Chasidut for Middot 4:7

מֵהַמִּזְרָח לַמַּעֲרָב מֵאָה אַמָּה, כֹּתֶל הָאוּלָם חָמֵשׁ, וְהָאוּלָם אַחַד עָשָׂר, כֹּתֶל הַהֵיכָל שֵׁשׁ, וְתוֹכוֹ אַרְבָּעִים אַמָּה, אַמָּה טְרַקְסִין, וְעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, כֹּתֶל הַהֵיכָל שֵׁשׁ, וְהַתָּא שֵׁשׁ, וְכֹתֶל הַתָּא חָמֵשׁ. מִן הַצָּפוֹן לַדָּרוֹם שִׁבְעִים אַמָּה, כֹּתֶל הַמְּסִבָּה חָמֵשׁ, וְהַמְּסִבָּה שָׁלֹשׁ, כֹּתֶל הַתָּא חָמֵשׁ, וְהַתָּא שֵׁשׁ, כֹּתֶל הַהֵיכָל שֵׁשׁ, וְתוֹכוֹ עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, כֹּתֶל הַהֵיכָל שֵׁשׁ, וְהַתָּא שֵׁשׁ, וְכֹתֶל הַתָּא חָמֵשׁ, וּבֵית הוֹרָדַת הַמַּיִם שָׁלֹשׁ אַמּוֹת, וְהַכֹּתֶל חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת. הָאוּלָם עוֹדֵף עָלָיו חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִן הַצָּפוֹן, וַחֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִן הַדָּרוֹם, וְהוּא הָיָה נִקְרָא בֵּית הַחֲלִיפוֹת, שֶׁשָּׁם גּוֹנְזִים אֶת הַסַּכִּינִים. וְהַהֵיכָל צַר מֵאַחֲרָיו, וְרָחָב מִלְּפָנָיו, וְדוֹמֶה לַאֲרִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה כט), הוֹי אֲרִיאֵל אֲרִיאֵל קִרְיַת חָנָה דָוִד, מָה הָאֲרִי צַר מֵאַחֲרָיו וְרָחָב מִלְּפָנָיו, אַף הַהֵיכָל צַר מֵאַחֲרָיו וְרָחָב מִלְּפָנָיו:

From east to west [the Sanctuary was] one hundred [amot] by one hundred [amot]: The [eastern wall of the] vestibule was five [amot thick]; the vestibule was eleven [amot wide]; the [eastern] wall of the Sanctuary was six [amot thick] and its interior was forty [amot long]; one amah for the teraksin [the partition between the Holy of Holies and the Sanctuary]; and twenty amot was the Holy of Holies. The [western] wall of the Sanctuary was six [amot thick]; the cell [in back of it] was six [amot wide]; and the [outer] wall of the cell was five [amot thick]. Fom north to south the Sanctuary was seventy amot. The wall of the Winding Ramp was five [amot thick] and the Winding Ramp [itself] was three [amot wide]; the wall of the cell was five [amot thick] and the cell was five [amot wide]. The [southern] wall of the Sanctuary was six [amot thick]; the cell was six [amot wide] and the wall of the cell was five [amot thick]. The [place known as] the House of Lowering the Water was three [amot wide] and its wall was five [amot thick]. The vestibule was longer than it [the Sanctuary] fifteen amot to the north, and fifteen amot to the south. This [longer section] was called the Chamber of the Knives [for that is where] that the knives were stored. The Sanctuary was narrow in the back [the eastern side] and wide at the front [the eastern side], like a lion, as it says, "Ah, Ariel [lit. Lion of God] Ariel, the city where David encamped." (Isaiah 29:1) Just as a lion is narrow in his back and wide in front, so too was the Sanctuary narrow in the back and wide in the front.

Kedushat Levi

An alternate explanation of the line commencing with: ‎גור ‏אריה יהודה מטרף בני עלית‎. We base this on a statement of our sages ‎in Midot 4,7 where the Mishnah says: “just as a lion is ‎broad in front and narrow in its rear, so the main structure of the ‎Holy Temple, the one known as ‎היכל‎, Sanctuary, was broad at its ‎entrance, whereas the two Sanctuaries, including the ‎קדשי קדשים‎ ‎at the rear of the structure, was narrow.” The symbolism derived ‎from this appearance of the Temple is that when G’d appears to ‎shower the gentile nations with all kinds of material blessings, the ‎reason is that He wishes to reward them for whatever good they ‎have done while on earth before they die, so that He does not ‎have to recompense them in the Hereafter. The very opposite is ‎the case in G’d’s relations with the Jewish people. G’d wishes to ‎store up as much of the reward due to his faithful Jews for the ‎Hereafter as is compatible with their lives on earth remaining ‎tolerable. When Yaakov says to Yehudah that he had arisen, i.e. ‎done repentance from his misguided treatment of his brother ‎Joseph whom he had treated as if he were the loot captured in a ‎hunt, this assured him of ample reward in the hereafter. We have ‎confirmation of that concept when the Talmud in B’rachot ‎‎34 states that the ethical platform occupied by repentant sinners ‎is far higher than the platform occupied by people who have ‎never sinned, and who therefore never had to repent.‎

Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Previous Verse Full Chapter Next Verse