THE TEMPLE MOUNT
We begin our actual “tour” of the Temple from the eastern gate of the Temple Mount (Har Habayis). But first, something of an overview of the mountain’s general layout might be helpful.
As you will probably have figured out on your own, the Temple was built at the top (although not necessarily the center) of a mountain – specifically, Mt. Moriah. A square area at the top of the mountain was largely leveled out and had built into it hollow domes (for both support and protection from any ritually impure objects that might have lain underground). The total walled-in area was 500 x 500 amos (Middos 2:1).
What are amos (singular: amah)? Since the amah (also known as a cubit or, for some unknown reason, an ell) is the single most common unit of measurement in the Temple literature, that will be the unit with which we will measure “our” Temple. How big is an amah? Anywhere between one and a half and two feet (that’s somewhere between 45 and 60 centimeters for those of you who care). The total Temple area, then, which is 500 by 500 amos, would be between 750 x 750 and 1000 x 1000 feet.
To the south and west of the mountain was the city of Jerusalem. Despite the fact that the two southern entrances to the Temple Mount were the most frequently used (being closest to the city proper), the “main” entrance was to the east – Sha’ar Shushan (the Shushan gate).
Within the walls, and a little bit off-center to the north and west, lay the main courtyard, the Azarah. The floor of this rectangular area was elevated as much as 22 amos from the floor at the outer wall to allow for the natural elevation of the mountain.
According to Rashi (BT Yoma 16a), the Azarah itself was encircled by a clear area ten amos wide (called “the cheil”) and, at its outer edge, a low fence (called “the soreg”). It was from the cheil that stairs rose to the gates of the Azarah.
According to the Rambam (Commentary to Middos 1:5), however, the fence marked the beginning of an elevated platform. Access from the Temple Mount to the top of this platform, therefore, was by way of stairs.
Contrary to what you might think, the floor of Har Habayis outside of the Azarah wasn’t simply empty space, but was crowded with at least forty-five buildings (See Tosafos YomTov to Middos 2; 1, quoting the Shiltay Giborim). Some of the buildings were used for storage, some as living quarters for Temple functionaries and one – just inside the Shushan gate – was a meeting chamber for a small Sanhedrin of twenty-three judges.
In the images of the Temple included in this book, there are none of the buildings which really filled Har Habayis (except the Sanhedrin). These were left out (1) for simplicity’s sake, and (2) in the interest of accuracy – I don’t really know how these buildings would have looked and didn’t want to include pictures which were almost certainly wrong!
THE SHUSHAN GATE
What does Shushan, the name of Persia’s capital city (made famous through its role in the Esther story), have to do with the eastern gate of the Temple? We’re told that when the Persian king Cyrus (Koresh) allowed Ezra to rebuild both the Temple and Jerusalem, he was worried about the possibility of a Jewish rebellion. To remind his Jewish subjects who was boss, Koresh instructed the builders to carve a picture of the Shushan skyline over the main entrance (BT Middos 1:3, Bartenura).
Since the eastern gate was directly opposite the entrance to the Women’s Courtyard (Ezras Nashim), which in turn sat right before the heichal itself, it could have been considered the main entrance even though most people entered and left from the south.
From Sha’ar Shushan, there was a bridge leading out across the valley, connecting the Temple to Mount of Olives. It was across this bridge that the para aduma (red heifer) was led before being burned for its purifying ashes (see Numbers, 19).
The priest (kohen) who burned the heifer had to have the main Temple building clearly in his line of sight (Numbers 19, 4), therefore the bridges and gates between the Mount of Olives and the heichal had to be built so that his vision would not be obstructed. In fact, according to Rashi, the whole eastern wall of the Temple Mount was only six amos high (as opposed to the three other walls which were as high as seventy amos) so the kohen could see over (Rashi to Ezekiel 40:5).
Other opinions shortened the eastern wall to 26 amos, and some only above the gate itself, but not along the wall’s whole length (Tavnis Heichal brought by Ezras Kohanim to Middos 2; 4. See the Ezras Kohanim further for a full discussion of this wall).
Of note: Rashi’s eastern wall of six amos partly reflected the prophecy of Ezekial (Ch. 40) that all four of the third Temple’s walls would be only six amos high.
THE JUDICIAL CHAMBERS
Just inside the eastern gate (Sha’ar Shushan) was the first of the Temple Mount’s three courthouses (according to Rashi – BT Sanhedrin 86a – this first chamber was just inside the soreg; the small fence that surrounded the Courtyard). This one (like its twin inside the Women’s Courtyard) housed a Sanhedrin of twenty-three judges. In a large basilica-like building (called the Lishkas Hagazis) in the Jews’ Courtyard (Ezras Yisroel), was a chamber for the Sanhedrin of seventy-one (BT Sanhedrin 86b).
