Commentaire sur Middot 1:9
וּמָקוֹם הָיָה שָׁם, אַמָּה עַל אַמָּה, וְטַבְלָא שֶׁל שַׁיִשׁ וְטַבַּעַת הָיְתָה קְבוּעָה בָהּ, וְשַׁלְשֶׁלֶת שֶׁהַמַּפְתְּחוֹת הָיוּ תְלוּיוֹת בָּהּ. הִגִּיעַ זְמַן הַנְּעִילָה, הִגְבִּיהַּ אֶת הַטַּבְלָא בַּטַּבַּעַת וְנָטַל אֶת הַמַּפְתְּחוֹת מִן הַשַּׁלְשֶׁלֶת, וְנָעַל הַכֹּהֵן מִבִּפְנִים, וּבֶן לֵוִי יָשֵׁן לוֹ מִבַּחוּץ. גָּמַר מִלִּנְעֹל, הֶחֱזִיר אֶת הַמַּפְתְּחוֹת לַשַּׁלְשֶׁלֶת וְאֶת הַטַּבְלָא לִמְקוֹמָהּ, נָתַן כְּסוּתוֹ עָלֶיהָ, יָשֵׁן לוֹ. אֵרַע קֶרִי בְּאַחַד מֵהֶם, יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ בַמְּסִבָּה הַהוֹלֶכֶת תַּחַת הַבִּירָה, וְהַנֵּרוֹת דּוֹלְקִים מִכָּאן וּמִכָּאן, עַד שֶׁהוּא מַגִּיעַ לְבֵית הַטְּבִילָה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, בַּמְּסִבָּה הַהוֹלֶכֶת תַּחַת הַחֵיל יוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ בְּטָדִי:
Il y avait un espace là [dans la salle du feu], un amah [mesure de la taille] par un amah et il y avait un carreau de marbre avec un anneau installé dedans, et une chaîne que les clés [de la cour] suspendaient de. Quand le moment de fermer les portes était arrivé, [le Kohen ] soulevait la tuile avec l'anneau et prenait les clés de la chaîne, le Kohen fermait les portes de l'intérieur et un Lévite dormait à l'extérieur. Lorsqu'il eut fini de verrouiller toutes les portes, il remit les clés de la chaîne et la tuile à sa place. Il plaçait ses vêtements dessus [la tuile] et s'endormait. Si l'un d'eux [les Kohanim ] subissait une émission séminale [et devenait impur], il sortait par un tunnel qui passait sous le bâtiment, et il y avait des bougies allumées ici et là, jusqu'à ce qu'il arrive à la salle d'immersion. Le rabbin Eliezer ben Yaakov dit: [Ils sortiraient] par le tunnel qui passait sous le Cheil , et sortiraient par la porte Tedi.
Bartenura on Mishnah Middot
English Explanation of Mishnah Middot
In this was fixed a ring and a chain on which the keys were hung.
When closing time came, the priest would raise the slab by the ring and take the keys from the chain.
Then the priest would lock up within while the Levite was sleeping outside.
When he had finished locking up, he would replace the keys on the chain and the slab in its place and put his garment on it and sleep there.
If one of them had a seminal emission, he would go out by the winding stair which went under the Birah, and which was lighted with lamps on both sides, until he reached the bathing place.
Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says: he descended by the winding stair which went under the Hel and he went out by the Taddi gate.
Our mishnah deals with the locking of the Temple gates at night.
Section four: There are two explanations for “the Levite was sleeping outside.” Either it means that the Levites sat outside the courtyard and guarded from the outside. Or this refers to the locking of the fire chamber. In the fire chamber the priests were inside and the Levites outside.
Section six: Tamid 1:1 also discusses what would happen if a priest had an emission in the middle of the night and needed to purify himself. According to Deuteronomy 23:11 such a person must leave the “camp”, which the rabbis interpret to be parallel to the Temple. The priest would exit the Temple by using a set of underground stairs. It was forbidden for him to walk through the courtyard, or even on the Temple mount because he was impure. These stairs were lit so that he could see his way. He would then come to the ritual bath.
Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says that when he was coming out of the ritual bath, he would not go back to the fire chamber. Rather he would go under the Hel and end up on the Temple Mount near the Taddi gate. Note that Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob does not disagree with the halakhah in our mishnah but rather with the halakhah in Tamid 1:1, according to which the priest the priest would return to the fire chamber.