MISHNA: The priests would keep watch in three places in the Temple courtyard, in honor of the Temple, like guards in royal courtyards: In the Chamber of Avtinas, which is the Chamber where the incense was prepared, and on the two sides of the northern section of the courtyard: In the Chamber of the Spark, where there was a small, perpetual fire, from which the fire of the altar would be lit if it went out; and in the Chamber of the Hearth, where there was also a fire, by which the priests would warm themselves when it was cold. In the Chamber of Avtinas and in the Chamber of the Spark there were upper stories, and the young priests, who were not yet eligible to serve in the Temple, would keep watch there.
In the Chamber of the Hearth, there was no upper story, as its ceiling was round like a cupola. And it was a large hall, surrounded by rows of stone that protruded from the walls and that served as benches. The elders of the patrilineal priestly family that would serve in the Temple the following day would sleep there, and the keys to the Temple courtyard were in their possession.
The young men of the priesthood, who were old enough to serve in the Temple, would also sleep in the Chamber of the Hearth. They would not sleep on benches, but instead each of the priests would sleep with his garment on the ground. Furthermore, they would not sleep dressed in the sacred vestments; rather, they would remove them and fold them up. And then they would place their vestments on the floor beneath their heads, and cover themselves with their own non-sacred garments. If a seminal emission befell one of the priests, rendering him ritually impure and unfit for service, he would leave the Chamber of the Hearth, and he would walk
Traduction : The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz.
Talmud Bavli