Quoting%20commentary for Middot 4:2

וּשְׁנֵי פִשְׁפָּשִׁין הָיוּ לוֹ לַשַּׁעַר הַגָּדוֹל, אֶחָד בַּצָּפוֹן, וְאֶחָד בַּדָּרוֹם. שֶׁבַּדָּרוֹם, לֹא נִכְנַס בּוֹ אָדָם מֵעוֹלָם, וְעָלָיו הוּא מְפֹרָשׁ עַל יְדֵי יְחֶזְקֵאל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם מד), וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי ה' הַשַּׁעַר הַזֶּה סָגוּר יִהְיֶה לֹא יִפָּתֵחַ וְאִישׁ לֹא יָבֹא בוֹ כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא בוֹ וְהָיָה סָגוּר. נָטַל אֶת הַמַּפְתֵּחַ וּפָתַח אֶת הַפִּשְׁפָּשׁ, וְנִכְנַס לְהַתָּא, וּמֵהַתָּא לַהֵיכָל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בְּתוֹךְ עָבְיוֹ שֶׁל כֹּתֶל הָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ, עַד שֶׁנִּמְצָא עוֹמֵד בֵּין שְׁנֵי הַשְּׁעָרִים, וּפָתַח אֶת הַחִיצוֹנוֹת מִבִּפְנִים וְאֶת הַפְּנִימִיּוֹת מִבַּחוּץ:

The great gate had two small doorways, one on the north, and one on the south. No person ever entered from the southern doorway, and the reason was spelled out by Ezekiel, as it says "And Hashem said unto me: 'This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it, for Hashem, the God of Israel, will come through it, it shall be shut."' (Ezekiel 44:2) He [the <i>Kohen</i>] took the key and opened the small door, and he entered the cell, and from the cell, he entered into the Sanctuary. Rabbi Yehuda says, he would walk along in the thickness of the wall, until he found himself standing between the two doors [to the space between the two gates]. He opened the outer doors from the inside, and the inner doors from the outside.

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