Middos 4:6-7

Middos 4:6

The Temple was 100 cubits* by 100 cubits with a height of a 100 cubits. The foundation of the building was six cubits high; it rose 40 cubits plus a cubit for the decorative panels, two cubits for the rafters, a cubit for the ceiling and a cubit for boards. The height of the loft was 40 cubits; there was one cubit for its decorative panels, two cubits for the rafters, a cubit for the ceiling, a cubit for boards, three cubits for the parapet and a cubit for the bird fence. Rabbi Yehuda says that the bird fence wasn’t included in the measurement. Rather, the parapet was four cubits tall.

Middos 4:7

From east to west was 100 cubits: the wall of the ulam (the entrance) was five cubits, the ulam itself was 11, the wall of the Heichal (the Sanctuary) was six cubits and its interior was 40 cubits. There was a cubit for the partition and 20 cubits for the interior of the Kodesh HaKadoshim (the Holy of Holies). The wall of the Heichal was six cubits, the chamber was six cubits, and the outer wall of the chamber was five cubits. From north to south was 70 cubits— the wall of the passageway was five cubits, the passageway itself was three cubits, the wall of the chambers was five cubits and the chamber itself was six cubits. The wall of the Heichal was six cubits and its interior was 20 cubits, and the other wall of the Heichal was six cubits. The chamber was six cubits, its wall was five cubits, the place where the water drained was three cubits and its wall was five cubits. The ulam extended beyond these 70 cubits – 15 cubits to the north and 15 cubits to the south. This area was called “the knife house” because that’s where they stored the knives. The Heichal was narrow in the back and wide in front, like a lion, as per Isaiah 29:1: “Woe to Ariel; Ariel, the city where David lived.” (“Ariel” means “lion of God” in Hebrew; the referent of this verse is the altar.) Just like a lion is narrow in back and wide in front, the same is true of the Heichal.

* We have been working with the approximation that a cubit is around 18 inches but there are a lot of numbers in these two mishnayos. To estimate measurements in these mishnayos, simply multiply cubits by 1.5. For example, 100 cubits is approximately 150 feet.