ulah to happen now?  If so, we best be knowing these halachos – because otherwise we are going to be looking pretty clueless.  The Nisuch HaMayim was done every day of Sukkos.

1. It is a Torah Mitzvah to pour a minimum of 3 lugim of water as a libation on the Mizbe’ach on each of the days of Sukkos. A lug is the equivalent of 6 medium eggs. The water was in addition to the wine libations.  This Mitzvah is a Torah Mitzvah but it is derived Halacha L’Moshe Mi’Sinai.  According to the Chazon Ish the volume of the 3 Lugim  would be 1.8 liters.  According to Rav Moshe Feinstein, it would be about 1.6 liters and according to Rav Chaim No’eh it would be about 1.1 liters. There is no upper limit to this Mitzvah, but the Chofetz Chaim writes (Likkutei Halachos Sukkah 29a) that if one uses less than 3 Lugim – one has not fulfilled the Mitzvah.

The procedure was as follows:

2. At the call of the rooster which was either slightly before dawn (Tosfos Sukkah 51b acc. to Maharsha), or at dawn (Same Tosfos acc. to Maharshal), two Kohanim would stand at the Niknor Gate (the upper gate) and blow a tekiyah, a truah and a tekiyah from trumpets.
3. They would then go down to the Ezras Nashim and blow again, but they did even more Tekiyos until they reached the gate through which one exits to the east, from the Ezras Nashim to the eastern slope of Har HaBayis.
4. (What follows is mentioned in the Mishna but is left out in the Rambam. The Aruch LaNer writes that in the future Beis HaMikdash it will not be said and this is why the Rambam left it out.)  When they reached the gate through which one exits to the east, they turned from facing east to facing west, toward the Kodesh HaKedoshim, and said: “Our ancestors who were in this place (During Bayis Rishon) who did not conduct themselves appropriately, stood “with their backs toward the Sanctuary of Hashem, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east” (Yechezkel 8:16). But we, our eyes are to Hashem.” Rabbi Yehuda says that they would repeat and say: “We are to Hashem, and our eyes are to Hashem.”
5. Before dawn, those who drew the water would go down to the Maayan HaShiluach, also known as the spring of the Gichon which was located to the south of Har HaBayis. They did not blow the trumpets at the Gichon. The trumpets were only blown in the Mishkan – notwithstanding the simpler implication of the pasuk in Yishayahu 12:3. “ush’avtem mayim b’sasson ,mimaanei hayeshua” – that the drawing should be done in joy.  Chazal had a tradition that all of the trumpet blasts must only be done in the Mikdash.  They, therefore, only blew when they left the Mikdash and when they returned to it. They did not use the spring that was under the azarah in order to publicize it more – since the Tzedukim were against the idea of the water libations.  This is discussed in the pasuk in Yishayahu 12:3. “ush’avtem mayim b’sasson ,mimaanei hayeshua – the mayanei hayeshuah is the Gichon.
6. The Mitzvah of blow trumpets in joy at the filling of the water in accordance with the aforementioned pasuk, but once again, it was only blown in the Mikdash itself.
7. The water was transported in a golden vessel that was sanctified. However, the Shabbos libations were obtained on Friday and were transported in an unsanctified golden vessel – so that there would not be a problem of the water being in a sanctified vessel overnight.
8. They brought it back to the Azarah going through the Sha’ar HaMayim – the Gate that was called for this very purpose. This could have been done by a Kohain or an Yisroel.
9. There is a debate in the Rishonim whether it needed to be drawn specifically from a spring (Tosfos, Meilah 12b “Hikdish”) or whether it was permitted to be drawn from a bor (Rambam Bi’as Mikdash 5:14).
10. When the time for the libation of the water came during the Korban Tamid, the Kohain with the water went up to the Mizbe’ach with the Kohain who had the wine libation, and they would pour out simultaneously into the two small silver cups located at the southwest corner of the top of the Mizbe’ach. These cups were used to receive the libations. The wine libation was poured into one of the cups on the right of the water cup (this was done daily at the completion of the Korban Olah and the Korban Shlamim). The other cup which was most toward the corner was for the water libation which was done only during Sukkos. These two cups each had an exit nozzle on the bottom – a smaller hole for the one for water than for the one for the wine to drain through. This was so when the wine and water libations were poured simultaneously, the contents of both cups would drain out at the same time.  The Steipler Rav (Kehilas Yaakov Taanis Siman 1) writes that it had to be simultaneous because the Nisuch was one Mitzvah.
11. When the water libation was poured, the Kohain was told “Hagbeh es yadcha – Hold your hand high!” This was enacted (See Sukkah 48b) because a Tzaduki Kohain once poured it on his feet and those observing it pelted him with their esrogim.
12. Reish Lakish was of the opinion that when they poured wine onto the altar, they plugged the top of the drainpipes (Yerushalmi – the bottoms of the cups) so that the wine does not descend to the depths, in order to fulfill that which is stated: “In sanctity shall you pour a libation of strong drink [shekhar] unto Hashem” (BaMidbar 28:7). The Ohr Same’ach Tmidim (10:8) holds that this was only done on Sukkos according to Raish Lakish but not during the year.

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