וּבְשַׁבָּת שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הֶחָג בְּיַד אֶחָד צְלוֹחִית שֶׁל מָיִם
And on Shabbat that occurs within Sukkot, [there is an additional priest] in whose hand is a jug of water [for a total of twelve priests].
We are wrapping up this portion of the numbers game for the Tamid (daily) offering. This mishnah opens by telling us that the daily offering is made by somewhere between 9 and 12 priests, no more and no less (lol). We have gone through the various permutations of how the minimal core team of 9 priests is supplemented for various days on the calendar, and finally come up with the situation that gets us to the full maximum team of 12: the Shabbat (requiring two additional priests to bring frankincense to accompany the showbread) that falls during sukkot (requiring one additional priest to bring a jug of water).
I found myself caught up in the word חג today. It comes from the root חגג, which means “to turn,” “to go in a circle,” or “to celebrate a pilgrimage.” And yes, it is the same root as hajj in Islam. In the Torah, חג is used to describe all of the major festivals, however in Rabbinic usage it comes to mean specifically Sukkot. I actually love that evolution of how the word is used, much as I love the ways that the rabbis expand the pomp and ritual of Sukkot. (OK, I also love Sukkot more than just about any other holiday!) The rabbis of the Mishnah tell us that on Sukkot, the priests would make a procession around the altar reciting prayers, and many communities still hold a procession around the sanctuary (or synagogue building, or even around the block!) during Sukkot today.
I love the way that cycles and repetition are built even into the word חג itself. Every year, no matter what is happening, חג will חג, it will come around and invite me to think about what is constant, what is new, and what has grown since the last year.