When you consider that the city of Jerusalem itself had its own courts, and that any fair-sized city throughout the country could also boast of one, you might think of the Jews as a nation overrun by its judicial system.
It wasn’t quite so bad. All these courts were part of a pyramid-like organization, with the lower, provincial courts sending appeals and particularly hard cases to higher courts…and eventually to the Lishkas Hagazis itself.
Some types of cases – like Zaken Mamre (Deut. 17; 8-13) and Sota (Numbers 5, 15) – needed to travel through the whole court system to be legally valid. Consider also, that these courts did not meet every day. Rather, some only met on Mondays and Thursdays, and others only when called into session for a particular reason.
Finally, we should realize that Jewish courts deal with more than civil (“He owes me money”) and capital (“off with his head”) cases. Questions of the laws of the Sabbath, kosher food and even proper festival observance were all brought to the courts. The High Court was also ultimately responsible for foreign affairs and Temple procedures.
Every area of Torah law is complicated enough to need clarification once in a while. And often the only place to go for a good answer was to the leading Torah scholars – who could usually be found on one of the country’s Sanhedrins…
THE FLOOR PLAN
You might visualize Temple Mount as a series of rectangles built one atop the other – each smaller than the one below. But a picture is worth…you know…so before you plow through this chapter, sneak a quick glance at a thousand words…
The Temple Mount (everything within the outer 500 x 500 amos walls) we’ll assign an elevation of 0 amos. Slightly to the north and west of center, was a large, walled courtyard which contained both the Women’s Courtyard to the east and the Jews’ Courtyard to the west. Together they measured 322 x 135 amos. As you know, this too was entirely surrounded by the cheil (an empty area ten amos wide) and its outer fence (the soreg).
The floor of the Temple Mount was six amos lower than the floor of the Ezras Nashim. There were twelve steps from one to the other (as each stair was one-half an amah high, and one–half an amah deep). From the square Women’s Courtyard, one climbed fifteen semi-circular steps (seven-and-one-half amos) to the Jews’ Courtyard.
Between there and the Priest’s Courtyard (Ezras Kohanim – which began just 11 amos east of the main altar, and 11 amos west of the Jews Courtyard wall), were four more steps rising two and one half amos (yes, two and a half – one of these steps was actually one full amah high). West of the altar were twelve steps (six amos) leading into the Antechamber and from there it was a short (but rare) walk to the Holy of Holies.
Now these divisions were not simply a product of some architect’s fancy, they were reminders that the further “in” you went, the greater the sanctity. Each wall and fence acted as a warning, asking us: “Are you ready to go further?”
People affected by certain types of ritual contamination were not allowed past the outer walls of the Temple Mount (in fact, a metzorah – see Levit. 13 etc. – wasn’t even allowed into Jerusalem); those who had been in contact with dead bodies weren’t let past the soreg (fence); People of lighter degrees of impurity were kept from the Ezras Nashim; a regular Jew (i.e., a non-priest) was normally advised (or according to some, required) not to come within eleven amos of the altar; a priest who was not currently needed for the Temple service was not allowed into the heichal; and the Holy of Holies was out of bounds all the time except Yom Kippur (BT Mishnayos Keilim; end of first chapter – and even then, entrance was only allowed the high priest).
THE WALLS
Aside from the eastern wall (which, according to Rashi, rose to a height of only six amos), the outer walls of the Temple Mount were impressively high. Different accounts place the height anywhere between forty and seventy amos – that’s well over one hundred feet up!
The walls were five amos thick at their base, but narrower towards the top. It might have been more aesthetically pleasing to build the walls with a consistent thickness (from top to bottom), but they needed a five-amah base for support.
A surprise: We’re used to visualizing the Temple walls as layers of stones (as indeed they were). However, according to the book Ezras Kohanim (4:1), while the structure stood, the stones weren’t visible from beneath a layer of white lime plaster. As a matter of fact, nearly all the walls on the Temple Mount were covered in this lime, giving the building the appearance of snowy white mountains, glistening in the sun.
CHULDA’S GATES
As the main part of the city of Jerusalem lay to the south of the Temple, there were two entrance ways along that wall: Chulda’s Gates (Sha’arei Chulda). It was through these gates that most of the pedestrian traffic to and from the Temple passed.
In fact, during the later years of the First Temple, Chulda the prophetess stood near this wall and urged the people of her city to return to the elevated spiritual level on which they belonged. Hence, she was remembered through the names of two of the Second Temple’s gates.
Some (Tosafos Yom Tov Middos 1:3) say, in addition, that the tomb of Chulda was located in front of these gates (although not in a way that would cause problems for passing priests).
