At Sinai, God commanded the Children of Israel to take care to maintain twice-daily contact with Him:
צַו אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אֶת־קׇרְבָּנִי לַחְמִי לְאִשַּׁי רֵיחַ נִיחֹחִי תִּשְׁמְרוּ לְהַקְרִיב לִי בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ: (במדבר כ״ח:ב)
Command the Israelites; say to them: Take care to present My offering of foodstuffs - fire offerings of pleasing aroma to Me - at its appointed times. (Numbers 28:2; translation from The Koren Tanakh, Magerman Edition)
Whose job is it to take care of this?
וְכִי הֵיאַךְ קָרְבָּנוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם קָרֵב, וְהוּא אֵינוֹ עוֹמֵד עַל גַּבָּיו, הִתְקִינוּ נְבִיאִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע מִשְׁמָרוֹת. עַל כָּל מִשְׁמָר וּמִשְׁמָר הָיָה מַעֲמָד בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים, שֶׁל לְוִיִּם, וְשֶׁל יִשְׂרְאֵלִים. הִגִּיעַ זְמַן הַמִּשְׁמָר לַעֲלוֹת, כֹּהֲנִים וּלְוִיִּם עוֹלִים לִירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ מִשְׁמָר מִתְכַּנְּסִין לְעָרֵיהֶן וְקוֹרְאִין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית: (משנה תענית ד: ב)
But how can a person’s offering be sacrificed when he is not standing next to it? The early prophets instituted twenty-four priestly watches. For each and every priestly watch there was a non-priestly watch (Ma’amad) in Jerusalem of priests, Levites, and Israelites. When the time arrived for a priestly watch to ascend, the priests and Levites would ascend to Jerusalem. And as for the Israelites of that priestly watch, they assembled in their towns and read the act of Creation. (Mishna Ta’anit 4:2; translation based on the William Davidson Talmud)
It has been thousands of years since the people of Israel were last organized into this rotation of 24 shifts - Ma’amadot. Let us now take advantage of the Internet to organize ourselves into a Zecher Lama’amadot - Recalling the Ma’amadot, and do our part to take responsibility for our people’s ongoing relationship with our Creator.
Each week, from Sunday through Shabbat, one of the 24 ma’amadot takes responsibility. Each member of that ma’amad does at least the minimum for participation (see below) each day of the week and reports in that they’ve done it.
Each day, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon, assume the attitude “I am doing my part to take responsibility for the People of Israel’s relationship with God,” and read Parashat Hatamid (Numbers 28:1-8).
With the same attitude in mind, perform as many of the following practices as you find meaningful toward this purpose:
Ma’aseh Bereishit: Recall the stakes of this relationship by reading the section of the Creation account at the beginning of the Torah corresponding to the day of the week, as they did in the original ma’amadot.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Shabbat
Mishnah Tamid: Study one chapter each day of the tractate of Mishna written by people who saw the Temple service happen, so you could relive it.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Shabbat
Seder Ma’amadot: Study part or all of the sections of Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim, Mishna, and Gemara that were designated a thousand years ago as an individual method for recalling the ma’amadot.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Shabbat
Enhance your daily Torah learning.
Enhance your participation in communal or private prayer services.
Enhance your participation in acts of kindness.
Avraham Avinu asked the same question!
אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! תִּינַח בִּזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים. בִּזְמַן שֶׁאֵין בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים מָה תְּהֵא עֲלֵיהֶם? אָמַר לוֹ: כְּבָר תִּקַּנְתִּי לָהֶם סֵדֶר קׇרְבָּנוֹת, בִּזְמַן שֶׁקּוֹרְאִין בָּהֶן לְפָנַי — מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עֲלֵיהֶם כְּאִילּוּ הִקְרִיבוּם לְפָנַי וַאֲנִי מוֹחֵל לָהֶם עַל כׇּל עֲוֹנוֹתֵיהֶם. (תענית כ"ז:ב)
[Abraham] said before [God]: Master of the Universe, this works out well when the Temple is standing, but when the Temple is not standing, what will become of them? [God] said to him: I have already enacted for them the order of offerings. When they read them before Me, I will ascribe them credit as though they had sacrificed them before Me and I will pardon them for all their transgressions. (Gemara Ta’anit 27b; translation based on the William Davidson Talmud)
Probably, but that was no less true in Temple times. There’s nothing like focusing on “this is my week to take responsibility."
Good for you! Technically, you can participate fully without changing anything, as long as you take care to adopt the attitude of responsibility and to report in, but we’d encourage you to add something special during your week.
Everything in this section is likely to change in future phases of the project.
Use this Google form to indicate your interest.
Members will have access to a list that indicates who is in which ma’amad and when each ma’amad will take responsibility next. You will receive notifications when your turn is a week away and when your turn begins.
Each evening in your week, report in a Whatsapp group (to be provided to members) that you did your part to take responsibility. On Erev Shabbat and Erev Yom Tov, report after you have completed your afternoon reading.
Phase 0: We are preparing materials and seeking initial reviews by friends and advisors.
The next steps will include:
Phase 1: Solicit initial sign-ups and assemble an initial cohort of at least 24 individuals, one assigned to each ma’amad.
Phase 2: Begin the ma’amadot cycle.
Future phases: Continue to revise all aspects of the project and to recruit more members. Come up with special practices for the regalim. Create secure online spaces for ma’amadot to create community. Foster growth of communities and cultures of practice. Add a concept of communities joining as communities. Appoint members to stand watch over the actual bringing of the daily Tamid, speedily in our days.
The Tishmeru project was founded by Isaac Moses (founder@tishmeru.org).
The following authority figures and learned individuals have expressed support.
No one, really. As far as we can tell, no one else has yet attempted to use the Internet to practically re-awaken this ma’amadot concept. If people with more authority, knowledge, reach, etc. would like to take over the project, we will be happy to hand it over.
Numbers 28
R’ Hirsh’s commentary
Mishna Ta’anit
Gemara Ta’anit
Mishne Torah
Seder Ma’amadot
If you know of additional sources we should include here, please suggest them to founder@tishmeru.org.