A gdzie się ukłonili? [Trzynaście pokłonów wspomnianych powyżej (6: 1)—Gdzie były wykonywane?] Cztery na północy, cztery na południu, trzy na wschodzie i dwie na zachodzie, co odpowiada trzynastu bramom. Brama południowa, ciągnąca się od zachodu: Brama Górna [Wzgórze Świątynne wznosiło się ukośnie ze wschodu na zachód. Brama od zachodu to Brama Górna. Potem przyszedł] Brama Rozpalania [brama leśnej liszki, na południu azary, tak zwana, ponieważ przynieśli przez nią drewno na stos drewna ołtarzowego], Brama Bechorot [przez którą przynieśli bechorot (pierworodne) zabity na południu] i Brama Wodna. Dlaczego nazywa się to „Bramą Wodną”? Albowiem przez nią jest przynoszona flaszka z wodą na święto (sukkot) libacji. R. Eliezer ur. Yaakov mówi: Bo z niej wyciekała woda i miała wypłynąć spod progu Świątyni [tzn. (Ezechiel 47: 2): „A oto woda wylewa się (mefakim) z prawej strony”, czyli od południa, co nazywa się prawym, jak w (Psalm 89:13): „Północ i prawo”. Ezechiel ujrzał to (wodę) w proroczej wizji wypływającej ze świętych świętych, rozchodzących się jak trąbki szarańczy, a gdy docierał do tej bramy, gromadził siły, osiągając pełnię ust butelki (pach) , z tego powodu nazywa się go „mayim mefakim”]. Odpowiada im na północy, rozciągając się na zachód: Brama Jechaniasza, Brama Ofiary [przez którą przechodzą święci świętych, którzy są mordowani na południu] , Brama Kobiet, [przez którą wchodzą kobiety, aby wkładać ręce na swoje ofiary (to według R. Yossiego, który mówi, że kobiety mogą to czynić; i według R. Yehudy i R. Szimona, aby stać przy ich ofierze], Bramie Pieśni, [przez którą przenoszono instrumenty muzyczne]. Dlaczego nazywano ją „Bramą Jechaniasza”? Bo przez nią Jechaniaasz poszedł na wygnanie [kiedy poszedł do świątyni, aby pokłonić się i pozwolono mu iść na wygnanie do Bawelu, i wyszedł przez tę bramę.] W eas t, Brama Nikanoru [(patrz Yoma 38a)]. Znajdowały się w nim dwie furtki, jedna po prawej, jedna po lewej i dwie po stronie zachodniej, bez nazw. [W dużych bramach były małe bramy, które są również zawarte w trzynastu. I chociaż Brama Paleniska miała również furtkę, nie uważa się, że była bardzo mała, podczas gdy te były większe. Ta Miszna z trzynastu bram jest określona w Jeruszalmi jako zgodna z Abba Yossi b. Chanan; ale mędrcy mówią, że było siedem bram do azary i utrzymują te trzynaście pokłonów odpowiadających trzynastu wyrwom popełnionym przez greckich królów w azarze. Kiedy królowie Hasmoneuszy zdobyli przewagę, pokonali ich i zamknęli wyrwy, ustanowili trzynaście pokłonów, po jednym za każdą zamkniętą wyrwę.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
והיכן היו ההשתחויות – thirteen prostrations, as is taught in the Mishnah above (Mishnah 1 of this chapter), where they made them.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
Introduction
This mishnah teaches that the thirteen prostrations mentioned in mishnah one above were made in front of the thirteen gates in the Temple. The mishnah proceeds to name the gates. The commentators explain that the prostrations were to thank God for the glory of the Temple.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שער עליון – the Temple was slanted going up from east to west, and the gate nearest to the west was the Upper Gate. And behind it was the Fuel Gate, which was the gate of the wood chamber, which was in the south of the [Temple] courtyard and it was called that name because they would bring in through there the wood of the altar that they would burn on the altar which is called the Fuel Gate.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
And where did they make the prostrations? Four [times] in the north, four [times] in the south, three [times] in the east, and twice in the west, in front of the thirteen gates. This section teaches where in the Temple the thirteen gates were located.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שער הבכורות – they would bring in there the first-born [cattle] that would be slaughtered there in the south.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
The southern gates close to the west [side were]: the Upper Gate, the Fuel Gate, the Gate of the Firstborn [Animals], and the Water Gate. Why was it called the Water Gate? Because through it was brought in the flask of water for the libation on Sukkot. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: through it the waters trickle forth and in the time to come “they will come forth from under the threshold of the Temple” (Ezekiel 47:1). The Upper Gate was on the southwestern side, which was the highest point of the Temple. The Fuel Gate was used to bring in the wood used to fuel the altar’s fires. The firstborn animals were brought in through the Firstborn Animal’s Gate (should be obvious, but still..). The mishnah offers two explanations for why the Water Gate was called as such. The first explanation is that this is where the water libation, offered on Sukkot (we will learn this eventually in Sukkah 4:9), was brought into the Temple. The second is that in the future, when clean living water flows out of the Temple and cleanses the salty water of the Dead Sea, the water will begin to trickle forth from this gate (see Ezekiel 47). There is no Nixon connection.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