THE WOMEN’S COURTYARD
The Women’s Courtyard (Ezras Nashim) was so named, not because it was used by women any more than by men, but because under normal circumstances, this was as far west (i.e. as close to the heichal) as a woman would go.
The courtyard (whose walls enclosed an area 135 x 135 amos) had a chamber built into each of its four corners (Middos 2:5) and contained the second building of the three set aside for a Sanhedrin (this one of twenty-three judges).
The south-east chamber was called the Office of the Nazirim. There, nazirites (Jews who had accepted on themselves temporary vows to abstain from wine, haircuts and contact with the dead – see Numbers ch. 5) would come at the end of their nazir period to cut their hair, have it burnt and cook the meat of their Temple offering.
The room to the north-east was used by priests for making sure that no wood destined for the fires of the altar was wormy (and hence, unfit).
To the north-west was the chamber of metzorayim (see Leviticus ch. 12 etc. for the explanation of a metzora). Here, metzorayim at the end of their period of impurity would immerse in a mikvah and prepare themselves for the final stage of their purification.
Finally there was the storehouse of wine and oils in the south-west corner (against the east wall of the Jews’ Courtyard). There was a small flight of stairs and a door connecting this room to the courtyard above it.
Projecting from the inner walls of the courtyard were beams, built to support temporary balconies. It was during the festival of Succos (celebrated in the autumn, see Deut. ch. 17; 13 – 15) that the balconies were actually erected because it was then that thousands of Jews of Jerusalem joined with countless visitors from around the country, and, by torch-light, danced, juggled and sang in appreciation of God’s kindness to His people (Succah 51a).
Originally, the men would dance out on the Temple Mount while the women watched from inside the Women’s Courtyard. The sages saw that the intermingling could distract the participants from the seriousness of the event, so they switched it around (the men inside and the women outside – presumably so that the women could arrive after the men and leave earlier so as not to actually pass each other).
This, too, caused problems, so the sages finally decided to build balconies along the inside walls of the Women’s Courtyard (or according to the Rambam, build the walls – as the Rambam held that originally there were no walls, just a small railing to prevent people from falling over onto the floor far below).
The women stood (or sat) on top, the men below and only the greatest sages and priests danced. (incidentally, this is one of the earliest sources implying the need for a mechitza – a divider between men and women in a synagogue. See Igros Moshe Orech Chaim I 39.)
There were stairs leading up to the balconies (like the balconies themselves, these were temporary) and special doors on the north and south walls of the Women’s Courtyard (called Women’s Gates) through which the women could come and go.
THE MAIN COURTYARD (AZARAH)
THE ENTRANCES TO THE AZARAH
There were seven entrances to the Jews’ Courtyard (see Mishna Middos, ch. 1, Mishna 4). On the other hand, Mishna 6 in the second chapter of Middos tells us that there were thirteen entrances. So what do you do? Which do you believe?
As usual, there are various approaches to choose from, but we will stick with that of Rebbainu Tam (Kesuvos 106a) who says that, counting the major gates (those measuring ten amos wide by twenty amos tall) there were only seven, but there were also six minor entrances. The Mishna at the beginning of Middos is concerned only with the big ones…
What were the gates? Here we go:
Along the northern side of the courtyard, the westernmost gate was sha’ar hanitzotz (gate of the spark). To its east was the sha’ar hakorbon through which were brought most of the animals to be used in the Temple service. There were at least 32 steps leading up to this gate (just imagine dragging all those cows and sheep up the stairs!). Further east was the sha’ar hanashim (women’s gate – one of the smaller gates) and finally, the Bais Hamoked.
Now, to the south side: From the west, there was the sha’ar ha-eliyon (another small gate). Eastward was the sha’ar hadelek. East again was the sha’ar habechoros and finally the sha’ar hamayim.
Ok. That’s eight. Now there was the main entrance on the eastern wall, the Sha’ar Nikanor and two smaller entrances – one on either side of nikonar. Eleven.
On the west wall of the Azarah, were two small unnamed gates. Thirteen – seven large and six small.
THE GATE OF THE SPARK
This gate had two names (just to confuse you). The name, the Gate of the Spark (Sha’ar Hanitzotz) refers to the twenty-four hour flame that was kept burning in the gateway should the eternal flame of the main altar have needed replacing.
The other name, is Sha’ar Yechaniya, named after the great Judean king, Yechaniya. Now, of course, Yechaniya also had two names: Yechaniya and Yehoyachin (but if you think this is bad, the main altar had at least four names and the smaller altar in the heichal had at least four more!)
Why was this particular gate named after this particular king? Because it was through this gate that Yechaniya, in the last years of the first Temple period, was led into captivity at the hands of Nevuchadnezzer. Our people chose to remember Yechaniya for his final acts of courage and heroism during this terrible captivity (Middos 2:6).
