tamid

Tamid is a Hebrew term meaning "continual" or "eternal." In Jewish religious literature, Tamid refers to the daily burnt offering performed in the Temple in Jerusalem as part of worship, commanded to be offered in the morning and in the evening.

The Olah Tamid typically consisted of two lambs of the first year, one offered in the morning and one in the evening, along with a meal offering of flour mixed with oil and a drink offering of wine; the entire burnt offering was consumed on the altar. The service was carried out by the kohanim (priests) and formed a central element of the Temple's daily ritual in both the First and Second Temples.

In rabbinic literature, the procedures and roles of the Tamid service are described in detail in the Mishnah tractate Tamid and the broader Talmud. The term Tamid thus denotes not only a specific sacrifice but also the general idea of continual worship.

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the actual Tamid offering ceased; however, the concept remained influential. In later Jewish ritual, the Ner Tamid, or eternal light, is a symbolic perpetual flame in synagogues, recalling the perpetual service of the Temple and serving as a symbol of God's eternal presence. The word Tamid continues to appear in liturgy and in the name of institutions and organizations.