תלמוד על מדות 4:7

“With one cubit between them.” Rebbi Hila said, this⁵⁴That in contrast to the First temple, the Second had two gobelins, the interior one belonging to the Holiest of Holies and the exterior one belonging to the Temple Hall, with a cubit in between. The problem whether the cubit between interior and exterior gobelins belongs to the Temple Hall or the Holies of Holies is quoted as undecidable in Kilaim 8:5 where part of the text is found (Notes 93–95) and Babli 52a. is hinted at as we have stated there⁵⁵Mishnah Middot 4:7., “One cubit taraqsin, twenty cubits for the building of the Holiest of Holies.” What is “one cubit taraqsin”? Rebbi Jonah from Bostra said, “confusion”, what is inside-outside⁵⁶Jastrow’s conjecture that טרקסין is Greek τάραξιν, accusative of τάραξις, “confusion”; cf. Kilaim 8:5 Note 93.. Rebbi Yose said, since it is written⁵⁷1K. 6:17., forty cubits was the House, that is the inner Temple, it means that it is counted inside. Rebbi Mana said to him, but it is written⁵⁸2Chr. 3:8. Since the reports about the first Temple do not mention the cubit in between, all they prove is that the interior gobelin belongs to the Holiest of Holies and the exterior one to the Temple Hall., he made the building of the Holiest of Holies,…, twenty cubits, it means that it is counted outside. What is the rabbis’ reason? The gobelin shall separate for you⁵⁹Ex. 26:33. This is R. Yose’s (the Tanna) reason that only one gobelin is possible between the Temple Hall and the Holiest of Holies. How can the rabbis explain the verse?, etc.? What does Rebbi Yose do with this⁶⁰In this and the next sentence, the places of “R. Yose” and “the rabbis” have to be switched since the simple meaning of the verse supports R. Yose. Tosephta 2:12. Between the Holiest of Holies above and the Holiest of Holies below⁶¹The rabbis will dispute that even in the first Temple there was only one gobelin. Since there must be an opening for the High Priest to enter the Holiest of Holies, a complete separation so that the Holiest of Holies cannot be seen from the Temple Hall requires a minimum of two gobelins, one being closed at the place where the other is open. But on the roof of the building there was only one separating line.. Do the rabbis not have this? They have it as we have stated⁶²Mishnah Middot 4:5., “the impression of pebbles⁶³Greek ψῆφος. distinguish above between holy and the Holiest of Holies.”

²⁰⁷This entire paragraph is copied in Q. It is written²⁰⁸2Chr. 4:6. The topic is to find roots for the uncommon words אֲגַרְטְלֵ֨י, מַֽחֲלָפִי֭ם.: And these are their numbers: gold basins30, Rebbi Samuel bar Nahman said, places where the blood of the lamb was collected. Silver basins 1’000, Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, places where the blood of the bull was collected. Knives 29, Rebbi Simon said, these are the knives, as we have stated there²⁰⁹Mishnah Middot 4:7., “it was called the place of knives since there they hid the knives.”

“And its window closed.” That they could not use it for their knives, as we have stated there¹⁶⁹Mishnah Middot4:7. The window being closed meant that there was no hollow space in the wall. Just as with the rings, the Cohanim from Bilgah had to use spaces dedicated to other watches to store their knives.: “this was called the place of the sharp knives since there they hid the knives.”