Outside the gate, overlooking the Temple Mount, was a balcony built on two pillars. Priests regularly stood in this attic keeping watch over the Temple (it wasn’t that the Temple needed watching – they weren’t usually afraid of attack – but ceremonial guards lend a place an aura of importance). There were three places where priests kept this honor guard: here, in Bais Avtinus (see below) and in the Bais Hamoked. Many other places were guarded by levites (Middos 1:1).
THE WATER GATE
This gate, like the Sha’ar Hanitzotz, had more than one purpose.
It, too, had a balcony on the outside from which a priest stood guard over the Temple Mount. Above the gate itself were two rooms. One, Bais Avtinus, was used by members of the Avtinus family who were expert at preparing the ingredients for the incense (ketorus). The second room contained the mikvah (pool) used by the high priest for the first of his five Yom Kippur immersions.
If the room next to Bais Avtinus contained a mikvah used by the high priest on Yom Kippur (see Leviticus, ch. 16; 4 etc.), where, you might ask, did all the water come from? (We’re referring to the drawn water in which the kohen actually immersed – but the 40 seah of the mikvah itself was most likely rainwater).
Even modern plumbing often requires pumps to raise water to upper levels of a building against the force of gravity and this mikvah in particular had to be at least 23 amos (about four stories) above the floor of the Azarah (twenty amos of the gate itself and three amos of height to contain enough water for a kosher mikvah suitable for immersion). What pushed the water up that great height?
The rabbis (BT Yoma 31a) tell us that the water for the mikvah (as well as much of the water used in the Temple) came from a well (called Eyn Eitom) that sat at the top of a neighboring mountain, some miles away. The water was brought by way of underground pipes. Since this other mountain was slightly higher than the Temple Mount, it produced just enough pressure (thanks to gravity) to force the water to rise to the top of the mikvah.
THE JEWS’ COURTYARD
To the west of the Women’s Courtyard lay the Azarah (main courtyard). This courtyard’s forty-amah-high walls enclosed the Temple’s main buildings.
The most noticeable structure in the Azarah was the Antechamber (Ulam) and behind that, the heichal (known, for some reason, as the Hearth). These two adjoining buildings towered over the rest of the Temple – being more than twice the height of anything else in sight.
We’ll get to all that, but right now we’re interested in the courtyard’s general layout. In amongst all the confusion of the Azarah, lay the Jews’ Courtyard. Rectangular, the Jews’ Courtyard was bounded from the outside by the outer walls of the Azarah and on its inside by the walls of the heichal. In all, the Azarah measured 187 amos from east to west and 135 from north to south.
Technically, the area whose sanctity was only that of the Ezras Yisroel filled only the first eleven amos to the west of the Women’s Courtyard wall and the areas to the north, south and west of the heichal. The Priest’s Courtyard – a space stretching eleven amos from the Jews’ Courtyard to the main altar along with the space of the altar itself (from its south-facing ramp all the way to the northern wall of the Azarah) were normally off limits to “common” Jews (but then, who’s a common Jew?).
It was in this space (in particular the easternmost strip) that much of the business of the Temple was done. The area boasted seven major buildings (or, to be more precise, two clusters of three buildings each and the Bais Hamoked further west along the northern wall – Middos 5:3).
The cluster in the Jews’ Courtyard’s south-east corner consisted of the Salt Chamber (for storing the salt used in the Temple service), the Parve Chamber (no, it had nothing to do with milk-free diets) and the Washing Chamber (for cleaning out the innards of slaughtered animals). Each of these chambers was (according to Tosafos Yoma 31a) built underground with stairways leading down from the floor of the courtyard.
On the roof of the Parve chamber was a mikvah used by the high priest on Yom Kippur (for his final four immersions). There were curtains all around for privacy.
The north-east corner of the Azarah contained the Chamber of Hewn Stone (the Lishkas Hagazis – the supreme court chamber), the Wood Chamber (so named, according to some, because of the wood used to build it – it was also called the Palhedrin and served as the high priest’s private chamber), and the Exiles’ Chamber, which housed a water well built by the returning exiles.
Separating the eastern section of the Jews Courtyard from the Priests’ Courtyard to its west were three steps. It was on these steps (called the duchan) that an overflow crowd of levites would stand while involved in their musical service. The main body of levites were located on the twelve stairs between the altar and the antechamber.
By the way, in your own travels through the tractates of Middos and Tamid you might have noticed a different version of the above layout. The northern cluster is often placed in the south and vice versa. We had to choose one of the two for our explanation, but nevertheless, it’s important to be aware of the other possibility.