מים מפכים – as it is written in Ezekiel (47:2): “And I found water was gushing from [under] the south wall,” and that is south which is called “right-hand,” as it is written )Psalms 89:13): “North and south – [You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing forth Your name].” But see Ezekiel in prophecy that they would go out from the House of the Holy of Holies thin like the proboscides of locusts (see Tractate Pesahim, Chapter 3, Mishnah 5), and when they would arrive at this gate, they would grow strong/gather courage and become like the fulness of a small flask/jar and that is why they call them “gushing waters.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
On the opposite side in the north close to the west were: Jechoniah’ Gate, the Gate of the Offerings, the Gate of the Women, and the Gate of Song. And why was it called the Jechoniah’ Gate? Because through it Jechoniah went out into his captivity. On the opposite side, in the North, there were four more gates. Jechoniah’s Gate was named after the King Jechoniah who was taken captive and put into exile by Nebuchadnezzar (see II Kings 24:15). Sacrifices, which were slaughtered in the northern part of the Temple, were brought in through the Offerings Gate. The Woman’s Gate was a special entrance for women when they brought their sacrifices. The Gate of Song was used to bring in the musical instruments which the Levites used.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שער הקרבן – there they would bring in the Holy of Holies whose slaughter was in the north.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
In the east was the Nicanor’s Gate, and it had two small gates, one to the right and one to the left. In the east was Nicanor’s Gate, named after Nicanor who according to legend brought the gates from Egypt. Nicanor’s gates were surrounded by two smaller gates that were included in the tally of thirteen gates.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שער הנשים – for in it, the women would enter to lay their hands on their sacrifice, according to the words of Rabbi Yosi who said that women lay their hands optionally, but according to Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon, to stand near their sacrifice (see Talmud Eruvin 96b, Rosh Hashanah 13a and Hullin 85a).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shekalim
There were also two gates in the west which had no name. The western gates were infrequently used and hence had no special name.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שער השיר – through that path they would bring in the musical instruments.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שבו יצא יכניה בגלותו – when he when to the Temple to prostrate and to get permission when he went to Babylonia in the Diaspora, and he left through the path at that gate.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
שער ניקנור – it is explained in Yoma 38a in the chapter: “The officer said to them”/אמר להם שממונה (i.e., the Prefect over the Priests).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shekalim
פשפשין – small gates within the larger gates and even they are from the count/number of thirteen gates, and even though the gate leading to the room (in the Temple) in which the fire is perpetually maintained (see Tractate Tamid, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1 and Tractate Middot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1, as well as Tractate Shabbat Chapter 1, Mishnah 11), also had a wicket, it was not considered because it was the smallest of them all, but the others were all slightly larger, and these of our Mishnah, of the thirteen gates, we establish in the Gemara in the Jerusalem Talmud like Abba Shaul the son of Hanan, but the Sages state that there were seven gates in the courtyard, but they hold that these thirteen prostrations correspond to the thirteen breaches made by the Grecian kings in the courtyard (see Tractate Middot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 3), and when the Hasmonean kings rose up and defeated them and repaired the breaches, they established thirteen sites of prostration corresponding to every breach that had been repaired.
