Dear G.B.: There is a tractate in
the Mishnah Yomah that tells us
about the service of the high priest of
the Temple on the Day of Atonement.
The corresponding commentary in
the Babylohlan Talmud on Yomah
further elaborates on the service.
Nowhere in either source does it
mention a rope being tied around the
priest's leg.
To be honest with you, I personally
had heard that story and began to
check my own sources. In nothing I
read could I find verification of that
practice. So I called Dr. Brad Young,
who is, as you perhaps know, one of
the top rabbinical scholars in this
country. Dr. Young also mentioned
that he had heard this popular story
but could not give me a reference
either.
We do know that the priests had a row
of bells around the hem of their
garments so that, when they walked
through the Temple area, they could
be heard by the people outside.
However, to date, I have not been
able to find any authoritative
reference of a rope around the leg.
Again, to be honest with you, I
looked only in my own library which,
although being extensive, is far from
being exhaustive.
After spending several hours in
research, I gave up and will present
the question to our readers. Perhaps
we can find someone out there who
has the answers and is smarter than
we are. Can anybody help?
